Nook is a hit, reports Barnes and Noble

[calvin-c]

Originally Posted by Connallmac

Mrs. Palin certainly cracked the whip on her ghost writer to get her drivel in to stores before then!

Maybe, although drivel is pretty easy to write. Getting her book out so quickly would have been considerably harder if she had had something of substance to say.

[fugazied]

I am sure the CEO is accurately calling the nook a hit lol. I think the nook gets to benefit from the Amazon experience and their associated problems/successes so they kind of get a head start.

I need to find someone who is ordering one so I can do a hands on comparison to my kindle!

[JSWolf]

I was hoping the nook would tank. B&N has helped with yet another DRM mess. Thanks for screwing around with ePub that didn't need your messing with.

[Darqref]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I was hoping the nook would tank. B&N has helped with yet another DRM mess. Thanks for screwing around with ePub that didn't need your messing with.

Thanks for finding a way to sell epubs that DOES NOT NEED ADE!!!

All I care about is getting the epub file so it can be de-drmed, without ever infecting my pc with ADE.

[MV64]

Originally Posted by Connallmac

I was very surprised to find that there was almost no space devoted to advertising the nook in the B&N store I visited in Indianapolis yesterday. There was a small display with brochures on the customer service counter in the center of the store, and a smaller one on the end of the sales counter. You really wouldn't think from seeing it that was a major part of their future strategy. It almost seemed like an after thought. I also overheard one of the employees trying to answer some questions about the nook to an elderly woman at the customer service center, without much success. He really didn't seem to know much about it, though that may have been more of a failing on his part than on that of B&N. Hard to say.

It's not the store manager. As far as I know, not even the big stores actually have nooks in their stores yet. The smaller store I work for will be getting a display model only at the end of November. Big stores will be getting actual stock to sell from the store.

What's funny is that of all the stuff corporate has sent the stores, I still have no idea what types of files it can read (meaning, can it read any generic files or is it proprietary where you have to download books off of BN.com)?

Also, honestly, aside from the touch screen and the fact you can read entire books for free if you're in a Barnes and Noble store, I don't see a difference between it and the Kindle.

Basically, corporate has sent a sheet out giving side-by-side comparisons of the Kindle and the nook. The only real differences are: one uses Verizon, one uses ATT. Oh, and nook as the color touch screen. I mean, honestly, they have the same features for the most part, just provided by different parties. So for someone without a Kindle, the nook is a great choice, since it has color, but if you don't care about a color touch screen there's nothing that makes then nook all that much better.

[basschick]

no stores have the nook yet - but some have major marketing in store already.

there is a major advantage of the nook over the kindle - the formats it reads aren't proprietary, and . also you can loan a friend or spouse a book once.

Originally Posted by MV64

It's not the store manager. As far as I know, not even the big stores actually have nooks in their stores yet. The smaller store I work for will be getting a display model only at the end of November. Big stores will be getting actual stock to sell from the store.

What's funny is that of all the stuff corporate has sent the stores, I still have no idea what types of files it can read (meaning, can it read any generic files or is it proprietary where you have to download books off of BN.com)?

Also, honestly, aside from the touch screen and the fact you can read entire books for free if you're in a Barnes and Noble store, I don't see a difference between it and the Kindle.

Basically, corporate has sent a sheet out giving side-by-side comparisons of the Kindle and the nook. The only real differences are: one uses Verizon, one uses ATT. Oh, and nook as the color touch screen. I mean, honestly, they have the same features for the most part, just provided by different parties. So for someone without a Kindle, the nook is a great choice, since it has color, but if you don't care about a color touch screen there's nothing that makes then nook all that much better.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by basschick

there is a major advantage of the nook over the kindle - the formats it reads aren't proprietary, and . also you can loan a friend or spouse a book once.

