Target

Late last week Wal-Mart announced that it will no longer sell the Amazon Kindle and Kinde Fire in its stores, joining Target in in rejecting the devices. While the argument could be made that the razor-thin margins on those products contributed to that decision, the real reason is clearer: Amazon's tablets are a gateway to easy ordering from Amazon.com, which means fewer sales for Target and Wal-Mart.

The investment community is patting Walmart on the head today for booting Amazon’s line of Kindle devices out of its 10,000 stores. The Kindle, the conventional wisdom has it, is a “Trojan horse” that converts flesh-and-blood Walmart into web surfers who do their shopping via Amazon’s vast online marketplace. As FORBES contributor Tim Worstall puts it, “After all, who really wants to aid their direct competitors?”

On Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., a record 280-plus top national and international authors and participants will join bibliophiles, booksellers and literary organizations on 14 stages at Borough Hall, Columbus Park, St. Francis College, Brooklyn Heights Public Library, Brooklyn Law School, the Brooklyn Historical Society and St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church for the seventh annual Brooklyn Book Festival.

Kobo, a global leader in eReading, today unveiled its new Kobo Family of eReading devices:  the Kobo Glo, Kobo Mini, Kobo Touch and the Kobo Arc – a 7” Android tablet. Designed by booklovers for booklovers, the new Kobo Family starts at $79.99 and provides readers with more choice and more ways to personalize their eReading experience than ever before – including new stylish colors, accessories, lighting and multimedia options. 

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced that its award-winning NOOK reading experience and leading digital bookstore are coming to the United Kingdom this autumn through a new www.nook.co.uk online storefront, marking the first time the company will expand its business internationally. The world’s largest bookseller will also offer its highly sought-after NOOK digital products and content to UK reading and entertainment lovers through partnerships with leading retailers expected to be announced shortly. These well-known UK partners are expected to support the NOOK offering there through both established physical and online channels.

NEW YORK, NY – August 6, 2012 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced new NOOK Tablet customers will receive an instant free collection of exciting and beloved Disney eBooks as part of our NOOK Kids Summer Reading Program (www.nook.com/kids-summer-reading). This collection features a variety of NOOK Kids picture books along with interactive Read and Play™ and Read To Me™ titles featuring favorite Disney characters, perfect for families to read together. This limited time offer applies to new in-store purchases of both NOOK Tablet 16GB ($249) and NOOK Tablet 8GB ($199) at any of Barnes & Noble’s nearly 700 stores nationwide.  This is the third collection of eBooks offered through the NOOK Kids Summer Reading Program, specially designed to keep children engaged in reading all summer long.

I have been spending a fortune lately on duct tape, which, as many of you probably know, is now available in a multitude of lively colors and patterns. Why the heavy investment in this sticky stuff? 

New York, New York – July 30, 2012 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced that Red-Headed Stepchild from Jaye Wells’ Sabina Kane series, will be featured as the latest pick for “Barnes & Noble Spotlight” (www.bn.com/spotlight), a NOOK Book™ program that features great writers at irresistible prices. Twice a month, Barnes & Noble Spotlight picks an author of a popular or breakout series from various genres and offers one of their titles at a special price, helping NOOK® readers discover new authors and dive into an exciting series for a wallet-friendly price. From July 28 through August 10, Barnes & Noble’s NOOK Bookstore will offer Red-Headed Stepchild for only 99 cents.

Barnes & Noble, the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, and FastPencil, today announced a merchandising partnership that provides FastPencil’s authors with unique access to merchandising programs on NOOK® devices, NOOK reading apps, on BN.com and in Barnes & Noble stores. Founded by Michael Ashley and Steve Wilson, FastPencil offers authors a wide range of publishing services through their proprietary authoring platform as well as two publishing imprints: PREMIERE and Wavecrest.

Every publisher wants to increase book sales through bookstores. However, sales through other retail outlets can also increase the volume and velocity of your revenue. These include discount stores, airport stores, supermarkets, gift shops, specialty stores, pharmacies and many others. Each of these segments has a pre-ordained distribution network, and you must work within that structure to get your book on the stores’ shelves.