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Barnes & Noble Reports Fiscal 2012 Second Quarter Financial Results

Press Release — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:00:36 +0000

Barnes & Noble Reports Fiscal 2012 Second Quarter Financial Results

EBITDA Increases 21% over the Prior Year

Comparable Store Sales Increase 10.9% over the Three Day Holiday Weekend

NOOK Tablet(TM) Becomes Fastest Selling NOOK(TM) Product

New York, NY (December 1, 2011) – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS) today reported sales and earnings for its second quarter ended October 29, 2011.

SECOND QUARTER SALES

Total sales decreased 0.6% as compared to the prior year, from $1.90 billion to $1.89 billion. Barnes & Noble store (“Retail”) sales decreased 1% from $931 million to $918 million, with comparable sales decreasing 0.6%. Physical book sales declined, offset by increases in NOOK products and were positively affected by the liquidation of the remaining Borders stores. Comparable store sales improved each month throughout the quarter.

Barnes & Noble College (“College”) sales declined 4% from $797 million to $768 million, due to a shift from selling new and used textbooks to lower priced, higher margin textbook rentals. Comparable store sales increased 0.4%. College comparable store sales reflect the retail selling price of a new or used textbook when rented, rather than solely the rental fee received and amortized over the rental period.

BN.com sales increased 17% over the prior year, from $177 million to $206 million. Comparable sales increased 38%, on top of a 59% increase a year ago. This increase was driven by continued growth of digital content sales and purchases of award winning NOOK(TM) devices. BN.com comparable sales reflect the actual selling price for eBooks sold under the agency model rather than solely the commission received.

SECOND QUARTER EARNINGS

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) grew 21% over the prior year, from $46 million to $56 million.

Retail EBITDA grew from $1.3 million to $21.0 million, benefiting from higher product margins this year. In addition, the prior year included $10 million of litigation and proxy contest costs. College EBITDA declined slightly from $95.3 million to $93.9 million. BN.com EBITDA losses increased from $50.2 million to $58.9 million, driven by planned product markdowns on the recently announced NOOK price adjustments, as well as higher advertising production costs.

Total company net loss was $6.6 million for the quarter, or $0.17 per share, as compared to a net loss of $12.6 million last year, or $0.22 per share. Included in the current quarter is a $0.06 loss per share related to the company’s preferred stock dividend, in accordance with ASC 260, Earnings per Share. The dividend is deducted from earnings available to common shareholders in the earnings per share calculation and does not impact the company’s results of operations.

BARNES & NOBLE LAUNCHES NOOK Tablet(TM)

On November 7, 2011, Barnes & Noble launched NOOK Tablet, the company’s fastest and lightest tablet with the best in entertainment. msnbc.com cited the product as a “terrific tablet,” The Associated Press called it “really impressive” and Forrester Research Inc. called it a “wow product”. In the first few weeks of launch, NOOK Tablet has become the fastest selling NOOK product in the company’s history.

Concurrent with the launch of NOOK Tablet, the company also announced enhancements and new low prices for NOOK Color(TM) and NOOK Simple Touch(TM), retailing at $199 and $99, respectively.

The newly updated NOOK Simple Touch continues to earn high praise from leading tech review outlets. CNET, PCMag and Laptop Magazine rank it among their top-rated touch eReaders with all three naming it “Editor’s Choice” and this week, PC World rated NOOK Simple Touch the #1 eReader (11/29/11).

The consolidated NOOK business across all of the company’s segments, including sales of digital content, device hardware and related accessories, increased 85% in the second quarter to $220 million, on a comparable sales basis.

“The launch of NOOK Tablet, combined with the product enhancements to NOOK Color and $99 NOOK Simple Touch, represents the highest-quality portfolio of digital reading products on the market at incredible values,” said William Lynch, chief executive officer of Barnes & Noble, Inc. ”We expect to sell millions of devices during our third quarter, adding to the millions of current NOOK customers. This growing base of customers buying digital content from Barnes & Noble will continue to position us as one of the fastest growing companies in this exploding digital content market, and we project this will generate significant returns on our investments for years to come.”

HOLIDAY RESULTS TO DATE

Over the three-day holiday weekend, comparable store sales increased 10.9% at Barnes & Noble stores, on top of 17% comparable store growth last year. ”Based on early sales and traffic results in stores we are encouraged by our prospects for this upcoming holiday,” added William Lynch.

FULL YEAR GUIDANCE

The company expects full year EBITDA to be at the lower end of the previously issued range of $210 million to $250 million. Although the company has seen and continues to expect increases in retail earnings from plan, it plans to invest more heavily in customer acquisition activities to fuel NOOK digital growth. These investments primarily include promotional activity and advertising for NOOK products, as well as technology costs related to developing other opportunities.

CONFERENCE CALL

A conference call with Barnes & Noble, Inc.’s senior management will be webcast beginning at 10:00 A.M. ET on Thursday, December 1, 2011, and is accessible at www.barnesandnobleinc.com/webcasts.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. will report holiday sales on or about January 5, 2012.

