Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Nook Shipping Early

Barnes & Noble Now Shipping NOOK Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™ Ahead of Schedule

Pre-Orders Shipping Over the Next Week

Due to Strong Demand, Limited Quantities will be Available through Mother’s Day

Customers Encouraged to Pre-Order Hot-Selling New NOOK at www.nook.com and in Stores to Ensure Delivery for Mother’s Day

New York, New York – April 24, 2012 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, announced today that it began shipping the highly anticipated NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight ahead of schedule to customers who pre-ordered the device. NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight is the world’s first E Ink® Reader with patent-pending lighting technology that eliminates the number-one problem couples have in bed – having their sleep interrupted, or being prevented from falling asleep, when their partner reads with the light on. Due to very strong pre-order demand, the company recommends that customers who wish to gift the device for Mother’s Day pre-order now, as orders will be fulfilled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“Our new, patent-pending GlowLight technology coupled with the most advanced E Ink display available make this product the most versatile, high-utility Reader ever and the only device of its kind,” said William Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Barnes & Noble. “It’s like having two Readers in one, with our breakthrough GlowLight technology making the device as exceptional for reading in the darkest bedroom as on the brightest beach, and all at the amazing value of just $139.”

Said Lynch, “We thank our millions of NOOK customers and are pleased to deliver NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight earlier than committed to those who pre-ordered our newest NOOK. For those who would like to give NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight as a gift for Mother’s Day, we strongly recommend pre-ordering the device now in stores or online as we will have very limited quantities based on the larger-than-expected order volume we’ve received so far.”

NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight, introduced by Barnes & Noble less than two weeks ago, is the first and only Reader designed to let E Ink customers read in the dark and at the beach. With a soft, adjustable glow, GlowLight gives bedtime readers just the right amount of light for reading, without disturbing a sleepy spouse. The first and only Reader designed to let E Ink customers read in the dark is equally amazing at the beach, with a paper-like reading experience, even in the bright sun.

Like having two Readers in one, this revolutionary device is the first to combine the most advanced and fastest E Ink display with a precise infrared touchscreen, built-in anti-glare screen for reading in any lit environment, and an evenly distributed and adjustable light for reading in the dark. It is also the lightest NOOK ever, with a long-lasting battery for over one month of reading on a single charge, with the light on.

Beginning this week, customers visiting any of Barnes & Noble’s nearly 700 stores will be able to try NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight demonstration units. Barnes & Noble NOOKsellers™ will be on hand to demonstrate and answer questions about the newest member of the award-winning NOOK® portfolio, as well as set up devices and take pre-orders. Pre-orders will ship throughout the month and limited quantities of the device are expected to be available for sale in stores in early May.

Customers should visit www.NOOK.com or visit the NOOK Digital Shops™ and displays in one of Barnes & Noble’s nearly 700 bookstores for more information, or to order NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight.


- Be of Good Cheer!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Kindle Gets Bond...James Bond

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Ian Fleming Publications Ltd today announced that Amazon Publishing has acquired a ten-year license for North American rights to the entire list of James Bond books by Ian Fleming in print and ebook. Along with the iconic series, Fleming's two works of non-fiction, consisting of a collection of travel writings called Thrilling Cities (1963) and an expose of the illegal precious stones trade entitled The Diamond Smugglers (1957), are also included in the agreement. Jonny Geller, Managing Director at Curtis Brown, negotiated the agreement. All of the titles will be reissued by Amazon Publishing's Thomas & Mercer imprint beginning in summer 2012.

"We are excited to be using the opportunity of this re-license to introduce Ian Fleming's books to a broader audience in the USA, and we believe that Amazon Publishing has the ability to place the books back at the heart of the Bond brand, balancing traditional publishing routes with new technologies and new ways of reaching our readers," said Corinne Turner, Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.

The agreement for the 14 classic James Bond titles includes the first James Bond book in the series, Casino Royale (1953)--which will celebrate 60 years of publication in 2013--as well as Live and Let Die (1954); Moonraker (1955); Diamonds Are Forever (1956); From Russia with Love (1957); Dr. No (1958); Goldfinger (1959); For your Eyes Only (1960); Thunderball (1961); The Spy Who Loved Me (1962); On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963); You Only Live Twice (1964); The Man With The Golden Gun (1965) and Octopussy and the Living Daylights (1966). Since their first publication the books have sold over 100 million copies worldwide and have been the inspiration behind the world's longest-running film franchise. Following Fleming's death in 1964, Kingsley Amis wrote the next book in the Bond series, Colonel Sun, under the name of Robert Markham. Bond novels have since been written by John Gardner, Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks, and Jeffery Deaver.

