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Book Nook provides readers with insights into the world of books. Vick Mickunas takes you into the center of the publishing world with the latest book buzz, book reviews, and exclusive chats with authors..Home > Blogs > Book Nook > Archives > 2009 > December > 02 > Entry
Electronic book crazoids…
Shares in Borders Books fell off the table today. Amazon.com has an e-book reader, the Kindle. Barnes and Noble has their e-book device, the Nook. What does Borders have? Well, they don’t have a proprietary e-book reader like some of their competitors and according to Reuters News Service: “Borders Group Inc (BGP.N) shares fell sharply on continued fears that the US bookseller was missing out on the burgeoning electronic-reader market during the crucial holiday shopping season. Border’s stock fell as low as $1.08…” Ouch!
Speaking of Barnes and Noble, according to CNET News:”Start-up Spring Design has been denied an injunction to halt Barnes & Noble from selling its Nook e-reader, according to court documents. The company had requested the injunction, in addition to monetary damages, as part of a recent lawsuit filed in federal court in San Jose, Calif. The suit charges that the bookseller misappropriated Spring Design trade secrets in the design of its Nook, which launched October 20, the day after Spring Design announced its Alex e-book reader.” Ouch! To read the rest of the article click HERE:
That lawsuit isn’t B&N’s only Nook related headache either. According to Daily Tech, B&N will be hard pressed to fill orders for the Nook in time for delivery by Christmas. Ouch! To learn more about this delay click HERE:
Meanwhile, Amazon.com is laughing all the way to the bank. While they don’t release sales figures on the Kindle one analyst predicts that Amazon will end up selling over half a million Kindles in 2009. According to an article in E Week.com “Amazon.com is expected to sell about 550,000 Kindle devices in 2009, according to a research note issued on Dec. 1 by financial advisory group Collins Stewart. The note’s chief author, Sandeep Aggarwal, also pointed out that the Kindle faces competition from about 40 other e-readers, including Barnes & Noble’s Nook device.”
“The report comes just as Barnes & Noble announced on its site that Nook e-readers ordered after Nov. 30 will ship on Jan. 11. The device will make its debut in Barnes & Noble’s bricks-and-mortar stores starting on Dec. 7, although only high-volume retailers will receive Nooks for actual sale. The bookseller has repeatedly suggested that high demand is the cause for the delays.”
The New York Times just ran an interview with Jeff Bezos, the mastermind behind Amazon.com. It is quite interesting to hear the thoughts of someone who has prospered during tough economic times. To read it click HERE:
Vick Mickunas
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: booms and busts
Comments
By a reader
December 4, 2009 1:14 PM | Link to this
Jeff Bezos: For every 100 copies of a physical book we sell, where we have the Kindle edition, we will sell 48 copies of the Kindle edition. It won’t be too long before we’re selling more electronic books than we are physical books. It’s astonishing. an amazing statistic eh? later on in the interview they ask how to self publish to kindle and he says, write it, submit it and we’ll publish it and give you 35%. The interviewer: isn’t that high? Bezos: what’s your royalty? interviewer: let’s not go there. Bezos: we’re done here. Just refer to the interview you so presciently pointed to and the answer to all this blather becomes clear. As much as we hate it, our culture is build around ideas not artifacts. This throw away society has created the end of the book and the start of something new. I read as much as I can and have probably read over 100 books worth of short stories, full novels and critical analysis in the last year. All on line. Does that make me an early adopter, a heretic or just someone who loves to read?
By irishguy
December 4, 2009 10:35 AM | Link to this
I’m guessing books will be around for quite some time. But, with each new generation the market will get more and more digital. I don’t see changing over to a tablet any time soon. I’m guessing in hundreds of years people will still look at Gutenberg Bibles and be amazed by the Book of Kells.