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the world’s largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 704 bookstores in 50 states. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, also operates 635 college bookstores serving over 4.6 million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through BN.com (www.bn.com), one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites, which also features more than two million titles in its NOOK Bookstore(TM) (www.bn.com/ebooks). Through Barnes & Noble’s NOOK® eReading product offering, customers can buy and read digital books and content on the widest range of platforms, including NOOK devices, partner company products, and the most popular mobile and computing devices using free NOOK software.

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

NOOK(R), NOOK Tablet(TM), NOOK Color(TM), NOOK Simple Touch(TM), NOOK 1st Edition(TM), NOOK 1st Edition Wi-Fi(TM), Reader’s Tablet(TM), PagePerfect(TM), Best-Text(TM), Fast Page(TM), NOOK Books(TM), NOOK Store(TM), NOOK Bookstore(TM), NOOK Newsstand(TM), NOOK Magazines(TM), VividView(TM), ArticleView(TM), NOOK Newspapers(TM), NOOK Comics(TM), NOOK Cloud(TM), NOOK Apps(TM), FREE NOOK Reading Apps(TM), PubIt!(TM), NOOK Discover(TM), NOOK Kids(TM), Read To Me(TM), Read and Play(TM), Read and Record(TM), NOOK Digital Shop(TM), Read In Store(TM), More In Store(TM), NOOK Friends(TM), LendMe®, NOOK Library(TM), NOOK Boutiques(TM), The Barnes & Noble Promise(TM), NOOK Books en español(TM), NOOK Study(TM), Free Friday(TM), Lifetime Library(TM) and Read What You Love. Anywhere You Like(TM) are trademarks of Barnes & Noble, Inc. Other trademarks referenced in this release are the property of their respective owners.

Follow Barnes & Noble on Twitter (www.bn.com/twitter), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/barnesandnoble) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/bnstudio).

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) and information relating to Barnes & Noble that are based on the beliefs of the management of Barnes & Noble as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the management of Barnes & Noble. When used in this communication, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “will” and similar expressions, as they relate to Barnes & Noble or the management of Barnes & Noble, identify forward-looking statements.

Such statements reflect the current views of Barnes & Noble with respect to future events, the outcome of which is subject to certain risks, including, among others, the general economic environment and consumer spending patterns, decreased consumer demand for Barnes & Noble’s products, low growth or declining sales and net income due to various factors, risk that international expansion will not be successfully achieved or may be achieved later than expected, possible disruptions in Barnes & Noble’s computer systems, telephone systems or supply chain, possible risks associated with data privacy, information security and intellectual property, possible work stoppages or increases in labor costs, possible increases in shipping rates or interruptions in shipping service, effects of competition, the risk that the expected sales lift from Borders’ store closures is not achieved in whole or part, the risk that digital sales growth is less than expectations and the risk that it does not exceed the rate of investment spend, higher-than-anticipated store closing or relocation costs, higher interest rates, the performance of Barnes & Noble’s online, digital and other initiatives, the performance and successful integration of acquired businesses, the success of Barnes & Noble’s strategic investments, unanticipated increases in merchandise, component or occupancy costs, unanticipated adverse litigation results or effects, product and component shortages, and other factors which may be outside of Barnes & Noble’s control, including those factors discussed in detail in Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” in Barnes & Noble’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and Form 10-K/A, and in Barnes & Noble’s other filings made hereafter from time to time with the SEC.

Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results or outcomes may vary materially from those described as anticipated, believed, estimated, expected, intended or planned. Subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to Barnes & Noble or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements in this paragraph. Barnes & Noble undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise after the date of this communication.

# # #

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Media Contact:
Mary Ellen Keating
Senior Vice President
Corporate Communications
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3323
mkeating@bn.com

Investor Contacts:
Joseph J. Lombardi
Chief Financial Officer
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3215
jlombardi@bn.com

Andy Milevoj
Director of Investor Relations
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3489
amilevoj@bn.com

E-reading, Sharing, Conversing

Bob Hughes — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:00:42 +0000

The e-readers keep getting more competitive, and we’re getting more of them. And little by little, they’re growing moresophisticated, more in tune with rapid changes in how we access all sorts of information. And for a writer who wants to create and market his book online, the strength of e-readers is a great thing. And more and more, they tap into more than books.

Amazon is practically giving away some of the hottest titles around for those have a Kindle. And a $79 annual Amazon Prime membership.

This is a real inducement not only to spring for a Kindle (which can be had for as little as $79), but for Amazon Prime, which allows for “free” shipping, and other benefits. If you use Amazon frequently, the Prime option is a good deal, considering what you save on mailing fees. You can also get free or reduced-price television and movie downloads and, now, titles that range from the Hunger Games trilogy to Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. These are former or current bestsellers – not the public-domain titles that you can download anywhere, titles such as Pride and prejudice and Moby-Dick. You can get Water for Elephants or Fast Food Nation or another 90 or so other notable books free (though not all at once).