"We are devoted fans of Fleming's Bond novels here at Amazon Publishing, and we're thrilled these books--already known across the world and across generations--will continue to flourish under our Thomas & Mercer imprint," says Philip Patrick, Director, Business Development, Rights and Licensing. "Amazon Publishing offers signature authors a new life for great backlist titles. Fleming is the perfect fit."

Geller says, "This deal heralds a new phase in Ian Fleming's publishing story. We are excited to be working with Amazon in North America to bring a new generation of readers to Ian Fleming's classic novels."

This agreement comes on the heels of the announcement last month by The Random House Group that the Bond backlist was returning to its publishing roots in the UK, with Vintage Books (sister imprint of Jonathan Cape, the original publisher of Casino Royale) acquiring a ten-year license for exclusive rights to the Bond novels in the English language with the exception of North America.

Notes to Editors:

About Amazon Publishing

Amazon Publishing is the publishing arm of Amazon.com. Amazon Publishing's West Coast Group includes imprints AmazonEncore, AmazonCrossing, Montlake Romance, Thomas & Mercer, and 47North. Amazon Publishing's East Coast Group publishes adult trade, children's and young adult titles. For more information about all imprints of Amazon Publishing, visit www.amazon.com/amazonpublishing. Amazon Publishing is a brand used by Amazon Content Services, LLC.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon's developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. The new latest generation Kindle is the lightest, most compact Kindle ever and features the same 6-inch, most advanced electronic ink display that reads like real paper even in bright sunlight. Kindle Touch is a new addition to the Kindle family with an easy-to-use touch screen that makes it easier than ever to turn pages, search, shop, and take notes - still with all the benefits of the most advanced electronic ink display. Kindle Touch 3G is the top of the line e-reader and offers the same new design and features of Kindle Touch, with the unparalleled added convenience of free 3G. Kindle Fire is the Kindle for movies, TV shows, music, books, magazines, apps, games and web browsing with all the content, free storage in the Amazon Cloud, Whispersync, Amazon Silk (Amazon's new revolutionary cloud-accelerated web browser), vibrant color touch screen, and powerful dual-core processor.

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.it, and www.amazon.es. As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

About Ian Fleming Publications Ltd

Corinne Turner, Managing Director, Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, is available for interview through Four Colman Getty
Ian Fleming Publications Ltd is the Fleming family-owned company that owns the copyright in the Bond books www.ianfleming.com
Over 100 million Bond books have been sold (and over half the world's population has seen a Bond film!)
Ian Fleming wrote 14 James Bond books: Casino Royale, 1953; Live and Let Die, 1954; Moonraker, 1955; Diamonds Are Forever, 1956; From Russia with Love, 1957; Dr. No, 1958; Goldfinger, 1959; For your Eyes Only, 1960; Thunderball, 1961; The Spy Who Loved Me, 1962; On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 1963; You Only Live Twice, 1964; The Man With The Golden Gun, 1965 and Octopussy and the Living Daylights, 1966
Fleming's other works include the children's favourite, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1964), which was made into a film and stage musical, The Diamond Smugglers (1957) and a collection of travel writings called Thrilling Cities (1963)
The Ian Fleming centenary was celebrated on 28th May 2008 with the publication of Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks.
Charlie Higson is the author of the Young Bond books which are published by Puffin in the UK
Samantha Weinberg, writing as Kate Westbrook, is the author of the Moneypenny Diaries published by John Murray in the UK
Other previous authors of official James Bond novels include Kingsley Amis, John Gardner and Raymond Benson


SOURCE: Amazon.com, Inc.

Amazon
Katie Finch
Head of Publicity, Amazon Publishing
646-753-5759
kfinch@amazon.com
or
Ian Fleming Publications Ltd
Dotti Irving or Katy MacMillan-Scott at Four Colman Getty
Tel: +44 (0)870 626 9000
Dotti.Irving@fourcolmangetty.com
Katy.MacMillan-Scott@fourcolmangetty.com


- Be of Good Cheer!

Monday, April 16, 2012

Nook Tablet Discount


Barnes & Noble Announces Special Savings on NOOK Tablet™ When Customers Buy Two Marvel Avengers Digital Graphic Novels

Save $30 on Award-Winning NOOK Tablet In Stores and Online at NOOK.com

New York, New York – April 16, 2012 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, is announcing a fantastic opportunity for fans of The Avengers graphic novels by Marvel Entertainment, one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, to get an exclusive discount on Barnes & Noble’s award-winning NOOK Tablet.

Customers who buy two Avengers digital graphic novels from a list of select titles in-store or online at Barnesandnoble.com/Marvel will receive a $30 discount on a new NOOK Tablet. The NOOK Tablet is priced at $199 for the 8GB version and $249 for the 16GB version.

