Barnes & Noble to Launch e-Bookstore
You have the Kindle. Haven't you given enough money to Amazon? Barnes & Noble thinks so. That's why they are planning to launch their own e-bookstore later this year.
As part of the plan, the retailer has purchased Fictionwise, an online e-bookseller. The New York Times says that B&N paid a boatload -- $15.7 million. Fictionwise could also earn additional cash, depending on how things go.
Of course, the service would be in direct competition with Amazon. Maybe that's why B&N wants to keep Fictionwise as a separate business unit.
So does the world need another e-bookseller? That all depends on how they plan to price the titles. Currently, Fictionwise's prices are slightly lower than the ones in Amazon's e-Bookstore, with Fictionwise Buywise Club members getting even lower prices in exchange for a fee. Those costs start at $29.95 for one year; super readers can sign up for a 5-year membership for $124.95.
Fictionwise offers titles in a variety of formats, including Microsoft Reader, Adobe Acrobat, MultiFormat (which works on Kindle), and eReader, among others. -- Rachel Cericola