"Barnes & Noble holiday sales drop on Nook slump"

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Josieb1: I agree with you. I think it was a bad move. But I think BN has made many a bad move.

First and foremost, they never understood that the e-bookstore was the most important thing that they could build. Make that shine, easy to use, and you attract people to your reader.

Second, they never understood that good customer service really mattered. People put up with returning a K2 with fade issues or a PW with pin holes or splotches a bunch of times because they trust that Amazon will take care of the issue. Amazon gets many more strikes then BN because of its reputation.

I returned two faulty Paperwhite 2s and for now will stick with my 1, which has Ben replaced twice so far. I'll always have a Kindle as I do like the customer service side of their business, the fact that I can try one out and return it if it's not for me. I also buy the extended Warrenty so I know that whatever Kindle I buy I don't have to worry about it going wrong for three years, as whatever the issue Amazon will replace it.

[kevinp]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

I am thinking that BN is wishing that they had come up with something like Amazon's mobi.

Just for the record (and I think it was already mentioned here), I used to read mobi files on my Palm IIIxv - long before Amazon was ever in the ebook business. Amazon bought MobiPocket.com which included the rights to the format. At the time, I don't think epub was even invented yet.

[ProfCrash]

I know, perhaps I worded my sentence poorly.

I think BN is wishing that they had not gone with EPub and used a different format in order to lock people in. By going with EPub, BN set themselves up so that people could buy the Nook and then buy books from other sites and read them on the Nook.

While everyone on this board knows how easy it is to remove DRM and convert, I think we are in agreement that the vast majority of the e-reading public is not aware of this. For this reason, if BN had used a format that was not Mobi or EPub, BN might have been able to lock more people into using their book store.

Since the sale of the units don't make the companies money, getting people to buy books through your store is important. I believe, I could be wrong here, that BN partition and the removal of the SD card slot, is an attempt to stop people who are buying the Nook and using it to read books bought at Kobo and to get people who buy a Nook to shop at BN.

I think it is doomed for failure and that BN might regret the choice to go with EPub.

[bgalbrecht]

I think there is nothing wrong with B&N developing the epub + eReader style DRM and giving it to Adobe to include in their epub software offerings, but I think they underestimated their competitors, who chose not to support it in their readers. There are a few epub ereaders that support the B&N DRM, but none of the ereaders which have an affiliated ebook store do. I don't know if it's because B&N priced their DRM servers too high, or if it's just a competitive decision. Given that so few of the ereaders support their DRM, I'm surprised that B&N hasn't just given in and dropped it for Adobe's DRM.

[ProfCrash]

I think BN was hurt by people buying their readers and reading books from other stores on it. It probably didn't help that BN DRM could not be read on other devices, limiting who could buy their books.

[fjtorres]

It is, indeed, looking more and more like Nook miscalculated badly with their adoption of generic ADEPT DRM alongside their ereader DRM because it puts them in a position where they are selling, at near cost, an ebook reader that doesn't need their ebookstore. This wasn't obvious when B&N faithful were buying up Nooks in droves but when the faithful market tapped out and the bad news started, the installed base was free to feed their Nooks from other commercial book vendors.

Even licensing their DRM to Adobe, which should have resulted in ebook sales to android tablet owners, simply offers an escape hatch to spooked Nook ebook owners who no longer need Nook hardware or apps to access their past purchases. Lack of lock-in makes it easy to give up on Nook and move on without much loss or regret. Good for the customer but bad for the business.

Looking at their declining sales of both hardware and content it seems like a lot of one-time Nook customers are taking their business elsewhere. Given that Kobo hadn't been bragging about big gains in the US, I suspect the spooked Nook-ers are moving to tablets, where hedging their bets is easier.

[ProfCrash]

Was the Kobo out when the Nook first came out? If not then it probably didn't look like that bad a call. Sony's ebook store was awful and most people wouldn't know about the smaller bookstores.

But I still think it was a bad business decision.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Was the Kobo out when the Nook first came out? If not then it probably didn't look like that bad a call. Sony's ebook store was awful and most people wouldn't know about the smaller bookstores.

But I still think it was a bad business decision.