And one major disadvantage: in general, B&N ebooks (other than the bestsellers) cost significantly more than Amazon ebooks and your membership discount doesn't work for B&N ebooks. (OK, two major disadvantages. )

Surprisingly, ebooks are often less expensive at Fictionwise than at B&N.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by basschick

no stores have the nook yet - but some have major marketing in store already.

there is a major advantage of the nook over the kindle - the formats it reads aren't proprietary, and . also you can loan a friend or spouse a book once.

And one major disadvantage. You can't use BN gift certificates to buy ebooks. What are they thinking?

[MV64]

Yeah, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but BN is new to this whole ebook thing.

I can tell you though that stores are being told that sometime soon memberships and gift cards should be able to be applied to ebooks.

Are we sure that the nook isn't proprietary? In that case, you wouldn't have to go buy books exclusively from BN.com, which totally negates the disadvantage of BN.com being more expensive, correct?

They haven't told the stores yet about the file types. I know it can read PDF, but not sure about anything else. I only have a Sony and I'm not really familiar with types beyond PDF, the Kindle and .lrf.

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by MV64

Yeah, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but BN is new to this whole ebook thing.

I can tell you though that stores are being told that sometime soon memberships and gift cards should be able to be applied to ebooks.

Are we sure that the nook isn't proprietary? In that case, you wouldn't have to go buy books exclusively from BN.com, which totally negates the disadvantage of BN.com being more expensive, correct?

They haven't told the stores yet about the file types. I know it can read PDF, but not sure about anything else. I only have a Sony and I'm not really familiar with types beyond PDF, the Kindle and .lrf.

MV, I can corroborate what you say about the lack of knowledge in the stores about the Nook. I went to the BN in DeKalb, IL, last weekend, and I knew more about the device than the clerk did. I think I knew more about it than her manager did, too. Which was kind of embarrassing...

I'm glad about the membership and gift card changes, if they turn out to be implemented.

[Kris777]

Originally Posted by rhadin

And one major disadvantage: in general, B&N ebooks (other than the bestsellers) cost significantly more than Amazon ebooks and your membership discount doesn't work for B&N ebooks. (OK, two major disadvantages. )

Surprisingly, ebooks are often less expensive at Fictionwise than at B&N.

If you have Nook and 10 friends you can buy eBook for $10 and 10 friends can read it for free. In case if each friend will bay 1 ebook and will share with you... after some simple calculation you will find out that you can read 10 ebooks for $10 that is much cheaper than buy ebooks on Amazon website...
If you have 20 or 30 friends or if you are student and in your school 1000 students and each student has Nook... you may share and read all bestsellers almost for FREE...
If you don't have friends it will be better to keep Kindle and buy eBooks on Amazon website.

[kindlekitten]

go back and think about that a bit... it's kind of like the "if everyone sent me a dollar" scenario

[Connallmac]

Originally Posted by Kris777

If you have Nook and 10 friends you can buy eBook for $10 and 10 friends can read it for free. In case if each friend will bay 1 ebook and will share with you... after some simple calculation you will find out that you can read 10 ebooks for $10 that is much cheaper than buy ebooks on Amazon website...
If you have 20 or 30 friends or if you are student and in your school 1000 students and each student has Nook... you may share and read all bestsellers almost for FREE...
If you don't have friends it will be better to keep Kindle and buy eBooks on Amazon website.

The problem with that theory is that only one of your ten friends can read it for free, ever. As B&N has admitted the lend feature can only be used once for a book ever.

[Kris777]

Originally Posted by Connallmac

The problem with that theory is that only one of your ten friends can read it for free, ever. As B&N has admitted the lend feature can only be used once for a book ever.

No. One friend can read it during 14 days and after it your book will be back on your Nook automatically. As soon as you get it back you can pass it to your second friend etc. 10 friends cannot read your book at the same time but they can read it one by one.

[Kris777]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

go back and think about that a bit... it's kind of like the "if everyone sent me a dollar" scenario

I don't see "if everyone sent me a dollar" scenario here. Just great idea.