B&N revenue down almost $1 billion in the last 4 years

Xianxia · 03-12-2017, 05:05 AM

B&N revenue:

2012: $4,852,913,000 (last 4 year)
2013: 4,568,247,000 (last 3 year)
2014: 4,295,140,000 (last 2 year)
2015: 4,108,243,000 (last 1 year)
2016: 4,028,614,000

B&N net income:

2012: ($64,840,000 loss)
2013: (157,806,000 loss)
2014: (47,268,000 loss)
2015: 36,596,000 profit
2016: (24,446,000 loss)

I was going to put last 5 years but after a quick count, it look like last 4 years instead....unless I am counting it wrong)

rdfry · 03-13-2017, 02:06 PM

They are swirling. It is a shame they never knew what they were doing in the ebook market.

frahse · 03-22-2017, 07:01 PM

BN, Sears, K Mart, JC Pennys.

How the mighty have fallen!

We won't even dwell on the passe giants. Woolworths, etc.

It seems that when you are a big executive, in a storied enterprise, it is just so easy to keep kicking the can down the road while raking in your salary and benefits, and let the building all but burn down.

HaemishM · 03-28-2017, 05:22 PM

It's a shame - I actually worked at a B. Dalton's in the '90's (they were owned by B&N) and as retailers go, they weren't a terrible employer. I like the Nook software and the ePub format in general, but their inability to give indie authors good marketing tools for their Nook Press certainly did them no favors.

Namekuseijin · 03-28-2017, 07:17 PM

sign o' the times.

the current generation is completely illiterate. They don't read, they expect scriptwriters to read and convert the books to movies or TV, and then to be spoonfed.

it seems literature will only survive as fundamentalist readers take over the world... (and burn books they don't like)

ZodWallop · 03-29-2017, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

sign o' the times.

the current generation is completely illiterate. They don't read, they expect scriptwriters to read and convert the books to movies or TV, and then to be spoonfed.

it seems literature will only survive as fundamentalist readers take over the world... (and burn books they don't like)

"... and stay off my lawn!"

fjtorres · 03-30-2017, 08:49 AM

Funny thing: people these days are reading tons more than they were during, say the 80's, when the giant multinationals took over publishing. Only instead of reading only print newspapers, print magazines, and print books, they also read websites, text messages, emails... oh, and ebooks. Lots of ebooks.

But that book growth has come in the last six years and it has come at the low end of the pricing curve. Where before, reading PD classics meant paying $6-10 for a Penguin classic, now people go to Gutenberg or Feedbooks for free reads or get a Delphi Classic for a couple of bucks.

Where before, $30 might get you two hardcovers or three paperbacks, today $30 can get you 6-10 ebooks between tradpub sales, bundles, or just regular $3-5 pricing. Or it can get you 6-10 used print books.

People are reading a lot.
And they're buying a lot of books. More than at any time in the last 30-40 years.
They're just not buying them at B&N.
(Those $4B in lost B&N revenue is still being spent on books. About three quarters of a billion has moved to Apple, Kobo, and Google. The rest, to Amazon as online pbook and ebook sales and as KU subscriptions.)

Mind you, people do read less commercial fiction than they did in the 1930's, during the heyday of the pulps. But I don't think too many people around here go that far back...

pwalker8 · 03-30-2017, 11:24 AM

There are, of course, a heck of a lot more people now than there was in the 30's, so while the percentage of people reading may be down, there are still a lot more people reading. I suspect that the percentage of adults reading books for pleasure hasn't changed all that much over the years. A lot more people use to read the local paper, and I suspect those people are now using the web and facebook for their news. Students are still being assigned books to be read.

HaemishM · 03-31-2017, 09:51 AM

fjtorres has it right. People are reading a lot now, only they don't think of it as reading so much. However, between social media, news web sites, blogs and just general web site reading, there's a lot of reading going on even before we get into eBooks. The big trick for businesses, however, is monetizing that reading. People have stubbornly refused to pay for blogs and news sites (though Patreon has helped for some lucky few) and video content seems to be a lot more sticky than readable content in terms of getting those dollars.

B&N seems to have thought that doing the bare minimums would let them continue to compete against places like Amazon - sell books online, have customer reviews and release their own eReader. Amazon did a lot more than that and despite their insistence on ghettoizing a lot of the indie authors that are fueling the rise in eBook sales, they are kicking everyone's butt.