Barnes & Noble’s Nook already offers the ability to borrow books from public libraries. Many people have opted for the Nook because of that function. If you’re already in a community with a good library (that your taxes support), why not go with a Nook and save money?

Barnes & Noble sees a continuing future in Nook, despite the brutal battleground at the brick-and-mortar bookstore level. Barnes & Noble will double the size of its Nook boutiques to 2,000 square feet at its busiest locations, in time for the holiday season.

But the real news is the continuing growth of social networking, of conversation, in certain e-readers.

Buried beside the Amazon announcement and the news of Barnes & Noble’s continuing Nook strength is a new edition of the Kobo Vox e-Reader for about $200 (Kobo offers other readers at $129 and $99). This new version has a color display, and like the Kindle Fire, you can read newspapers, magazines as well as browse the internet, access email, listen to music, watch movies, play games. You can also access over 15,000 free apps

The Nook Friends feature already lets people allow their Twitter and Facebook friends see what they’re reading, and also allow friends to read a book for a limited period. Of course, on the iPad, you can also simply email your friends about what you’re reading on the Nook or Kindle or iBooks app without any problem.

But it’s likely that e-readers will add more tablet features and try to create a growing interactive experience for the solitary reading one. I myself rather prefer the solitary reading experience – you can really only share a book if you’re reading it aloud to someone.

I read in all different ways. But recently I’ve been walking around town and taking public transportation while listening to an excellent audio book version of Anthony Trollope’s great novel, Can You Forgive Her? Audio book sales are still quite strong, and even growing, but it wasn’t too long ago they seemed the latest thing. Who’d have thought that listening on an iPod to a well-narrated classic would suddenly seem so old-fashioned?

Corporate Controller Allen Lindstrom Appointed Interim Chief Financial Officer as Barnes & Noble Launches Search for New CFO

Press Release — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:57:04 +0000

Barnes & Noble and Joseph Lombardi Agree to Transition Arrangement

New York, New York, October 21, 2011 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, today announced that Joseph Lombardi, Chief Financial Officer, has resigned from his current position, but will remain a non-officer employee until mid-2012 to assist in the transition as the company undertakes an executive search for a new CFO. The company also announced the appointment of Allen Lindstrom, Vice President, Corporate Controller, to interim CFO until a replacement is named.

“Today the company is strategically and financially well positioned, due in large part to our leadership team and Joe Lombardi’s contributions during his tenure as CFO,” said William Lynch, Chief Executive Officer. ”He has played a key role especially during these last two years, as we’ve been successfully transforming our business, and scaling the massive opportunity NOOK® presents.” Mr. Lynch added, “We’ve built great bench strength and continuity in our finance department over the years, and everyone from the management team to the board of directors has the utmost confidence in Allen as he assumes the interim CFO position. We thank Joe for his service to the company and appreciate his assistance in the transition.”

“I could not be more proud of the nine years I’ve spent at Barnes & Noble working alongside an outstanding management team,” said Mr. Lombardi. ”In the last two years alone, it has been exciting to see Barnes & Noble transform itself from a leading bookseller to a leading retailer of content and digital media. I look forward to assisting the company during this transition period until a new CFO is appointed.”

Mr. Lindstrom joined Barnes & Noble, Inc. in November 2007, as Vice President and Corporate Controller. He is also Principal Accounting Officer of the company. Prior to joining Barnes & Noble, Mr. Lindstrom was Chief Financial Officer at Liberty Travel.

ABOUT BARNES & NOBLE, INC.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the world’s largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 704 bookstores in 50 states. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, also operates 635 college bookstores serving over 4.6 million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through BN.com (www.bn.com), one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites, which also features more than two million titles in its NOOK Bookstore(TM) (www.bn.com/ebooks). Through Barnes & Noble’s NOOK(TM) eReading product offering, customers can buy and read digital books and content on the widest range of platforms, including NOOK devices, partner company products, and the most popular mobile and computing devices using free NOOK software.

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

NOOK Simple Touch Reader(TM), NOOK 1st Edition(TM), NOOK 1st Edition Wi-Fi(TM), NOOK Color(TM), Reader’s Tablet(TM), Fast Page(TM), NOOK Books(TM), NOOK Bookstore(TM), NOOK Newsstand(TM), NOOK Magazines(TM), NOOK Newspapers(TM), NOOK Apps(TM), PubIt!(TM), NOOK Kids(TM), Read In Store(TM), More In Store(TM), NOOK Friends(TM), LendMe®, NOOK Library(TM), NOOK Boutiques(TM), The Barnes & Noble Promise(TM), NOOK Books en español(TM), NOOK Study(TM), Free Friday(TM), Lifetime Library(TM) and Read What You Love. Anywhere You Like(TM) are trademarks of Barnes & Noble, Inc. Other trademarks referenced in this release are the property of their respective owners.

Follow Barnes & Noble on Twitter (www.bn.com/twitter), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/barnesandnoble) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/bnstudio).