“NOOK Tablet is the ideal device for our customers to enjoy Marvel's digital graphic novels in stunning high-resolution color that virtually makes the action leap off the page,” said Jim Hilt, Vice President, eBooks for Barnes & Noble. “We’re thrilled to offer comics fans everywhere this irresistible value of NOOK Tablet packaged with the best Avengers digital graphic novels available on NOOK.”

Once two eligible Avengers digital graphic novels have been purchased, in-store customers will be able to purchase a new NOOK Tablet in the same transaction for a $30 savings.

The online experience will be just as seamless for NOOK and Avengers fans. Customers will simply go to NOOK.com, click on the Avengers offer and choose two titles from the 20 available. Within 24 hours they will receive a link that will allow them to purchase their new NOOK Tablet at the discounted price.

“Marvel is proud to offer our content along with the best-selling NOOK Tablet,” said Peter Phillips, SVP & GM, Digital Media at Marvel Entertainment. “When you want to experience more of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Wolverine or any of our other iconic superheroes, there is nothing quite like a Marvel graphic novel.”

The NOOK Tablet utilizes the world’s most advanced VividView™ Touchscreen technology, offering readers a chance to experience the action-packed epics of The Avengers and all Marvel graphic novels on Barnes & Noble’s fastest, lightest tablet.

As with all NOOK products, customers can shop Barnes & Noble's expansive NOOK Store™ of more than two million digital titles. In addition, Barnes & Noble offers always free in-store NOOK support for customers to set up and learn how to use their new device face-to-face with friendly neighborhood NOOKsellers™.

This promotion starts on April 16 and runs through May 6, 2012, and may only be redeemed once per customer.

About NOOK® from Barnes & Noble


- Be of Good Cheer!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

New Nook Glows!


Barnes & Noble Introduces NOOK Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™: World’s First and Only E Ink® Reader That Lets You Read in the Dark

Amazing In Bed and at the Beach – Like Two Readers In One for Only $139

GlowLight Patent-Pending Technology Delivers on E Ink Customers’ Top Request, Ends Bedtime Reading Debate – When One Partner Wants to Read and the Other Wants to Sleep

Extra-Long Battery Life: Read for Over One Month with GlowLight On

Pre-Order Today for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Graduation

New York, New York – April 12, 2012 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today introduced NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight, the world’s first E Ink device with patent-pending lighting technology that eliminates the number-one problem couples have in bed – having their sleep interrupted, or being prevented from falling asleep, when their partner reads with the light on. With a soft, adjustable glow, GlowLight gives bedtime readers just the right amount of light for reading, without disturbing a sleepy spouse. Like having two Readers in one, the first and only Reader designed to let E Ink customers read in the dark is equally amazing at the beach, with a paper-like reading experience, even in the bright sun. This revolutionary device is the first to combine the most advanced and fastest E Ink display with a precise infrared touchscreen, built-in anti-glare screen for reading in any lit environment, and an evenly distributed and adjustable light for reading in the dark. NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight is also the lightest NOOK ever, with a long-lasting battery for over one month of reading on a single charge, with the light on. Customers can pre-order the newest addition to the award-winning NOOK portfolio immediately for just $139 at www.nook.com and in Barnes & Noble stores. NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight will be in stores and homes starting in early May, a perfect gift for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and graduations.

For people who love to read, E Ink’s paper-like readability, no-glare screen and long battery life have made it a favorite and nearly perfect device choice, with one exception: reading in bed or other low-light environments. And according to a recent Barnes & Noble national survey of adult readers, reading in bed is what 64 percent do on a regular basis, so it’s not surprising that the number-one request from E Ink customers is the ability to read in the dark to avoid bothering a significant other.

The Brightest Innovation in Reading
Barnes & Noble created breakthrough GlowLight technology, an innovative lighting solution optimized for low-light conditions, never before seen on an E Ink display and not available on any Kindle. NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight delivers uniform light across an E Ink display, creating a better nighttime reading experience than LCD. GlowLight turns on instantly and adjusts easily with a touch, so customers can control the amount of light, whether in a dimly lit or pitch dark room. NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight is the perfect peacekeeper for the half of survey respondents who would read more in bed if it didn’t interfere with their partners’ sleep.

“To date, readers have had to compromise: either buying black-and-white E Ink reading devices to optimize their outdoor reading or color LCD devices to be able to read at night in bed with the light off. NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight is like two Readers in one,” said William J. Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Barnes & Noble. “With our new GlowLight technology and the most advanced E Ink display available, we’ve created the most versatile, high-utility Reader ever; as exceptional for reading in the darkest bedroom as on the brightest beach. At only $139, NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight provides customers an amazing value and is the only device of its kind in the world.”

