• Welcome to the Fantasy Writing Forums. Register Now to join us!

More bad news for B&N

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
Nook had $316 million in revenue in the third quarter, down 26% compared to the same period last year and lost $190 million versus $83 million the previous year (in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization – EBIDTA). The company attributes the setback to poor holiday sales. On a positive note, digital content sales were up 6.8% for the quarter despite the soft device sales. - See more at: Revenues and Profits Down at Barnes & Noble in Third Quarter, Nook Division to Cut Costs | Digital Book World


I don't have a Nook, but I'd like to see more healthy competitors in the space than less. Do you guys think a Microsoft partnership is going to help?

Revenues and Profits Down at Barnes & Noble in Third Quarter, Nook Division to Cut Costs | Digital Book World
 

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
Yeah, I saw that Microsoft will own a 17% share of Nook.

When the Nook goes under, it means that Microsoft will be in a good position to merge the Nook's marketplace into your basic Windows 8 tablets and use the customer base to make a bid at competing with Amazon, Google and Apple for ebooks.

We can't believe Microsoft really wants to save the Nook tablet, can we?
 

Asterisk

Troubadour
I bought a Nook HD and it was the best purchase I've ever made. I use it every day for much MUCH more than reading. It's sad to see that Nooks aren't doing so well. I love them much more than any Apple product, personally. :cry: Hang in there, Nook... I'll buy a hundred of you if that's what it takes to save you :p
 

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
I have a Nexus tablet I use in similar ways. I think it will do the same things as the Nook, but I like the stock Android OS.
 

Ankari

Hero Breaker
Moderator
B&N should take a page out of Google's playbook: build an environment in an existing OS. The should pour all of their efforts into making an exceptional ebook/marketplace software on the foundation of Android/Windows 8/Blackberry. Become the ideal ebook reader for all platforms.

Some ideas:

Audiobooks. Why doesn't B&N sell them?

Shelves/folders. Why do I have to have a rolling wall of icons? I should be able to organize my books the way I want to.

Social media integration. I want to share excerpts with my social media presence.

Copy/Paste: Why can't I do this officially? (there is a workaround).

Send To: Kindle allows for it, why doesn't Nook?

Also, they should consider buying a user book review site like Booklikes. Amazon did this with Goodreads. Keep up with the competition.
 

AnneL

Closed Account
Audiobooks -- My novel is available as an audiobook at B&N, but the price is significantly higher than either Amazon or iTunes. If this is typical, that doesn't seem viable for anything except maybe hugely popular authors. I am not an e-book reader yet, so I have no decent thoughts on that, but I agree with Steerpike that we need competition. Poets & Writers did an interview back in January with lit agent David Gernert, and he said:

"Q. Does that experience make you want to offer any grand predictions for the future of our business?
A. Just pray that Barnes & Noble stays healthy.

Q. Otherwise it’s all over?
A. No, it will never be all over. But if B&N doesn’t stay healthy, the publishing industry will change phenomenally. Bookstores are incredibly important—not just as retail outlets, but as places where people go and commune with other like-minded individuals, many of them strangers, and talk about big ideas and compare notes on what they’ve been reading and what’s going on in the world. That is a tremendously important and valuable part of our culture. It’s much bigger than just selling books. I find it appalling that our society is turning a blind eye—maybe through just a lack of awareness—to the fact that the number of bookstores in this country is declining all the time. It’s really serious."

So while I generally support my local indie, I am trying to support B&N too, because a lot of places don't have any other bookstore.
 

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
I went to a bookstore today. A just-opened, brand-new, independent bookstore, and I picked up a few Dr. Seuss books for the kids. I like to read fiction on the kindle and non-fiction in paperback, but they didn't have any of the non-fiction that I was looking for.

If you asked Amazon who their competition was, I think they would say Apple, Google and Microsoft, maybe Walmart, and laugh if you mentioned B&N.
 

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
A lot of independent stores partner with Kobo, so you can buy for an ereader and still support the independent store.
 

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
A lot of independent stores partner with Kobo, so you can buy for an ereader and still support the independent store.

Hey, thanks for that, apparently they do. I don't know if I'll buy through that option or not, but it's good to know about and I'll look into it.
 

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
Hey, thanks for that, apparently they do. I don't know if I'll buy through that option or not, but it's good to know about and I'll look into it.

No problem. One reason I bought a Kobo device is because my local independent store partners with them, and I wanted to be able to support the store.
 
They closed the B&N in my town, Now if I want to buy a book it must be at Walmart or Target. Otherwise, I have to drive 20 miles to the nearest bookstore (B&N)
It is sad.
 

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
I'm in Manhattan (sorta) and they're closing all over the place. I used to know of about five B&Ns, and now I only know of one.
 
Top