03-12-2017, 05:05 AM	#1
Xianxia Zealot Posts: 101 Karma: 3017168 Join Date: Nov 2015 Device: phone	B&N revenue down almost $1 billion in the last 4 years B&N revenue: 2012: $4,852,913,000 (last 4 year) 2013: 4,568,247,000 (last 3 year) 2014: 4,295,140,000 (last 2 year) 2015: 4,108,243,000 (last 1 year) 2016: 4,028,614,000 B&N net income: 2012: ($64,840,000 loss) 2013: (157,806,000 loss) 2014: (47,268,000 loss) 2015: 36,596,000 profit 2016: (24,446,000 loss) I was going to put last 5 years but after a quick count, it look like last 4 years instead....unless I am counting it wrong)

03-30-2017, 08:49 AM	#7
fjtorres Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,732 Karma: 128354696 Join Date: May 2009 Location: 26 kly from Sgr A* Device: T100TA,PW2,PRS-T1,KT,FireHD 8.9,K2, PB360,BeBook One,Axim51v,TC1000	Funny thing: people these days are reading tons more than they were during, say the 80's, when the giant multinationals took over publishing. Only instead of reading only print newspapers, print magazines, and print books, they also read websites, text messages, emails... oh, and ebooks. Lots of ebooks. But that book growth has come in the last six years and it has come at the low end of the pricing curve. Where before, reading PD classics meant paying $6-10 for a Penguin classic, now people go to Gutenberg or Feedbooks for free reads or get a Delphi Classic for a couple of bucks. Where before, $30 might get you two hardcovers or three paperbacks, today $30 can get you 6-10 ebooks between tradpub sales, bundles, or just regular $3-5 pricing. Or it can get you 6-10 used print books. People are reading a lot. And they're buying a lot of books. More than at any time in the last 30-40 years. They're just not buying them at B&N. (Those $4B in lost B&N revenue is still being spent on books. About three quarters of a billion has moved to Apple, Kobo, and Google. The rest, to Amazon as online pbook and ebook sales and as KU subscriptions.) Mind you, people do read less commercial fiction than they did in the 1930's, during the heyday of the pulps. But I don't think too many people around here go that far back... Last edited by fjtorres; 03-30-2017 at 08:56 AM.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Free (Kindle) Secret Child & 60 Years A Nurse [1950s Dublin & London Society Memoirs]	ATDrake	Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links)	0	12-09-2014 02:42 AM
Barnes & Noble revenue falls sharply...	John F	News	150	01-10-2013 02:14 PM
Apple Hauls Insane $39 Billion Revenue Despite Selling Fewer iPhones and iPads	afv011	Apple Devices	24	05-03-2012 06:58 AM
Seriously thoughtful WOW! 800 Trillion Suns at 7 billion light years away	kennyc	Lounge	9	10-16-2010 10:08 PM

03-13-2017, 02:06 PM	#2
rdfry loving the books Posts: 374 Karma: 18825402 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: DFW Device: Rooted Nook, Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, Galaxy Note 5, 2 Fire 7s Note 8	They are swirling. It is a shame they never knew what they were doing in the ebook market.

03-22-2017, 07:01 PM	#3
frahse occasional author Posts: 2,314 Karma: 2064403292 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Wandering God's glorious hills, valleys and plains. Device: A Franklin BI (before Internet) was the first. I still have it.	BN, Sears, K Mart, JC Pennys. How the mighty have fallen! We won't even dwell on the passe giants. Woolworths, etc. It seems that when you are a big executive, in a storied enterprise, it is just so easy to keep kicking the can down the road while raking in your salary and benefits, and let the building all but burn down.

03-28-2017, 05:22 PM	#4
HaemishM Author Posts: 60 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Jackson, MS Device: Motorola Xoom	It's a shame - I actually worked at a B. Dalton's in the '90's (they were owned by B&N) and as retailers go, they weren't a terrible employer. I like the Nook software and the ePub format in general, but their inability to give indie authors good marketing tools for their Nook Press certainly did them no favors.

03-28-2017, 07:17 PM	#5
Namekuseijin affordable chipmunk Posts: 1,290 Karma: 9863855 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Brazil Device: Sony XPeria ZL, Kindle Paperwhite	sign o' the times. the current generation is completely illiterate. They don't read, they expect scriptwriters to read and convert the books to movies or TV, and then to be spoonfed. it seems literature will only survive as fundamentalist readers take over the world... (and burn books they don't like)

03-30-2017, 11:24 AM	#8
pwalker8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,195 Karma: 70314280 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2	There are, of course, a heck of a lot more people now than there was in the 30's, so while the percentage of people reading may be down, there are still a lot more people reading. I suspect that the percentage of adults reading books for pleasure hasn't changed all that much over the years. A lot more people use to read the local paper, and I suspect those people are now using the web and facebook for their news. Students are still being assigned books to be read.

03-31-2017, 09:51 AM	#9
HaemishM Author Posts: 60 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Jackson, MS Device: Motorola Xoom	fjtorres has it right. People are reading a lot now, only they don't think of it as reading so much. However, between social media, news web sites, blogs and just general web site reading, there's a lot of reading going on even before we get into eBooks. The big trick for businesses, however, is monetizing that reading. People have stubbornly refused to pay for blogs and news sites (though Patreon has helped for some lucky few) and video content seems to be a lot more sticky than readable content in terms of getting those dollars. B&N seems to have thought that doing the bare minimums would let them continue to compete against places like Amazon - sell books online, have customer reviews and release their own eReader. Amazon did a lot more than that and despite their insistence on ghettoizing a lot of the indie authors that are fueling the rise in eBook sales, they are kicking everyone's butt.