CONTACT:
Mary Ellen Keating
Corporate Communications
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3323
mkeating@bn.com

Barnes & Noble Expands NOOK Newsstand(TM) Offering with First-Ever Digital Edition of Real Simple, Available First on NOOK Color(TM)

Press Release — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:23:22 +0000

November Digital Issue of Real Simple Magazine Offered Only on NOOK(R) Platform

New York, New York – October 11, 2011 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, announced the expansion of its robust NOOK Newsstand (www.NOOKnewsstand.com) offering with the addition of bestselling magazine Real Simple, available first on NOOK Color for a limited time. Barnes & Noble’s NOOK Color is the only digital platform where customers can enjoy the Real Simple November issue, the first digital version of the popular magazine ever made available.

The first-ever digital issue of Real Simple is designed and optimized especially for NOOK Color with a host of engaging content features and a quicker way to navigate to desired content by tapping articles in the table of contents or flipping through the entire issue with an easy to use page slider. Customers can enjoy the magazine’s recipes, entertaining tips, organizing ideas and much more like never before on NOOK Color’s gorgeous 7-inch VividView(TM) color touchscreen. Print subscribers to Real Simple can enjoy the NOOK Magazine version on their NOOK Color at no additional cost.

“We are excited to offer NOOK Color customers exclusive access to the first digital version of Real Simple – the perfect choice for smart, busy consumers who want creative solutions to everyday challenges,” said Jonathan Shar, Vice President and General Manager of digital newsstand at Barnes & Noble. “The print edition of Real Simple is already one of the most popular titles enjoyed by Barnes & Noble customers, and we are happy to now add the digital version to the NOOK Newsstand collection.”

“Our consumers have been asking for Real Simple on NOOK Color, so we are very excited to make this announcement,” said Kristin van Ogtrop, Managing Editor, Real Simple. “Our advertising partners are always looking for new ways to connect with our consumers, so we’re thrilled to bring Real Simple to NOOK Color,” continued Evelyn Webster, Executive Vice President, Time Inc. Lifestyle Group.

With the largest digital collection of top 100 magazines, Barnes & Noble offers more than 220 titles and growing, with a wide selection covering home, fashion and beauty, travel, parenting, health, food, celebrities, business, general news and more. NOOK Color customers can try all NOOK periodicals, including Real Simple for free for 14 days, and enjoy all digital magazines and newspapers by subscription or single copy purchases. Experience the wide variety of rich, colorful periodicals available for NOOK Color today at www.nooknewsstand.com, www.nookcolor.com or at the NOOK Boutiques and displays in one of Barnes & Noble’s more than 700 bookstores (http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com).

About NOOK(R) from Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble’s NOOK brand of eReading products makes it easy to read what you love, anywhere you like(TM) with a fun, easy-to-use and immersive digital reading experience. With NOOK, customers gain access to Barnes & Noble’s expansive NOOK Bookstore(TM) of more than two million digital titles, and the ability to enjoy content across a wide array of popular devices. The award-winning NOOK Color(TM), the best-value on the tablet market ($249), features a stunning 7-inch VividView(TM) Color Touchscreen to read all of the content you love, shop popular apps, connect via email, browse the Web and more. The All-New NOOK ($139), the Simple Touch Reader(TM), is the easiest-to-use 6-inch touch reader, with the longest battery life of any eReader. In Barnes & Noble stores, NOOK owners can access free Wi-Fi connectivity, enjoy the Read In Store(TM) feature to read NOOK Books(TM) for free, and the More In Store(TM) program, which offers free, exclusive content and special promotions. Barnes & Noble was the first company to offer digital lending for a wide selection of books through its LendMe(R) technology, available through NOOK eReading products. Find NOOK devices in Barnes & Noble stores and online at www.BN.com, as well as at Best Buy, Walmart, Staples, Books-A-Million, OfficeMax and Fred Meyer stores.

In addition to NOOK devices, Barnes & Noble makes it easy for customers to enjoy any book, anytime, anywhere with its free line of NOOK software, available at www.bn.com/freenookapps. Customers can use Barnes & Noble’s free eReading software to access and read books from their personal Barnes & Noble digital library on devices including iPad(TM), iPhone(R), iPod touch(R), Android(TM) smartphones and tablets BlackBerry(R), PC and Mac(R). Lifetime Library(TM) helps ensure that Barnes & Noble customers will always be able to access their digital libraries on NOOK products and software-enabled devices and BN.com. Barnes & Noble also offers NOOK Study(TM) (www.nookstudy.com), an innovative study platform and software solution for higher education, NOOK Kids(TM) (www.nookkids.com), a collection of digital picture and chapter books for children, and NOOK Books en espanol(TM) (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooksenespanol), the first-ever Spanish language digital bookstore in the United States.

For more information on NOOK devices and eReading software, updates, new NOOK Book releases, Free Friday(TM) NOOK Books and more, follow us on www.twitter.com/ebooksbn and www.facebook.com/nookbn.

