Barnes & Noble Stores Will Not Stock Books Published By Amazon

[calibrated]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

For me, reading is recreational and if something I want to read isn't available from those sources, then I pass on it and find something that is.

Reading is recreational for me too, but when it comes to a couple of my favorite authors I simply cannot wait to read their latest stuff. I wish I had your patience--it would help my bank balance considerably.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by calibrated

Reading is recreational for me too, but when it comes to a couple of my favorite authors I simply cannot wait to read their latest stuff. I wish I had your patience--it would help my bank balance considerably.

LOL

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

PubIt authors do not sign exclusivity agreements to stay off Kindles.

They would be silly to do so, wouldn't they? (60% market share?)

Barnes and Noble, however, does pay for exclusives:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...Yoay4gD_oYYvUA

Look, Amazon forces nobody to go exclusive with them.
They offer up incentives.
The authors choose to accept or decline, based on calculated self-interest.
A lot do, a lot don't.
*Their* choice.
Their funeral or their glory.

That is a perfectly legal, acceptable, and *common* business practice.

Like it or dislike it, it is reality.
(shrug)

And there is nothing the trustbusters can or will do about it; there is ample precedent for locking content to a single platform and keeping others from providing content to that platform, going back to Atari vs Nintendo in 1993.
In that case, not only did Atari's antitrust claim on Nintendo, get thrown out, they got dinged for violating Nintendo IP by the same court.
http://www.1up.com/news/day-history-...uilty-landmark

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Uh, B&N does have a publishing solution for indie authors.
It's called PUBIT.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/pubi...ing/379002433/

Don't feel bad if you forgot about it.
Sometimes it seems B&N forgets about it.

Over 214,000 titles in their PubIt section. It appears some authors remember them.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by 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.

I checked several Thomas & Mercer titles.

Walmart: no
Target: yes (online only)

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I disagree. In my opinion, Amazon has no obligation to provide content to its competitors. Exclusivity deals run rampant in the publishing world. Should all publishers be required to sell their books in all formats and to all customers?

Amazon the retailer doesn't have to, but Amazon the publisher does because the retailers are not the competition of the publisher.

It's not like this is the first time when Amazon acted badly:

In March 2008, Amazon informed many small and medium sized presses using POD that, if they wanted their books listed and sold through Amazon, they would have to use a company called BookSurge for their printing. It’s probably no surprise that BookSurge had been purchased by Amazon in 2005. The initial communication from Amazon was though highly deniable channels, phone calls, mostly, and some carefully phrased emails. When word of it got out, there was a huge outcry on the part of publishers and authors. Federal anti-trust agencies got involved and there was a major lawsuit that dragged on for years. The end result was that Amazon backed off (though they continued to hold people to contracts that had been signed because of their threats), the suit was settled out of court, and things were back to normal. Oh, and Amazon changed the name from BookSurge to CreateSpace to get away from the bad publicity.

Originally Posted by calibrated

Right now, it doesn't affect me--my favorite authors don't publish through Amazon--but someday, it might. And that's why I'm calling a pox on both their houses. Amazon is holding authors hostage ("you can't sell your books there"), and B&N is blackmailing them ("that's a nice book ya got there, it'd be a terrible shame if nobody had a chance to buy it"). Both are reprehensible.

Amazon didn't take the authors hostage, it bought them. B&N isn't blackmailing them, it's just saying that if they refuse to allow it to sell ebooks, it won't but the books in the physical stores.

Originally Posted by markbot

Too bad Amazon couldn't just take out B&N via hostile takeover and then just liquidate them. Amazon's stock is overpriced right now, so they could pay like $20 per share in equity...but in reality that would only be like paying B&N shareholders $10 per share, lol. B&N is 1% of Amazon's market cap...it would be barely a dent...and the value added for Amazon would be way over 1% if they managed this coup. Of course, the justice department would never allow this to happen.

