Barnes & Noble Stores Will Not Stock Books Published By Amazon

[switchman2210]

Interesting news. I can understand why.

Barnes & Noble has decided not to stock books published by Amazon in their physical stores, keeping the new publisher out of the country’s largest network of brick and mortar bookstores....

Link
http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat...d-books_b46276

[frahse]

One less reason to frequent a Barnes and Noble store.

[CWatkinsNash]

I can understand why also, but I think it's a move that will hurt everyone except Amazon.

[VicLavigne]

Should not be a surprise. Amazon is trying to lock authors into exclusive contracts for Kindle books, why shouldn't B&N refuse to carry Amazon published books?

Vic

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by VicLavigne

Should not be a surprise. Amazon is trying to lock authors into exclusive contracts for Kindle books, why shouldn't B&N refuse to carry Amazon published books?

Vic

Not a surprise, no, but it does seem silly from my perspective of a consumer of ebooks and paper books from both companies.

Our decision is based on Amazon’s continued push for exclusivity with publishers, agents and the authors they represent. These exclusives have prohibited us from offering certain eBooks to our customers. Their actions have undermined the industry as a whole and have prevented millions of customers from having access to content.

While I get their reasoning, it still works out to "Amazon caused our customers to have fewer choices so we're also going to give our customers fewer choices to get back at Amazon." Except it won't get back at Amazon because those customers have the choice to buy these books elsewhere like, say, Amazon.

The people most likely looking to buy these books probably haven't made the switch to ebooks, so they aren't going to give a rat's patootie that this is over an ebook war.

[xg4bx]

add this to the refusal to carry DC graphic novels.

are B&N living in bizarro world? they can't possibly drive their customer base to amazon quickly enough. why would i shop there if they're not carrying what i want due to childish pettiness?

[xg4bx]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

While I get their reasoning, it still works out to "Amazon caused our customers to have fewer choices so we're also going to give our customers fewer choices to get back at Amazon." Except it won't get back at Amazon because those customers have the choice to buy these books elsewhere like, say, Amazon.
.

b&n does seem to be playing this bizarre game of oneupmanship with themselves.

as a customer i see it as a child who would rather pop their own balloon than let others play with it.

[robko]

Two more interesting sentences out of the article:

The bookseller will offer Amazon titles in their online store.

If they're willing to offer it online seems pretty pointless to not carry it in store. If someone is going to buy it online they will likely just go to Amazon. The only differentiator B&N has on these books would be ability to physically pick up the book rather than have to shop online which some people don't want to do.

It’s clear to us that Amazon has proven they would not be a good publishing partner to Barnes & Noble as they continue to pull content off the market for their own self interest.

The last sentence says a lot about the state of the publishing world (maybe the world in general) where everything is becoming proprietary and looking after the business at the expense of the customer is the norm (and yes I realize it's trivial to convert a mobi book to e-pub, but I shouldn't be forced to have to resort to that).

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

Except it won't get back at Amazon because those customers have the choice to buy these books elsewhere like, say, Amazon.

Since the only PB's I ever buy are used, it's easy for me to take a detached POV, and I will try to.

I think this move will indeed "get back at Amazon," because most bestselling authors are going to want to be published by a company who can distribute their books as widely as possible.

In Amazon, you've got a publisher that can't sell your PB in the biggest chain, and won't sell your eBook to public libraries*. Better to stick with Random House.

___________________________
* Unless something changed. Last I looked, Overdrive did not have Amazon Publishing titles except maybe as audiobooks.

[Fbone]

Interestingly, B&N published books aren't available on the Kindle but can be purchased in printed form online.

I'd say it's a wash.

[rhadin]

One other thing to consider: Will nonbookstores like Walmart follow B&N's lead? The Walmarts, Targets, and Costcos are big outlets for books and they have no love for Amazon. If they do follow B&N's lead, which I think they will, it will significantly decrease Amazon's chances of signing a Stephen King-level author, perhaps down to nearly nil. Although ebooks are a growing and significant market, the majority of revenue is still earned from pbook sales. Until that changes, not giving b&m exposure to Amazon books will hurt Amazon.

Also worth noting is that B&N's refusal also extends to the books that will be published by Harcourt for Amazon. It appears that Amazon's end run didn't run very far.

[Blue Tyson]

A fun Amazon promotion:

10% off books bought on Amazon while standing inside a Barnes and Noble store that has that volume in stock.

[howyoudoin]

Originally Posted by VicLavigne

Should not be a surprise. Amazon is trying to lock authors into exclusive contracts for Kindle books, why shouldn't B&N refuse to carry Amazon published books?

Vic

Your argument puzzles me. Does B&N also refuse to stock books from other publishers that lock authors into exclusive contracts with them?

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by robko

The bookseller will offer Amazon titles in their online store.

If they're willing to offer it online seems pretty pointless to not carry it in store. If someone is going to buy it online they will likely just go to Amazon. The only differentiator B&N has on these books would be ability to physically pick up the book rather than have to shop online which some people don't want to do.

There are those who do window shopping (look but don't buy) at physical stores and then go online to buy what they liked.

[Blue Tyson]

Big Kindle Boogie will get you Nicholson and others galore :-

http://bigkindleboogie.blogspot.com....s-feb-1-2.html