ABOUT BARNES & NOBLE, INC.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the world’s largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 704 bookstores in 50 states. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, also operates 635 college bookstores serving nearly 4.6 million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com), one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites, which also features more than two million titles in its NOOK Bookstore(TM) (www.bn.com/ebooks). Through Barnes & Noble’s NOOK(TM) eReading product offering, customers can buy and read eBooks on the widest range of platforms, including NOOK eBook Readers, devices from partner companies, and hundreds of the most popular mobile and computing devices using free NOOK software. General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

The All-New NOOK(TM), The Simple Touch Reader(TM), NOOK(TM), NOOK 1st Edition(TM), NOOK 1st Edition Wi-Fi(TM), NOOK Color(TM), Fast Page(TM), NOOK Books(TM), NOOK Bookstore(TM), NOOK Newsstand(TM), NOOK Magazines(TM), NOOK Newspapers(TM), NOOK Apps(TM), PubIt!(TM), NOOK Kids(TM), Read In Store(TM), More In Store(TM), NOOK Friends(TM), LendMe(R), NOOK Library(TM), NOOK Boutiques(TM), The Barnes & Noble Promise(TM), NOOK Books en espanol(TM), NOOK Study(TM), Free Friday(TM), Lifetime Library(TM) and Read What You Love. Anywhere You Like(TM) are trademarks of Barnes & Noble, Inc. Other trademarks referenced in this release are the property of their respective owners.

Follow Barnes & Noble on Twitter (www.bn.com/twitter), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/barnesandnoble) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/bnstudio).

ABOUT Real Simple:
Real Simple launched in March 2000 and has become one of the industry’s biggest success stories. Using humor and understanding, Real Simple provides inspiring ideas and practical solutions for everyday life and enjoys a total audience of 15 million. Real Simple has expanded its brand promise, “Life made easier,” to several platforms, including: mobile; books; special issues and licensed products. The Real Simple Home and Lifestyle Digital Network enjoys a strong reach online, averaging 3.3 million unique visitors each month (comScore). Real Simple is available on the NOOK Color and is published by the Time Inc. Lifestyle Group, a division of Time Inc., the largest magazine media company in the U.S.

CONTACTS:

Mary Ellen Keating
Corporate Communications
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3323
mkeating@bn.com

Carolyn J. Brown
Corporate Communications
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-4062
cbrown@bn.com

Amanda Schumacher
Communications
Real Simple
(212) 522-0105
amanda_schumacher@timeinc.com

HarperCollins Children’s Books, Barnes & Noble and First Book Announce “If You Give a Child a Book” Donation Program

Press Release — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:49:46 +0000

–Coincides with national release of IF YOU GIVE A DOG A DONUT–

New York, NY (October 5, 2011) – HarperCollins Children’s Books, Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS) and First Book announced today the launch of the “If You Give a Child a Book” program, a promotion with the goal of donating up to 60,000 books from a selection of young adult and children’s titles. The program celebrates the October 4, 2011 publication of IF YOU GIVE A DOG A DONUT, the ninth installment in the #1 New York Times bestselling If You Give… book(TM) series by award-winning team Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond.

From October 4 through October 31, 2011, for each of the first 30,000 books purchased in Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond’s If You Give… book(TM) series at a Barnes & Noble store or on BN.com, two books will be donated to kids in need through First Book, the non-profit organization dedicated to transforming children’s lives by providing them with new books. In honor of this program, Laura Numeroff will be visiting three Barnes & Noble stores across the country:

“National Story time Day” on October 15th at 11:00am in Princeton, NJ
“Educator Week Event” on October 22nd at 1:00pm in Rancho Cucamonga, CA
“If You Give a Child a Book Grand Finale Event” on October 29th at 1:00pm in Tyson’s Corner, VA

In addition, Barnes & Noble.com will feature the Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond classic, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie in this month’s Online Storytime program. A monthly feature, Barnes & Noble.com’s Online Storytime is perfect for children ages two through six and showcases favorite children’s books read by well-known authors and celebrities. To enhance the Storytime experience, illustrations and artwork are brought to life through pan-and-scan technology. Barnes & Noble.com will have an If You Give… page with a selection of Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond books and toys (www.bn.com/storytime).

“HarperCollins is proud to be partnering with Barnes & Noble and First Book for such a great cause and to celebrate the launch of If You Give a Dog a Donut,” says Susan Katz, President and Publishers, HarperCollins Children’s Books. ”With everyone’s generous efforts, we will be donating books to children in need all across the country.”

“Barnes & Noble is thrilled to partner with HarperCollins and First Book on this promotion,” said Mary Amicucci, Vice President of Children’s Books at Barnes & Noble, Inc. ”Barnes & Noble is passionate about getting books into the hands of children to foster learning, growth and imagination. The If You Give… series has always been a favorite series among our customers and participating in the If You Give… promotion is a wonderful way for us to donate books to children in need.”