First eReaders

• Sony ----- Apr 2004
• Kindle --- Nov 2007
• Nook ---- Nov 2009
• Kobo ---- May 2010

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

First eReaders

• Sony ----- Apr 2004
• Kindle --- Nov 2007
• Nook ---- Nov 2009
• Kobo ---- May 2010

And the four hour price war was June 21, 2010.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2010/...reader-market/

[LovesMacs]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

I know, perhaps I worded my sentence poorly.

I think BN is wishing that they had not gone with EPub and used a different format in order to lock people in. By going with EPub, BN set themselves up so that people could buy the Nook and then buy books from other sites and read them on the Nook.

I wonder if part of BN's rationale for choosing EPub in the first place was that format's wider use in libraries. Anecdotally, I've heard the Nook's intercompatibility with libraries used as a selling point. When the Nook first came out, Kindle owners couldn't borrow e-books from libraries, at least to my knowledge.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by LovesMacs

I wonder if part of BN's rationale for choosing EPub in the first place was that format's wider use in libraries. Anecdotally, I've heard the Nook's intercompatibility with libraries used as a selling point.

It was.
And it was noticeable enough Amazon felt the need to match (and improve) upon the feature.

[DBDigital]

Originally Posted by pholy

Nope, it's US and UK only. Absolutely no clue why Canada has been ignored.

But it does make choosing easier...

Hmm I thought their new app was going international? I seem to recall that being released a few weeks back. Nook hardware is international, but I thought the app was....but perhaps I am wrong.

[DBDigital]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

I know, perhaps I worded my sentence poorly.

I think BN is wishing that they had not gone with EPub and used a different format in order to lock people in. By going with EPub, BN set themselves up so that people could buy the Nook and then buy books from other sites and read them on the Nook.

While everyone on this board knows how easy it is to remove DRM and convert, I think we are in agreement that the vast majority of the e-reading public is not aware of this. For this reason, if BN had used a format that was not Mobi or EPub, BN might have been able to lock more people into using their book store.

Since the sale of the units don't make the companies money, getting people to buy books through your store is important. I believe, I could be wrong here, that BN partition and the removal of the SD card slot, is an attempt to stop people who are buying the Nook and using it to read books bought at Kobo and to get people who buy a Nook to shop at BN.

I think it is doomed for failure and that BN might regret the choice to go with EPub.

Personally it is why I purchased a Nook in the first place. B&N has made a lot of money off of me they wouldn't have otherwise. If I had not bought a nook then I would likely have got a kobo which also uses epub, and bought ebooks from kobo rather than B&N.

[faithbw]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

It is, indeed, looking more and more like Nook miscalculated badly with their adoption of generic ADEPT DRM alongside their ereader DRM because it puts them in a position where they are selling, at near cost, an ebook reader that doesn't need their ebookstore. This wasn't obvious when B&N faithful were buying up Nooks in droves but when the faithful market tapped out and the bad news started, the installed base was free to feed their Nooks from other commercial book vendors.

Even licensing their DRM to Adobe, which should have resulted in ebook sales to android tablet owners, simply offers an escape hatch to spooked Nook ebook owners who no longer need Nook hardware or apps to access their past purchases. Lack of lock-in makes it easy to give up on Nook and move on without much loss or regret. Good for the customer but bad for the business.

Looking at their declining sales of both hardware and content it seems like a lot of one-time Nook customers are taking their business elsewhere. Given that Kobo hadn't been bragging about big gains in the US, I suspect the spooked Nook-ers are moving to tablets, where hedging their bets is easier.

This is me. I started with a nook, switched to a Sony and now read on my Nexus. I rarely buy books from B&N now. The switch was painless and easy. Their online bookstore has a terrible interface. Plus, they usually cost more than other vendors. Honestly, I don't even feel a sense of loyalty anymore. Their physical stores hardly ever have books I want and frankly, don't seem to have many books at all. I still support small bookstores when I can because I like to support small businesses and I don't want bookstores to completely leave the landscape.

[ProfCrash]

I would love to see indie bookstores have kisks with DRM free books in multiple formats that you could buy at the store and side load. That way you could talk boos and get recommendations and support local bookstores.