Word Painting

Barnes and Noble to Close Around 129 Stores by the End of this Year

The leases run out on 129 B&N stores at the end of this year. Barnes and Noble will not be renewing them, the stores will shut their doors. Two in my area will be closing. Fortunately my store is not one of them, but I’m being told it is a strong possibility at the end of 2013. What was once the superstore for books is now becoming a thing of the past.

*sigh*

[addition]: Nook on the other hand will thrive, especially now that Microsoft has bought a huge chunk of it. I’m guessing Nook, since B&N and Microsoft set it up as a separate entity, will spin off and be its own company using B&N digital stock.

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Barnes & Noble Argues Book Settlement ‘Punishes Consumers’

Barnes & Noble has added to the chorus of objections to the Justice Department’s proposed settlement with several major book publishers, releasing a statement on Thursday calling the settlement damaging to the industry.

If approved, the settlement will result in higher overall prices on e-books and hardcover books, ultimately harming the American public, the company said in the statement, which was submitted to the Justice Department on Thursday.

“We think that the Department of Justice got this wrong,” Gene DeFelice, the company’s general counsel, said in an interview. “The settlement destroys independently negotiated commercial relationships. It harms authors, innocent publishers and bookstores, including small-business owners. And it also punishes consumers who stand to benefit from increased competition and lower prices brought about by the agency model.”

[Barnes & Noble is standing up for the consumer and for themselves. Click the link to read the entire article.]