“The generosity of partners like Barnes & Noble and HarperCollins – and their customers – will enable us to provide thousands of brand-new books to children from low-income families across the country,” said Kyle Zimmer, President and CEO of First Book. “This series is one of our favorites, and we’re delighted that more kids reading these great books will mean more kids in our national network of schools and programs who’ll receive new books of their own.”

The “If You Give a Child a Book” program is open to all U.S. residents. For more information about this program, please visit bn.com/ifyougive.

About the If You Give…book(TM) series:
Author Laura Numeroff and illustrator Felicia Bond created the beloved If You Give a Mouse a Cookie in 1985. The book launched a bestselling series, including If You Give a Moose a Muffin (1991), If You Give a Pig a Pancake (1998), If You Take a Mouse to the Movies (2000), If You Take a Mouse to School (2002), If You Give a Pig a Party (2005), Mouse, Cookies & More Treasury (2006), and If You Give a Cat a Cupcake (2008). The books in the series have sold more than 38 million copies and have been translated into 13 languages. In 2000, Oprah Winfrey called If You Give a Pig a Pancake her “favorite book for children” and featured it on her “My Favorite Things” Christmas 2000 episode. During the 2001 Inauguration, First Lady Laura Bush honored the creators of the If You Give…book(TM) series at “Laura Bush Celebrates American Authors,” and she invited Laura Numeroff to the White House for the 2004 Easter Egg Roll. Recently, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie was a featured question on Jeopardy!, and was mentioned in the movie Air Force One.

Laura Numeroff is the bestselling author of a number of books for children, including the If You Give…book(TM) series illustrated by Felicia Bond; The Chicken Sisters, illustrated by Sharleen Collicott and Laura Numeroff’s 10-Step Guide to Living with Your Monster illustrated by Nate Evans. She lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Felicia Bond is the renowned illustrator of the If You Give…book(TM) series written by Laura Numeroff; Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown and Little Porcupine’s Christmas by Joseph Slate. She is also the author of The Day It Rained Hearts, The Halloween Play and the Poinsettia books. She lives in Santa Fe, N.M.

ABOUT HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN’S BOOKS
HarperCollins Children’s Books is one of the leading publishers of children’s books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many timeless treasures – Charlotte’s Web, The Chronicles of Narnia, Goodnight Moon, Where the Sidewalk Ends, the Ramona series, Where the Wild Things Are; and popular new classics – The Graveyard Book, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Warriors, and Fancy Nancy. Consistently at the forefront of digital innovation, HarperCollins Children’s Books delights young readers through engaging storytelling in all formats, including ebooks and apps. HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, one of the leading English-language publishers in the world and a subsidiary of News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia/New Zealand, and India. You can visit HarperCollins Children’s Books at www.harpercollinschildrens.com and HarperCollins Publishers at www.harpercollins.com.

ABOUT FIRST BOOK
First Book has distributed more than 85 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada. By making new, high-quality books available on an ongoing basis, First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating the quality of education. For more information, please visit them online or follow their latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

Cindy Hamilton/HarperCollins
212-207-7915
cindy.hamilton@harpercollins.com

Carolyn Brown/Barnes & Noble
(212) 633-4062
cbrown@bn.com

Barnes & Noble Expands Distribution of NOOK® Simple Touch Reader(TM) and NOOK Color(TM)

Press Release — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:00:39 +0000

Highly Acclaimed Barnes & Noble eReaders and Accessories Now Available at Top Retailers

New York, New York – October 3, 2011 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, today announced that NOOK Color and NOOK Simple Touch eReaders are now available at Target stores nationwide and at Target.com as Barnes & Noble continues to expand the distribution of NOOK devices. The $139 NOOK Simple Touch Reader(TM) and the $249 NOOK Color Reader’s Tablet(TM) and accessories arrived at Target on October 2, 2011. NOOK is now available at Best Buy, Books-A-Million, Fred Meyer, Office Max, P.C. Richard & Sons, Radio Shack, Staples, Target and Walmart, in addition to Barnes & Noble and www.bn.com.

“We are excited to bring our award-winning devices to Target as we expand the retail locations where people can purchase NOOK,” said Chris Peifer, vice president, digital business development at Barnes & Noble. “The All-New NOOK offers a simple, easy-to-use, dedicated reading experience for readers of all ages and NOOK Color is the perfect sleek, sophisticated and reading-centric tablet device.”

Barnes & Noble’s NOOK product line uses the element of touch to achieve simplicity and ease of use. The NOOK Simple Touch features extra-long battery life on the ultra-light, portable 6-inch eReader with the most-advanced E Ink Pearl display and the most social reading experience ever – all for just $139. With a simple tap, it’s intuitive and easy to navigate, shop and read.

For customers who love to read everything in rich color, NOOK Color features a stunning 7-inch VividView(TM) Color Touchscreen, ideal for reading a wide variety of content including books, immersive children’s picture books, an expansive collection of interactive magazines, newspapers and more. The best value tablet at just $249, NOOK Color also offers the most-requested tablet features, including high-quality NOOK Apps(TM), built-in e-mail, and an enhanced Web experience. With all NOOK products, customers gain access to Barnes & Noble’s expansive NOOK Bookstore(TM) of more than two million digital titles, and the ability to enjoy content across a wide array of popular devices.

