Will Nook be sold to Rakuten Kobo?

[tomsem]

Kobo could give trade in credit on their Nook towards a Kobo, and populate their Kobo library with whatever books they purchased from B&N (publishers probably wouldn’t grumble too much about it because it would not be Amazon doing it).

As others say, it could be an effective way of growing share of US market.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

1- It would mean doubling their US customer base. Almost catching up to Apple.
2- Nook readers can accept Kobo ADEPT ebooks. So it wouldn't be too hard to support them.

I hadn't realized that Nook had such a large market share compared with Apple and that their DRM was already compatible.

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

If Nook shuts down, any Nook users would likely head to Kindle. In the US, Walmart partnership or no, Kobo is just about completely unknown.

Best bet would be for Kobo to buy Nook and get a display of some sort in B&N stores, at least for a while.

I have changed my mind. I now think it would make sense for Kobo.

[Tomk2]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Best bet would be for Kobo to buy Nook and get a display of some sort in B&N stores, at least for a while.

James Daunt has said he has no interest in selling someone elses readers in his stores. He did briefly sell Kindles in the UK, I wonder why that experience soured him on the idea.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Quoth]

Selling Kindles in a Bookshop is just giving sales to Amazon. A bonkers idea. A Kobo ereader isn't much better of an idea.

Selling ereaders AT ALL in a physical book shop is madness, unless you can also sell ebooks at the till for cash, that are not from Amazon. Like via a USB connection. Perhaps partnering with Smashwords. Which Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and maybe everyone except Amazon and Google already do. Even Libraries.

I've not bought via the store front on my Kindle or on my Kobo. Though I've bought Amazon ebooks. I think a built in single store front is wrong. So indeed I think Playstore on Android is wrong and Apple store on iOS is wrong. MS is now trying to emulate this on Windows and Apple is trying to do it to Mac OS.

No bookstore in it's right mind should sell any ereader with someone else's store in it. They should sell ebooks for ANY ereader. If people want an ereader they can buy one easily. The bookshops don't sell chairs, lamps and bookcases. Most decent music / video shops don't sell players or TV screens or HiFis.

Phone shops don't sell apps.

[MGlitch]

isn't Chapters Indigo a bookstore? Cause they sure do sell Kobos. Don't think they get a cut of ebook sales.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Tomk2

James Daunt has said he has no interest in selling someone elses readers in his stores. He did briefly sell Kindles in the UK, I wonder why that experience soured him on the idea.

Yes, but it would be a little different if Kobo were taking over B&N's Nook business. Part of the deal could be to stock the Kobo devices in the old Nook space, for some certain amount of time (a year?). After that, Kobo would be on their own.

[Quoth]

They'd be mad to stock any ereader in store. Every one sold is lost sales.

Why does it work for Amazon? Or why did Daunt grow to hate Kindles?

Because from the beginning Amazon was a mail order book seller. Internet is just mail order. If Amazon sells a Kindle, or to an extent a Fire, then that may increase their book sales. They were ALREADY an Internet only based book seller, now they have added near instant free delivery (free delivery on physical goods from Amazon costs them. Even the Mobile Kindle delivery is a tiny fraction of that). Less inventory too.

So naturally it benefits Amazon to sell ebooks (and also broadens catalogue as Indy content costs the indy people zero, paper costs about $10 to $30 per title to proof even if POD used (Amazon owns the leading POD and now CreateSpace books are Amazon branded). Amazon also now own Audible.
Then Amazon offers all sorts of incentives via KDP select. Both for paper and ebook. Those titles can't be sold anywhere else.

So Amazon now has 82% of ONLINE physical book sales (they bought Book Depository and Abe Books because they are online sellers). They bought Goodreads so as to predict what people are doing and incentivise purchases. Amazon now has about 90% of ALL ebook sales and the bulk of audio books, which are now podcast/streaming rather than the traditional CDs or cassettes. Which means subscription. I mentioned they bought Audible?
Of course Amazon wants every title in KDP Select, not regular KDP. Of course they push Prime in your face. Ask ANYONE selling subscriptions or Contract phone usage. Free Money!. Ordinary people subsidise the heavy consumers. The "free" stuff isn't free, EVERYONE's sub is paying for it and a minority consume the free.
Kindle Unlimited and Prime also cheat the content providers and make the content seem cheaper.


Physical bookshops need to do the following:
Let customers order in store or online, not just staff at the till. From the Publisher, to be collected at the shop.
Sell ebooks in store, via USB transfer. Not via an app, not selling their own brand ereader, but for EVERY ereader, like Smashwords do. No DRM. DRM DOES NOT STOP PIRACY!
Cut out wholesale. There is no place for wholesale today. It's a parasitical business. Publishers MUST sell direct to even the Indy corner bookshop.

Publishers need to do the following:
Supply any retailer direct.
No discount for Supermarkets or Big chains.
Ditch wholesalers.
Have every title on POD. Even at normal wholesale price they'll still make a profit, esp the big five who should have "in house" POD.
Unique use once serial number on a paper book. Lotto style scratch to show tampering. You then get a FREE ebook copy with every paper book. Some small Indy publishers do this now. It cost nearly nothing and deprives Amazon.
No DRM on eBooks.
Kindle Dual Mobi (old mobi & KF8) and ePub2 covers about 99.9% of ereaders in use.
Call electronic books that are fixed layout and need tablets something else, not ebooks, even if not PDF. There is a need for them, especially text books.
Do not use fix layout for novels. EVER. Test on an old Kindle, a new Kindle and typical epub based readers, all 6". Test on ePub apps on a 5" widescreen phone. Remember ebooks are MEANT to reflow and be read at user chosen margins, line spacing and font size.
Stop chopping and changing covers! How many times has someone bought a book and discovered they already have it!

