Major Domino Falling?

[sr71plt]

This today on B&N working on splitting off the Nook and its Nook digital platform (rumors have been floating for a couple of months that B&N might go under altogether):

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/05/us-barnesandnoble-nook-idUSTRE8040XA20120105

This is not likely to be good news for e-bookers. It's happening right on the cusp of Amazon driving self-publishing and small publishing e-books away by unfavorable policies and B&N, among others (notably Kobo), have started to win the e-book sales fight with Amazon or at least open the competion up.

It also comes at a point in which the Nook was reported to be winning the technology and sales fight with Amazon's Kindle. The Nook has thrown so much money into leap-frog technology that Nook sales are in the red. But you don't even go into this sort of investment without looking beyond the initial high costs of leap-frogging.

B&N has always been dopey about its approach to the e-book share of the publishing industry and has continually cut its throat right when it was getting an upper hand. A few years ago it bought the major e-book distributor Fictionwise just when e-book sales were beginning to take off. B&N immediately froze new publisher submissions to Fictionwise--for two and a half years--right up until Fictionwise was closed this past December. Other e-book distributors just took up the slack in which Fictionwise had already been established as a leader and could have ridden the wave.

Some thought then that either the bigwigs at B&N had a self-defeating, last-century attitude about e-books in relationship to print books or that they were just plain dumb. There doesn't appear to be any reason to rethink that assessment.

 

[PennLady]

I had read a couple of years ago that B&N was working against itself with the Nook. I'm not sure how much of that was true, or at least, turned out to be true. And if I can find the article again, I'll post the link.

And I read an article similar to the Reuters one you link to -- on Slate.com, I think it was -- that also was debating B&N's future. I hope they do not go under, although perhaps if they do, someone else will rise to fill the vacuum left by their absence and Borders'. If they go, I do wonder where people will go, besides Target and Walmart, for books. Amazon has the selection, certainly, but there is something to be said for browsing and holding a book in your hand.

Part of me finds it kind of amazing that after many years of the internet and Amazon, and a few years of e-readers, no one has been able to put together a better model for things.

 

[PennLady]

This isn't the article I recall reading (that I mentioned above) but I think it covers the same ground:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newswe...he-nook-wind-up-hurting-barnes-amp-noble.html

 

[sr71plt]

This isn't the article I recall reading (that I mentioned above) but I think it covers the same ground:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newswe...he-nook-wind-up-hurting-barnes-amp-noble.html

Thanks for posting that. I think B&N's major problem is that it had gone into this half-heartedly, even while throwing development money at it, and pulled out of efforts too soon--more than once. I think its mentality has been what to do to protect its print book stores rather than how best to ride the various waves in publishing/selling/connection to the consumers.

On the brick and mortar stores, it's rather ironic that five years ago we were talking about the big box bookstores driving the small independent stores out of business and now it looks like it's the small independent stores that will still be there when the dust settles from the e-book revolution. At least as long as there are buyers who still want to handle print books before deciding to buy them.

 

[JaxRhapsody]

I wanted an e-reader and thought about an eVersion of some of what
I write, but I prefer real books and CD's to downloads. I will agree that sometimes an ereader is a good choice such as not carrying a large book with you or multiple books. How agout the actual books come with a digital copy like blueray/dvds do?

 

[sr71plt]

I wanted an e-reader and thought about an eVersion of some of what
I write, but I prefer real books and CD's to downloads. I will agree that sometimes an ereader is a good choice such as not carrying a large book with you or multiple books. How agout the actual books come with a digital copy like blueray/dvds do?

Some nonfiction books do come with that. Perhaps fiction will at some point too.

I don't have an e-reader myself, and have no plans to buy one. That doesn't mean I won't put my books where the market for them is.

 

[D_Lynn]

I think what is killing Nook sales right now far more than the Kindle is the iPad mini. I'm seriously jealous after having just bought my husband one for V-Day. I have the original iPad which is clunky in comparison. And with the growing popularity of the Nexus 7 and the upcoming Galaxy Note, competition is getting tougher.

My guess is that the Kindle is going to suffer next. My girlfriend is already looking to replace her Kindle with an iPad mini because Amazon changed the ebook format and this has been causing her some issues with downloaded books. In effect, Amazon is trying to force people with older devices to upgrade (buy a new one). Well, they better be careful with that strategy, because I know one gal whose changing brands.

Jus' sayin'.

 

[sr71plt]

The problem with all of them--and has been back to the days of the Rocket book (anyone remember that? No? That's sort of my point here), is that new models--often requiring new and different e platforms--flip in too fast. I would have bought an e-reader a decade ago (my first e-book was published in 2001 by Newconcepts Publishing), if the reality wasn't that it would be obsolete within a couple of months.

 

[lovecraft68]

B&N has to be some kind of stupid with their money. Borders going down handed them the market for brick and mortar bookstores(which pissed me and many off because borders was just plain better)

The nooks have been outselling the kindles and e-book sales at B&N have been increasing every month for me and many through SW for awhile now.

There's an expression "business sense" apparently like common sense its getting hard to use those words in the same sentence with some people

 

[DeeZire]

B&N does have a puzzling approach. The other day I ordered a book from them. (Damn NPR book reviews!) The lady said it would be $14.49 if I had it delivered to my door, or $15 if I picked it up in the store. They don't want me in their store? Idiots. (I chose to pick it up. I like walking around in a book store.)

I got my GF a Nook last year. She's a voracious reader - mostly trash. She used to buy books and then resell them at a locally-owned used book chain. Now she buys books and... doesn't resell them. Actually, that might be better for the authors, since royalties aren't paid out on used book sales. Hmmm.... (Here in Tucson, used books and CD's/DVD's are big business. Bookman's started out as a small store maybe 20 years ago. Now there are three, and each one is housed in what used to be supermarket. They even run corny ads on TV.)