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

Follow Barnes & Noble on Twitter (www.bn.com/twitter), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/barnesandnoble) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/bnstudio).

Contacts:
Mary Ellen Keating
Corporate Communications
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3323
mkeating@bn.com

Carolyn J. Brown
Corporate Communications
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-4062
cbrown@bn.com

RadioShack to Offer NOOK Simple Touch Reader(R) and NOOK Color(R) by Barnes & Noble

Press Release — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:50:48 +0000

The Mobile Authority Expands Tablet and eReader Selection with Award-Winning Line of NOOK Devices, Accessories and More

New York, New York – September 21, 2011 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, and RadioShack (NYSE: RSH), an established authority in the wireless market, announced today they will be bringing the company’s award-winning line of NOOK eReading devices and related accessories to more than 3,000 RadioShack stores nationwide and online at radioshack.com, beginning October 3. Customers visiting a RadioShack or select dealer franchise location will now have access to a wide array of popular and innovative NOOK devices designed for readers of all ages.

“The NOOK is a friendly and versatile way to enjoy the tablet experience and to stay connected with your reading material, news and information on the go,” says Scott Young, chief merchandising officer for RadioShack Corp. “As your nearby mobile authority, The Shack has everything you need to power, protect and personalize your NOOK, or almost any other mobile device, this holiday season.”

NOOK devices are the perfect choice for anyone who wants access to their favorite reads anywhere they go. Customers seeking a simple, easy-to-use, dedicated reading experience will love the NOOK Simple Touch Reader — an ultra-light, portable 6-inch eReader with the most-advanced E Ink(R) Pearl display and the longest battery life of any eReader – all for just $139. With a simple tap, it’s intuitive and easy to navigate, shop and read.

For customers who love to read everything in rich color, the NOOK Color features a stunning 7-inch VividView(TM) Color Touchscreen ideal for reading a wide variety of content including books, enhanced books, immersive children’s picture books, an expansive collection of interactive magazines, newspapers and more. The best value tablet at just $249, NOOK Color also offers the most-requested tablet features, including high-quality NOOK Apps(TM), built-in email, and an enhanced Web experience. With all NOOK products, customers gain access to shop Barnes & Noble’s expansive NOOK Bookstore(TM) of more than two million digital titles, and the ability to enjoy content across a wide array of popular devices.

“Just like Barnes & Noble stores, RadioShack’s convenient, comfortable, easy-to-shop format means that every customer gets the personal attention they deserve,” said Chris Peifer, Vice President, Digital Business Development at Barnes & Noble. “That’s why we are excited to partner with RadioShack to bring our NOOK devices to RadioShack customers who love to read anytime, anywhere. With NOOK, customers will discover the most immersive, fun and easy-to-use reading experience, as well as gain access to a vast selection of popular books, interactive magazines, newspapers, children’s books, apps and more.”

For more information, visit www.bn.com/nook or visit any NOOK Boutique or display in one of Barnes & Noble’s more than 700 bookstores (http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com).

About NOOK(TM) from Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble’s NOOK brand of eReading products makes it easy to read what you love, anywhere you like(TM) with a fun, easy-to-use and immersive digital reading experience. With NOOK, customers gain access to Barnes & Noble’s expansive NOOK Bookstore(TM) of more than two million digital titles, and the ability to enjoy content across a wide array of popular devices. The award-winning NOOK Color(TM) Reader’s Tablet(TM), the best-value on the tablet market ($249), features a stunning 7-inch VividView(TM) Color Touchscreen to read all of the content you love, shop popular apps, connect via email, browse the Web and more. The NOOK Simple Touch Reader(TM) ($139), is the easiest-to-use 6-inch touch reader, with the longest battery life of any eReader. In Barnes & Noble stores, NOOK owners can access free Wi-Fi connectivity, enjoy the Read In Store(TM) feature to read NOOK Books(TM) for free, and the More In Store(TM) program, which offers free, exclusive content and special promotions. Barnes & Noble was the first company to offer digital lending for a wide selection of books through its LendMe(R) technology, available through NOOK eReading products. Find NOOK devices in Barnes & Noble stores and online at www.BN.com, as well as at Best Buy, Walmart, Staples, Books-A-Million, OfficeMax, Fred Meyer, and P.C. Richard & Son stores.

In addition to NOOK devices, Barnes & Noble makes it easy for customers to enjoy any book, anytime, anywhere with its free line of NOOK software, available at www.bn.com/freenookapps. Customers can use Barnes & Noble’s free eReading software to access and read books from their personal Barnes & Noble digital library on devices including iPad(TM), iPhone(R), iPod touch(R), Android(TM) smartphones and tablets BlackBerry(R), PC and Mac(R). Lifetime Library(TM) helps ensure that Barnes & Noble customers will always be able to access their digital libraries on NOOK products and software-enabled devices and BN.com. Barnes & Noble also offers NOOK Study(TM) (www.nookstudy.com), an innovative study platform and software solution for higher education, NOOK Kids(TM) (www.nookkids.com), a collection of digital picture and chapter books for children, and NOOK Books en español(TM) (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooksenespanol), the first-ever Spanish language digital bookstore in the United States.

