Barnes & Noble buys ebook retailer Fictionwise
The largest retail bookseller in the US acquired Fictionwise, the largest indie outlet for ebooks, this according to this article at Publishers Weekly. This move effectively throws B&N into the ebook game and probably into direct competition with Amazon and its Kindle 2.
However, beyond the news of this transaction is both praise and criticism. Critics say that they admired Fictionwise for being an independent force in ebook retailing. According to one post on the Teleread blog, Fictionwise was also admired for being more willing to work with small publishers:
Not everyone sees full positives here. "Fictionwise was the big independent in the industry, and also the company most willing to work with small publishers and non-DRM," Rob Preece of BooksForABuck.com, a small e-publisher, said in a TeleRead comment. "I’m sorry to see them go as an independent force, and not especially happy that BN made the purchase as they haven’t traditionally been especially friendly to small publishing.
Whether or not the acquisition of Fictionwise will change them for the worse is something we’ll just have to wait and see. But Scott Pendergrast, the founder of Fictionwise, sees the relationship between them and Barnes & Noble as two companies who share the same vision of the ebook market:
The purchase by B&N, "is very good news for eBook customers at both websites. Customers can expect to see more eBook content than ever before," the brothers wrote. They said they decided to sell the company because with the rapid expansion of the e-book market they were "looking for the right partner with a shared vision on the future of the industry. Barnes & Noble was an excellent match."
My opinion
Personally, I’m fond of Fictionwise and have been using their ebook reader on my iPhone since its debut back in July. I have since switched to Stanza, but can still purchase books on the Fictionwise website.
That said, my only fear is that, under the influence of a corporate giant like B&N, Fictionwise will start implementing draconian DRM tactics with their ebooks. While I’d be surprise if that happened, it remains a fear in the back of my mind, especially knowing how the corporate obsession with the bottom line and profits can wipe out any form of common sense.
Being optimistic by nature, though, I prefer to look at the potential positives of news like this. For one, this really speaks well for ebooks if a company like B&N is going to invest so much time and money in an ebook company. This will no doubt put some meat behind the argument that ebooks are now mainstream and they are going to stay that way.
Furthermore, B&N is in a position to promote ebooks along with traditional print books. For example, if a customer buys an older title from an author in ebook format, they could offer a special incentive/discount to buy an upcoming new title in hardcover. Or, better yet, when you buy a print book, you also have the ability to download the ebook version for free. And in my final scenario, B&N could offer free sample chapters of ebooks to entice customers to buy the print version.
Of course this is all speculation on my part and I’m just throwing ideas out there. Only time will tell how this marriage of old traditional bookselling and the new wave of ebooks will work itself out. My fingers are crossed that it will be a long and fruitful union!
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