MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
April 29 – May 7, 2009 Edition
BN.com Launches
Audiobook MP3 Store
New York, New York (Authorlink News, April 28, 2009)–Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, announced today that Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com) has launched its Audiobook MP3 Store, featuring audiobook MP3s available for instant download and transfer to iPods, iPhones, MP3 players and other portable devices. The Barnes & Noble.com Audiobook MP3 Store offers easy downloads of more than 10,000 titles across all genres, from new releases and bestsellers to classics and timeless favorites. The average price per download will range between $10 and $20.
To celebrate the launch of the new Audiobook MP3 Store, Barnes & Noble.com is offering nine free titles for download for a limited time. Titles in this offer include: The Babysitter’s Code by Laura Lippman, Great Day by Kurt Vonnegut, Super Goat Man by Jonathan Lethem, Best New Horror by Joe Hill, Fathers by Alice Munro, Truth or Dare by Elizabeth Berg, Ysrael by Junot Diaz, Merrano of the Dry Country by Louis L’Amore, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. In addition, customers can receive 50 percent off any one title in the Audiobook MP3 Store with an online coupon available on Barnes & Noble.com through May 3.
"As the use of MP3 players, iPods, iPhones and other digital devices continues to increase, it is important for Barnes & Noble to continue to expand our audio selection and satisfy our customers’ listening preferences. The launch of the Barnes & Noble Audiobook MP3 Store is a natural progression in our commitment to book lovers and audiobook fans," said Tom Burke, Executive Vice President, E-Commerce Barnes & Noble. "The addition of audiobook MP3s rounds out our already great selection of audiobook CDs available on BN.com and provides our customers with another easily accessible way to indulge in their love of books."
Barnes & Noble.com has partnered with OverDrive to manage the maintenance and distribution of titles in its Audiobook MP3 Store.
About OverDrive
OverDrive is a leading global digital distributor of eBooks, audiobooks, music, and video. OverDrive delivers secure management, DRM protection, and download fulfillment services for hundreds of publishers and thousands of libraries, schools, and retailers serving millions of end users. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland, Ohio. www.overdrive.com.
About Barnes & Noble, Inc.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 778 bookstores in 50 states. Barnes & Noble is the nation’s top bookseller in quality, and for the fifth year in a row, the top bookseller brand, as determined by a combination of the brand’s performance on 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 Web’s largest e-commerce sites.
General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com .