By vick
December 3, 2009 2:24 PM | Link to this
Mark, you say I’m being a bit disingenuous with my readers? That I’m somehow lacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity? That I’m being insincere with my readers? I don’t think so. I asked you how many books you have read this year. You could have been reading books on your computer. And you seem to be backtracking on your assertion that real books will become obsolete. Yes, print on demand is one way that books will continue to be books. Then there are the billions of books that already exist. And publishers will continue to publish real books. I leave it to the readers of this blog to decide for themselves what they think. And as far as relating your own personal history; that’s your prerogative, not mine.
By Mark from St Paul
December 3, 2009 2:04 PM | Link to this
Vick, given that you’re the guy who called me to tell me my bookstore was “on fire” in Des Moines back in ‘82, I think you’re being a bit disingenous with your readers. You know perfectly well that I read literally hundreds of books a year in the ’70s, and was an English major when I went back to college in the ’80s. The fact that I’m now a non-fiction reader who does almost all his reading online doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about the publishing industry. I’ve been posting blog items about digital publishing since 2003, and am waiting for an affordable tablet so I can start reading books again (my eyes aren’t very good with books as for some reason I can’t find the switch to change type size to match what my eyes are comfortable with at any particular moment). There will always be a publishing industry, but bound books will increasingly be a gift item. Expect book publishing to be “on demand” in the future, with publishers printing books in response to prepaid orders. This technology first surfaced in the ’90s and was shelved until it was more economically feasible. That day is not far off. ’90s technology could print a single copy of a book in a matter of seconds. Instead of perusing books you’ll look at the store’s catalog and the book will be printed on the spot, just like some CD stores let you burn mp3 CDs in the store.
By vick
December 3, 2009 12:56 PM | Link to this
Alright, Mark-your honesty is appreciated. So you are a prodigious reader of blogs and newspapers but books are clearly not your thing. While one book is probably more than 50% of American men read in any given year that’s not much of a book habit. So your opinions on books are purely personal speculation? That’s like somebody who doesn’t drive stating their opinions about cars. Anybody can have an opinion on anything. People who actually use certain products and services might know a bit more about them than those who do not. Some writers insist on writing in longhand or on ancient typewriters. They may be a dying breed but they know what they like. Many readers prefer to read real books. I don’t see real books going away any time soon.
By Mark from St Paul
December 3, 2009 12:19 PM | Link to this
One. I’ve read one book from cover to cover this year. But I’d also bet that I’ve read more content than you or most of your readers. Each morning I check out the Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Tribune, Des Moines Register, McClatchy, The Daily Beast, Crooks and Liars, Bring Me The News, and The Raw Story, plus another several dozen blogs and news websites. I’ve been online since ‘91 and yes, I’ve been following news stories on tablet/digital readers for about that long. You may be an authority on bound books, but content is content. Shakespeare may smell sweeter to you coming from a musty old book, but his lines read just as well digitally as they do when stained onto a piece of paper with ink. In all sincerity I think you and many of your readers are going to be bitterly disappointed when a good tablet shows up on the market and the entire bound book industry vanishes almost overnight. Disappointed because freed from expensive binding, books will again become much more readily available to average people, not all of who can afford to pop for $20-30 books. More formats means more readers, more readers means more books will be written. The future is a good thing, global warming aside.
By vick
December 3, 2009 11:45 AM | Link to this
OK, Mark. You speak with such authority about our books of the future. Is this from your personal experience? Or, are you merely speculating? How many books have you personally read in 2009 from cover to cover? And how many electronic books have you read in 2009 from “screen to screen?” I’m sure that other readers of this blog would want to know that. How many books have you read this year in their entirety? E-books and /or traditional books? Give us some numbers, please.
By Mark from St Paul
December 3, 2009 11:34 AM | Link to this
Regardless, it’s the future and it’s coming your way fast. The funny part will be when Amazon and B&N’s tablets get wiped out by Apple’s tablet which will undoubtedly load .pdfs and other nonproprietary formats with no problemo.
By vick
December 3, 2009 11:01 AM | Link to this
Waterboard, that is one terse, pithy and I daresay, succulent observation.
By waterboard madoff
December 3, 2009 10:32 AM | Link to this
There is nothing like sitting by a warm fire,on a cold winter day, with a plastic device with a seven inch screen.