NBarnes & Noble's first high-definition tablets, unveiled on Wednesday, were well received by analysts who said the devices keep the bookseller in the fight with Amazon.com, Apple, and Google -- for now.
The death of bookstore chain Borders begs the question: Is there still a place in the Internet-dominated market for brick-and-mortar booksellers and the value they add? Independent bookstores thinks so, and the numbers in the American Booksellers Association, believe it or not, are growing.
Liberty Media, the conglomerate controlled by John Malone, made a $1 billion bid Thursday to buy Barnes & Noble. The bricks-and-mortar bookstore business is declining everywhere, so for Malone's gamble is to pay off, the Nook will have to gain some ground against Apple's iPad and Amazon's Kindle.
Should the deeply troubled Borders chain close, publishers will survive just fine. But for authors who don't have instant name recognition with book buyers, the loss of an outlet with scads of shelf and floor space is a serious blow. Plus, it's one less place where authors and readers can connect.
The country's second-largest bookstore widened its third-quarter loss to nearly double that of a year ago. Even worse, the estimated value of its inventory has declined, making it harder for Borders to borrow money. Will the company find a way to transform itself?
Google opened its long-anticipated Internet book store Monday, putting itself in direct competition with Amazon.com. Buyers can read its 3 million e-Books on any Web device or reader -- except on Amazon's Kindle.
Matthew Biberman had a story to tell about his dad and a one-of-a-kind motorcycle, and he soon turned his passion into a book deal. But the newly published author says the book deal is just the beginning -- learning how to pitch your story is what builds audiences.
Bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc. may enact limitations on the size of single shareholder stakes, as the family of founder and chairman Leonard Riggio and activist shareholder Ron Burkle battle for control of the company.
Investor Ron Burkle, who's embroiled in a proxy fight at Barnes & Noble, says he doesn't want control of the bookseller. His Yucaipa Companies owns 18.8% of the company and claims in a letter that he wants Chairman Leonard Riggio's hold on Barnes & Noble broken.
The New York Times regularly breaks embargoes to reveal excerpts before the book's release date, angering rivals and publishers. The paper's deal with an airport bookstore chain may be the secret to its access ahead of competitors.
Another holiday season, another spate of dismal earnings for bookstore chain Borders. And despite changes at the top and new initiatives implemented over the last year to keep the retailer afloat, it's looking like those fixes came in too little, too late.