Amazon doesn't want a physical presence because then they would have to pay taxes.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

Amazon the retailer doesn't have to, but Amazon the publisher does because the retailers are not the competition of the publisher.

What law says they have to?

Anyway, Amazon isn't the only publisher. Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Penguin also restrict sales.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

What law says they have to?

Antitrust laws as I pointed out.

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Anyway, Amazon isn't the only publisher. Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Penguin also restrict sales.

Not in the same way.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

Antitrust laws as I pointed out.

Time will tell.

Not in the same way.

A restricted sale is a restricted sale. It's the same.

[MrsJoseph]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

And IF they were available in a B&N store, what do the people of South Dakota do with only one store in the entire state?

*face palm* Of course! That makes perfect sense! If the people in South Dakota only have 1 B&N screw the rest of the population.

[bgalbrecht]

Originally Posted by 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.

If you're a member of the B&N rewards program, you can get similar or better discounts by doing the same thing.

[frahse]

First let me say as an author (even occasional) that I would prefer that my books in all forms be available at all times, at all stores and outlets.

Secondly I can understand a bookseller whether on line or in a store, a publisher, a printer, or a book distributor trying to find the best way to be competitive, make a profit, and indeed just "stay alive." They have to meet many challenges or they will be out of business. I regret Borders closing. I greatly enjoyed Dalton's and other book stores in the malls.

Go here for some sad pictures of closed Booksellers.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/portr...sed-bookstores

That said, it comes down to this.

When you have been in this business a while, you have an idea of what is working for you and what is not. Then when someone like Amazon comes and says "I got a deal for you," you listen carefully and weigh the advantages and disadvantages, financial costs and rewards, time commitments, and contract obligations. You also think about the overall picture and if you feel good morally and intellectually about the arrangement and the partner you are signing up with.
It isn't exactly a marriage, but it can be a serious long term commitment to a business partner if it works out, and with that in mind you also check to see how it can be ended relatively painlessly if essentially you and your partner get a divorce. You need to be sure that you are protected by the equivalent of a prenuptial contract. [[You don't want your books in some kind of legal limbo! That is the first and paramount concern the author should have.]]

Then finally when you personally are satisfied, get a lawyer you trust to check out the contract further to see if you missed something, and suggest changes. I am blessed in that I am able to do these things. I fear that many young or struggling authors now and in the past haven't been so fortunate. We have heard of those cases where music and books were not available for sale though there were potential buyers, or the creators or performers wanted to sell them directly but couldn't (legally.)

As for forecasting the future of the bookselling business, I will say only that it will definitely come, and then we will know what it is. (That is a little tongue in cheek.)

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by frahse

I regret Borders closing. I greatly enjoyed Dalton's and other book stores in the malls.

I really liked B. Dalton's.
Waldenbooks also, they both had good layouts and a good balance of new and older SF at all times. I could always find my way at either.
And when it came to series titles, they somehow always stocked the full series, even if only one or two copies at a time. Good inventory control for the times. Too bad I couldn't say the same about Borders, although I had some good times there with friends.

I find it ironic that the B.Dalton model is so much better suited to the new century than the superstores that bought them out to kill them.

Oh, and: nicely said on the rest.

[nonobjective]

Originally Posted by 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

I am a huge fan of B&N and spend at least $1,000 a year there (according to Mint) but this is simply a bad business decision. In the long run this strategy will hurt B&N far more than it will Amazon.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by 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

Sorry, but a very stupid decision, in my opinion. That will only affect the customer, not Amazon.

B&N really needs to expand its in-store and online content much more and such action will just shrink available titles more.

They need to compete with service and more innovation.

Just the computer and database section ... I see the same old (2, 3 or even more years back) book across different stores. I understand not all people read such type of material, but gives you an idea of how behind they are in current titles and even competitive prices.

I want B&N open, I spend almost every weekend there, but if they can't compete with prices they should start reducing staff and/or closing some stores. Invest in more books and give a fantastic service.