Though most eyes are on Amazon's Thursday press conference, Kobo is angling for early attention with its announcement of two new e-readers and a new 7-inch Android tablet called the Arc. How do the devices stack up to the competition?…
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B&N announces 3 more retailers for UK Nook, including two bookstores
Barnes & Noble announced three more partners for its Nook UK launch this fall: Academic bookseller Blackwell's, independent bookseller Foyles and general retail chain Argos. B&N also announced John Lewis as a retail partner earlier this week.…
Read MoreStates reach $69 million ebook pricing settlement with publishers
Ebook buyers in 54 states and territories are set to receive $69 million in a settlement between the states and HarperCollins, Hachette and Simon & Schuster. Those who bought agency-priced ebooks between April 2010 and May 2012 are eligible for payment if the settlement goes through.…
Read MoreDOJ compares Apple and publishers to big oil in ebooks case
In a filing late Wednesday in response to Apple and book publishers, the Department of Justice reiterates its claim that agency pricing and the alleged conspiracy have resulted in "unmistakable consumer harm," but refuses to release its ebook pricing analysis.…
Read MoreWhy the Nook is failing: One chart, four reasons
Microsoft invested $300 million in Barnes & Noble's Nook business. As the following chart shows, that probably wasn't a great idea: Production problems, slowing ebook sales and other factors are contributing to the Nook's troubles.…
Read MoreBarnes & Noble Q1 revenues up slightly, but Nook device sales fall
Barnes & Noble has a $300m investment from Microsoft and will launch the Nook in the UK this fall. But the country's largest bookstore chain is struggling to compete against Amazon. Nook device sales fell during Q1 2013, though digital content sales were up.…
Read MoreB&N’s Nook will finally launch in the UK (but who’s going to sell it?)
Barnes & Noble will sell its Nook e-readers in the UK starting this October, but at the beginning they will only be available through a website, nook.co.uk. B&N says it will announce partnerships with "leading retailers" soon.…
Read MoreNew stats show iPad surging again as Kindle Fire, Nook Tablet fall
Market research firm IHS iSuppli shows that iPad shipments surged in Q2 2012, as Amazon's Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble's Nook Tablets saw major drops. Kindle Fire's share of the media tablet market fell to 4.2 percent, with B&N's at 1.9 percent.…
Read MoreBarnes & Noble brings Nook Tablet prices in line with Kindle Fire and Nexus 7
Barnes & Noble dropped prices on its Nook Tablets and Nook Color on Sunday, bringing the price of the Nook Tablet 16 GB in line with Amazon's Kindle Fire and Google's 8 GB Nexus 7. The bookstore chain has failed to gain much tablet market share.…
Read MorePlanning to buy a new Kindle? Wait
The current Kindle Touch models are either unavailable or shipping in 8 to 9 days on Amazon, suggesting that new models are coming soon -- possibly including a front-lit Kindle to compete with Barnes & Noble's Nook with GlowLight.…
Read MoreSmashwords gets more self-published ebooks into libraries
Digital self-publishing site Smashwords is making it easier for self-published authors to get their ebooks into libraries. The site is allowing certain libraries to buy Smashwords titles in bulk, and is also adding custom library pricing options for its authors.…
Read MoreAs verdict on ebook pricing settlement nears, Apple gets 5 pages to respond to DOJ
As a verdict on the DOJ's proposed ebook pricing settlement with three publishers approaches, Apple has requested and received permission to file another response to the settlement. Apple has also requested a hearing on the settlement, which the DOJ opposes.…
Read MoreAmazon adds print textbook rental
Amazon is now renting print textbooks in addition to Kindle textbooks. In doing so, the company seeks to compete with Barnes & Noble as well as with startups like Chegg and BookRenter.…
Read MoreBooksellers, Barnes & Noble to weigh in on Apple ebooks case
The American Booksellers Association and Barnes & Noble say the DOJ's proposed ebook pricing settlement is so harmful to booksellers and consumers that they want to file their own brief in the case. Presiding Judge Denise L. Cote has said they may do so by August 15.…
Read MoreBarnes & Noble tablets get maps before Kindle Fire
Barnes & Noble is skipping out on Google Maps for tablets and is partnering instead with Berlin-based mobile map company skobbler. skobbler's ForeverMap 2 app is available in the Nook store today, and Nook will open up to location-based app developers later this year.…
Read MoreSelf-publishing company FastPencil gives some authors more access to Barnes & Noble
Self-publishing company FastPencil will begin pitching some of its authors' books to Barnes & Noble buyers, which could give them a better chance of ending up in stores or in promotions of Nook e-readers. But it's not a guarantee that self-published titles will end up on shelves.…
Read MoreBarnes & Noble launches cloud-based reading platform Nook for Web
About a year after Amazon launched Kindle Cloud Reader, Barnes & Noble is finally getting into the cloud-based reading game with Nook for Web. The platform is limited to PCs and Macs for now and doesn't work on iPad.…
Read MoreStartup Livrada to sell ebook gift cards in U.S. Target stores
In an effort to make ebook gift-giving more spontaneous and fun, Los Angeles-based startup Livrada is partnering with Target to sell gift cards for bestselling ebook titles like "50 Shades of Grey" and "Gone Girl" in the chain's 1,771 stores nationwide.…
Read MoreBig e-reader is watching you
Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other e-reader companies are collecting data about your e-book reading habits, but they're keeping their most interesting findings close to the vest.…
Read MoreYeah, e-books are great — but libraries are in a tough spot
New reports from the American Libraries Association and Pew Internet and American Life Project reveal that despite the increasing number of e-books available to library patrons, libraries themselves face big challenges in weathering the transition.…
Read MoreB&N earnings: Nook Simple Touch drags revenues down, though digital content sales are up
Barnes & Noble reported Q4 revenues of $1.4 billion, on losses of $1.08 per share. Following Microsoft's $300 million investment during the quarter, B&N is now breaking out the Nook segment separately in its earnings, and results in that segment are mixed.…
Read MoreE-book Bestsellers: A “new adult” romance for the college set
This weekly feature tells the backstory of how one e-book became a bestseller, and highlights bestselling titles that are selling more copies in digital than in print. This week: A "new adult" romance for the college crowd.…
Read MoreAmazon Publishing makes some e-books available to other retailers
Amazon is selling at least two Amazon Publishing titles in other digital bookstores. Until now, it has sold its e-books exclusively through the Kindle Store.…
Read MoreFive digital lessons from BookExpo America 2012
This week, the book industry gathered at the ugly, cavernous Javits Center in Manhattan for the largest book trade event in the United States. ("I feel like I'm in Costco," actress-author Molly Ringwald told the AP.) Here are five digital lessons from the week.…
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