Resolving the Bedtime Reading Debate
For as long as there have been beds, and books, there’s been a common clash between couples at bedtime: Lights on, to read? Or off, to sleep? “The Barnes & Noble NOOK Bedtime Reading Debate,” a survey conducted March 1-5, 2012, polled 1,358 adult readers across the country about their reading habits, and shed new light on this age-old challenge.
Bed Heads: Approximately two-thirds (64 percent) of people polled read in bed, and nearly a quarter read in bed between five and seven days a week.
People who own Readers are among the most likely to read in bed (72 percent) and are more likely to read in bed on a weekly basis than tablet owners (61 percent vs. 54 percent).
The Gender Divide: While reading in bed is a top pick for both genders, there’s a distinct divide when it comes to second place: women are likelier than men to read outdoors (40 percent vs. 25 percent), and men more frequently read in the bathroom (41 percent vs. 26 percent for women).
The Light/Dark Debate: 77 percent of survey respondents say they or their partner requires light for their bedtime reading, although nearly 90 percent say their ideal sleep environment is completely dark.
Men are far more likely than women to report their significant other disrupts their sleep by using a light to read in bed.
Keeping Peace: 50 percent of respondents say either they or their partner would read more in bed if it didn’t affect the other person’s sleep.
Sleepus Interruptus: A partner using a light to read in bed was deemed most disruptive by respondents – even more than a frisky partner’s “midnight moves.”
31 percent of respondents noted that a partner’s use of a light to read in bed interfered with their sleep or prevented them from falling asleep, while 20 percent noted that romantic overtures did the same.
Perturbed Partners: Nearly half (42 percent) of survey respondents have gone to sleep annoyed because their significant other was reading with a light on.
Night Flight, Not Fight: 42 percent of people surveyed say they or their partner has physically relocated to another room to read to not disturb the partner who wanted to sleep, as most also agreed this was the best way to “keep the peace.”
The “lights-on” breach of bediquette leads many to throw in the towel when it comes to sleep with flipping on the TV, leaving the room to read or staying up to read themselves the most frequent alternatives.

Lightweight and Ultra Portable
At under 7 ounces, NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight is Barnes & Noble’s lightest NOOK ever and 5 percent lighter than the highly acclaimed NOOK Simple Touch. The device’s ergonomic soft-touch design makes it super comfortable to hold in just one hand – perfect for staying up all night in bed with a can’t-put-it-down novel, or for carrying everywhere. Customers can also personalize their devices with an exclusive array of stylish and protective accessories.

Barnes & Noble’s Award-Winning Reading Experience
NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight brings first-to-the-world lighting innovation to Barnes & Noble’s award-winning Reader and reading experience. The most-advanced and fastest E Ink display and revolutionary built-in screen protector offer paper-like reading with no glare, even in bright sun, and lightning-fast page turns. The company’s exclusive Best-Text™ technology with adjustable fonts optimizes each letter, so words are crisp and clear.

It’s easy to navigate, shop and read with just the touch of a finger on NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight’s 6-inch touchscreen. Touch to turn pages, look up words, highlight passages, read your way by adjusting the font size and style and more. Shop the world’s largest digital bookstore of more than 2.5 million books, magazines and newspapers and enjoy helpful recommendations from Barnes & Noble’s book experts, personalized based on favorite authors, as well as those from friends to decide what to read next. Plus, borrow digital books from public libraries.

NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight holds more than 1,000 books, plus it has expandable memory. It’s easy to keep reading on the go with long-lasting battery life: on a single charge with Wi-Fi® off, read for over one month with GlowLight on and over two months with it off.

Availability
At the amazingly low price of $139, NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight offers an award-winning reading experience, including a power adapter and built-in anti-glare screen protector at no additional cost, unlike Kindle. NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight can be pre-ordered at www.nook.com and in Barnes & Noble stores. The newest NOOK is expected to be in stores and in homes starting in early May, in time for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduations and summer reading. Experience NOOK products at www.nook.com or at the NOOK Digital Shops™ and displays in one of Barnes & Noble’s nearly 700 bookstores and other leading retailers. Barnes & Noble offers Always Free NOOK Support in all of its neighborhood bookstores, with more than 40,000 NOOKsellers across the country ready to assist customers with setting up their NOOK devices or choosing their next great read.

For More Information
NOOK Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™ Image
The Barnes & Noble NOOK® Bedtime Reading Debate Survey Highlights



- Be of Good Cheer!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Easter

There are a lot of great church podcasts to help you connect to God. Watch for reviews of Lifechurch and Elevation podcasts. I feel renewed and ready to write.