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by jhowell

I hadn't realized that Nook had such a large market share compared with Apple and that their DRM was already compatible.

None of the three is that high.
Figure five-six percent each for Nook and Kobo; Apple, 12-15%.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by MGlitch

isn't Chapters Indigo a bookstore? Cause they sure do sell Kobos. Don't think they get a cut of ebook sales.

Yes they do.
That is exactly how Kobo works: they partner with bookstores in return for a share of ebook revenue coming from the ereaders they sell.

Amazon had (has?) a similar program called Amazon source:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremyg.../#220ed5c116c9

Presumably Waterstones had a similar deal.

Now, Indigo is a (slightly) different case because they used to own Kobo before selling it to Rakuten.

[Deskisamess]

Sell ebooks in store, via USB transfer.

As a consumer of digital books, why should I prefer this to how it works now? I don't want to go to the local book store, which is a Books-a-Million currently. Why would I want to connect my e-reader to someone else's computer in order to purchase a book? Selling this way just increases the overhead, not to mention the effort it would take to buy a book. Get in the car, 20 minutes to the strip mall in crazy traffic, time in the store, waiting in line, exposure to whatever delivery system is used, pay, back to the car, more crazy mall traffic, 20 minutes home.

I like the Amazon method method for shopping for digital books. Home in my jammies, a browser on my evil iPad, I can purchase a book and have it on my devices in seconds. I like KU, and Prime. The benefits offered and the price points work for us. Perhaps some day they won't, but for now, we feel it is money well spent.

I "buy" lots of free books, and borrow heavily from my public library. The system works for me. I like it, no apologies.

How does Wholesale enter into this discussion? Can digital goods be purchased and sold wholesale?

I'll admit to not considering all the economical considerations that there may be. What I do consider is what works, and Amazon seems to have a decent handle on that. I've had a Kobo, I liked the device. I didn't like the lack of wireless side loading, and their web site was third rate when compared with Amazon.

For technophobes in particular, Amazon is just plain easier. They did it better for the average consumer.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

As a consumer of digital books, why should I prefer this to how it works now? I don't want to go to the local book store, which is a Books-a-Million currently. Why would I want to connect my e-reader to someone else's computer in order to purchase a book?

No one has to do that. There would still be Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Smashwords.

It's an idea for BOOKSHOPS, also the 10% to 30% (depending on Western country) that either don't have Broadband, or don't know how to load books on an ereader or don't use the Internet, or only have cash.

It's an extra OPTION that doesn't exist now. You can ignore it.

Amazingly people do order physical books at our local independent bookshop. Frequently. I was baffled myself.


Perhaps not everyone wants to give Amazon their credit card details. Or they don't have one. Is it illegal that in EU Amazon reuse the CC and you don't need the security code? I don't know. I periodically edit the address slightly so that the credit card complete code needs re-input. People are not good at making up passwords. Nor have Internet companies a good reputation for security or privacy.
No-one should be FORCED to use Amazon to buy ebooks, either.

[MGlitch]

Originally Posted by FrustratedReader

No one has to do that. There would still be Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Smashwords.

It's an idea for BOOKSHOPS, also the 10% to 30% (depending on Western country) that either don't have Broadband, or don't know how to load books on an ereader or don't use the Internet, or only have cash.

It's an extra OPTION that doesn't exist now. You can ignore it.

Amazingly people do order physical books at our local independent bookshop. Frequently. I was baffled myself.


Perhaps not everyone wants to give Amazon their credit card details. Or they don't have one. Is it illegal that in EU Amazon reuse the CC and you don't need the security code? I don't know. I periodically edit the address slightly so that the credit card complete code needs re-input. People are not good at making up passwords. Nor have Internet companies a good reputation for security or privacy.
No-one should be FORCED to use Amazon to buy ebooks, either.

You uh realize that your tinfoil hat plan would cost those bookshops more than wireless and give them less. I know it’s a strange concept but businesses generally don’t like spending more for something than they need to.

Btw you can buy ebooks in BN you get a code emailed to you. You can pay in cash or gift card or check (don’t pay with a check everyone else involved will rightfully hate you for using the least convenient payment method).

Which is a far better plan than your usb tether. Likely cost BN little to implement. And is still so unused that I’d bet most of the store staff at your local BN would know how.

If anyone cares to do this just ask someone working to look up the ebook (they can do this they might need to look in “other formats” and then print that out which should get a barcode to scan (it’s going to be a pain to scan) and the isbn for the ebook. A cashier can then scan it or input the isbn. If they don’t get a prompt asking for your email something is wrong (likely it’s the physical not the ebook) if it’s not busy they can find the info from the cashier computer.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by FrustratedReader

They'd be mad to stock any ereader in store. Every one sold is lost sales.

Not the Nook. Do you really think every Nook book sold is a loss to B&N? Don't be craazy.

If they had run Nook properly, they would have really had something.

[HLS]

Nook is on a better track. I really like my Nook Glowlight 7.8" and we need more competition to the Kindle in the USA. Sorry but no one knows who KOBO is unless you are one of us ( ebook addicts ) I think Nook will be kept. I think now since that company is now in the USA via B&N they will keep the nook for they need an ebook presence in the USA to stay competitive with Amazon. Just my opinion

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by MGlitch

isn't Chapters Indigo a bookstore? Cause they sure do sell Kobos. Don't think they get a cut of ebook sales.

Check the affiliate.conf file. If it reads as below, Chapters/Indigo does get a cut of the ebook sales.

[General]
affiliate=KoboIndigo