Kobo will reestablish a presence in US retail booksellers that they have lacked since Borders liquidated under an agreement with the American Booksellers Association that takes over from the soon-to-be-cancelled Google eBooks relationship. The WSJ says the new agreement will be effective in October (ahead of Google’s scheduled termination of their affiliates in January 2013); the ABA simply says it will launch “this fall,” with approximately 400 stores expected to participate. The ABA held conversations with a variety of potential new partners, said to include such providers as Copia and the soon-to-launch Zola Books (which is enrolling its own independent […]
ebookstores
Nook’s First UK Partner Is Electronics Retailer, Plus Amazon and Apple Updates
Barnes & Noble announced that department store John Lewis will be its first UK retail partner as of October, selling Nook Simple Touch and GlowLight in 37 stores as well as on its own website. “John Lewis is where knowledgeable customers turn for trusted advice on the best products to purchase, and they are a perfect partner to help launch Nook in the UK,” said BN president of digital products Jamie Iannone in a statement. “We look forward to bringing more choice and convenience to discerning UK customers with our critically acclaimed line of reading devices and expansive selection of […]
Amazon Launches Kindle Store in India
Amazon officially launched its Kindle store in India Wednesday, which will include more than 1 million titles and Kindle Direct Publishing options for authors. Amazon will also sell the bare-bones version of its Kindle devices for R6,999 at Croma retail stores across India. “We are proud to launch this new Kindle store for Indian customers – offering Kindle book purchases in rupees and the ability to buy and read the work of many great Indian authors,” vp Kindle Content Russ Grandinetti said in the release. “In addition, we are excited to work with Croma to make Kindle available at retail […]
Barnes & Noble Will Finally Launch Nook in the UK in Mid-October
After lengthy speculation and anticipation, and in advance of announcing its first quarter earnings Tuesday morning, Barnes & Noble said they will finally launch Nook in the UK in mid-October with an online storefront as well as partnerships with “leading UK retailers” that will be announced “shortly.” (Waterstones, of course, was long expected to be partnering with Nook, but in the end allied with Amazon instead.) Nook UK will first sell the company’s Simple Touch and Simple Touch with Glowlight devices, with the tablets available at an undisclosed point. The unnamed UK partners “are expected to support the Nook offering […]
eNews: Kobo to Launch Italian Platform With Mondadori; eBook Sales and Expectations Up in Germany
As previously promised, Kobo will officially enter the Italian market “this fall”–the news is that they will do so through a partnership with Mondadori, “Italy’s leading retailer, and publisher of books and magazines.” Mondadori will sell the Kobo Touch online and through 400 stores at 99 Euros and promises to offer over 30,000 ebooks in Italian. Kobo will join Amazon’s Kindle, Google Play and the iBookstore, all of which have started selling ebooks in Italy over the past year. For Kobo, it will be the fifth store in a language other than English, joining operations in France, Germany, Holland and […]
eNews: Kobo Confirms Japan Launch; Amazon Brazil Tipped for Q4
Firming up reports from June, Kobo has formalized their July launch dates in Japan: The Kobo Touch device is available for pre-order as of today with a full ebookstore, with more than 2.4 million ebooks plus additional Japanese-only content, ready by July 19 on parent company Rakuten’s website. The e-reader will be priced at 7,980 yen including tax (or $100 USD). Amazon, reported to have been in negotiations with Japanese publishers for three years, is running a banner on its Japanese site saying that Kindle “will be on sale soon.” Also coming to a slow boil is Amazon’s Brazilian store, […]