MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
March 27 – Apr 03, 2008 Edition
Barnes & Noble
Launches the How-To
Website, Quamut.com
New York, NY/3/25/2008–Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the worlds largest bookseller, announced yesterday that it has launched Quamut.com, a new how-to website. In an age where people can go online and look up how to do just about anything, authored by just about anyone, consumers are often faced with inaccurate, poorly presented information surrounded by ads virtually indistinguishable from content and from sources they are not sure they can trust. But now, Quamut.com (www.quamut.com) introduces how-to guides that offer credible information in a concise, user-friendly format.
Quamut (derived from Latin for how-to and pronounced kwómut) guides are commissioned by Quamut editors, written by experts, fact-checked, copy edited, enhanced with illustrations and photographs, and produced in an easy-to-read format for free viewing online at www.quamut.com. Covering topics from podcasting to Pilates, and estate planning to embroidery, Quamuts website currently covers more than 1,000 topics, adding hundreds of new titles each month.
Quamut.com positions Barnes & Noble as a leader in digital how-to publishing, said Dan Weiss, publisher and managing director of Quamut.com. We simultaneously publish everything in two formats, to the web as both HTML content and as downloadable PDFs. And in some cases, we actually publish in three formats, adding a four-to-six page laminated printed chart available at Barnes & Noble stores and Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com).
The business is supported through three revenue streams: advertising through display ads and Google AdSense, the sale of full-color PDFs, and the sale of laminated printed charts.
The advertising-driven business model allows us to give content away for free online, added Weiss. The free aspect combined with the diverse breadth of information available at Quamut.com, creates a place people will visit time and time again, and in turn we feel the site will be very enticing to advertisers.
Quamuts are classified under five categories: House & Home: For those overwhelmed by buying a home or planning a wedding, or for people who just want to know how to make a good martini, Quamut.com offers easy-to-follow advice on projects big or small. Hobbies & Leisure: Quamut helps consumers enjoy their free time, with at-a-glance expertise on topics such as playing Texas Hold em, chess, making jewelry, quilting, sewing, brewing beer, biking, and reading music. Money & Business: Helping consumers take control of their careers and finances, Quamut offers concise and expert corner-office know-how on 401(k)s and IRAs, business writing, and estate planning, to name a few. Computers & Technology: Whether its podcasting, buying a digital camera, or Microsoft Office shortcuts, Quamut shows people how to make the most of technologies they already use, or would like to use. Mind & Body: To achieve balance without expensive coaches and classes, Quamut offers clear, authoritative information on diet, exercise, weight training, quitting smoking, and more.
While Quamut.coms foundation consists of professionally produced content, Q-Wiki (wiki.quamut.com), a Quamut sister site, enables individuals from the community to make contributions to the content through a wiki platform.
Since we dont need to fill up entire books on each subject, our guides can cover everything from narrowly focused topics such as how to fix a leaky faucet, to broad subjects like how to play the piano, said Ben Florman, co-founder of Quamut.com. And because we are essentially a digital publisher, we can publish to the web quickly, as shown by our latest guide on home theater systems.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the worlds largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 798 bookstores in 50 states. For the fourth year in a row, the company is the nations top bookseller brand, as determined by a brands overall strength based on its combination of familiarity, quality and purchase intent, according to the EquiTrend® Brand Study by Harris Interactive®. Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com), one of the Webs largest e-commerce sites.
Quamut.com, published by Barnes & Noble, offers expert-driven, how-to information on over 1,000 topics that fall under the categories of House & Home, Hobbies & Leisure, Money & Business, Computers & Technology, and Mind & Body. Quamut guides are commissioned by Quamut editors, written by experts, fact-checked, copy edited, enhanced by illustrations and photographs, and produced in an easy-to-read format. Quamuts are available free online, for sale in chart form online (PDF) for $2.95 and in laminated printed format at Barnes & Noble retailers for $5.95. To learn more about Quamut, please visit www.quamut.com
