You might have heard the news (click here and here) about Microsoft purchasing a stake in the Nook from Barnes and Noble. According to reports, the software Giant paid $605 million for a 17.5 percent share in Nook.
A few interesting things here. By all reports, Microsoft purchased an interest in Nook, not in Barnes and Noble. Microsoft brings a lot to this party. According to the Washington Post article, Microsoft is gearing up for the release of Windows 8, which will not only run on desktops and laptops, but also tablet computers. Besides the iPad, which is obviously not going to be a candidate for Windows 8, the other well-known ereader/tablet on the market is the Nook. This throws Microsoft into more of a competitive stance with Macintosh.
But what’s more interesting to the publishing world, as was pointed out by Carolyn Schuster at the Village Idiot Writers’ Group on Facebook, is that this raises the ante for Amazon in the ereader market. Kindle is looking at some serious competition from a company that has some bucks behind it. It will be interesting to see how this one shakes out. Will it include more self-publishing opportunities for writers? We’ll see.
See ya’ later.
What interesting news! As a self-published author with two books on the market, and with two books under contract with an agent, I am excited to see what this does to the industry! Thanks for the update!
Posted by: Heidi Angell-Author | 05/03/2012 at 10:00 AM