For more information on NOOK devices and eReading software, updates, new NOOK Book releases, Free Friday(TM) NOOK Books and more, follow us on www.twitter.com/ebooksbn and www.facebook.com/nookbn.

ABOUT BARNES & NOBLE, INC.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the world’s largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 704 bookstores in 50 states. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, also operates 635 college bookstores serving over 4.6 million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through BN.com (www.bn.com), one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites, which also features more than two million titles in its NOOK Bookstore(TM) (www.bn.com/ebooks). Through Barnes & Noble’s NOOK(TM) eReading product offering, customers can buy and read digital books and content on the widest range of platforms, including NOOK devices, partner company products, and the most popular mobile and computing devices using free NOOK software.

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

NOOK Simple Touch Reader(TM), NOOK 1st Edition(TM), NOOK 1st Edition Wi-Fi(TM), NOOK Color(TM), Reader’s Tablet(TM), Fast Page(TM), NOOK Books(TM), NOOK Bookstore(TM), NOOK Newsstand(TM), NOOK Magazines(TM), NOOK Newspapers(TM), NOOK Apps(TM), PubIt!(TM), NOOK Kids(TM), Read In Store(TM), More In Store(TM), NOOK Friends(TM), LendMe(R), NOOK Library(TM), NOOK Boutiques(TM), The Barnes & Noble Promise(TM), NOOK Books en español(TM), NOOK Study(TM), Free Friday(TM), Lifetime Library(TM) and Read What You Love. Anywhere You Like(TM) are trademarks of Barnes & Noble, Inc. Other trademarks referenced in this release are the property of their respective owners.

Follow Barnes & Noble on Twitter (www.bn.com/twitter), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/barnesandnoble) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/bnstudio).

ABOUT RADIOSHACK CORPORATION

RadioShack (NYSE: RSH) is a leading national retailer of innovative mobile technology products and services, as well as products related to personal and home technology and power supply needs. The Shack(R) offers consumers a targeted assortment of wireless phones and other electronic products and services from leading national brands, exclusive private brands and major wireless carriers, all within a comfortable and convenient shopping environment. RadioShack employs approximately 33,000 people globally, including a team of friendly and helpful sales experts who are recognized for delivering the best customer service in the wireless industry. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, RadioShack’s retail network includes approximately 4,675 company-operated stores in the United States and Mexico, more than 1,475 wireless phone centers in the United States, and approximately 1,140 dealer outlets worldwide. For more information on RadioShack Corporation, please visit www.radioshackcorporation.com; to purchase items online, please visit www.radioshack.com. RadioShack(R) and The Shack(R) are registered trademarks licensed by RadioShack Corporation.

CONTACTS:
Mary Ellen Keating
Corporate Communications
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3323
mkeating@bn.com

Carolyn J. Brown
Corporate Communications
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-4062
cbrown@bn.com

RadioShack Media Hotline
(817) 415-3300
media.relations@radioshack.com

Five Tips for Getting the Most From LinkedIn

Ivan Misner — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 01:07:10 +0000

If you had any lingering thoughts that social media was just a “fad,” you may want to let those go, particularly in light of LinkedIn’s recent IPO — with a valuation of $4.3 billion.

I’ve been following the development of online business networking for several years, particularly at the inception of sites like Ecademy.com, Ryze.com and, of course, LinkedIn. While there are many competitors to LinkedIn, it has certainly for now risen to the top of sites that are devoted primarily to business networking.

I use a variety of social networks to interact with colleagues, associates and friends, but LinkedIn has some features that set it apart from the rest. LinkedIn is a way that many of the members of my off-line network (BNI – Business Network International) have stayed in touch with each other in the online space. As a person in the “500+ connections” category, I use LinkedIn as a way to disseminate the many articles I write every month, as well as to promote books and publications.

Here’s how I use it and what I recommend to others.

1. Connecting with More People
I’ve spoken to countless entrepreneurs who have doubled or tripled their business because of the relationships they are able to make on LinkedIn. With the ability to view detailed profiles, become connected to people via a shared acquaintance, and to post updates about one’s business or career for these connections to share, a huge number of the barriers to connecting with people in different geographic locations simply don’t exist to members of LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is also well-known as a resource for both job seekers and recruiters. The site lets businesses pay to post jobs and sells enhanced profile and services to jobseekers. Successful recruiters rely heavily on networking and LinkedIn to find candidates for open positions.

2. Participating in Groups
LinkedIn’s Groups feature is a wonderful way to meet others who share an affinity, whether it be an industry, cause or an employer, and to have an online arena for possible exchanges. Being a member of the same group as someone else removes the barrier that LinkedIn ordinarily imposes that you must personally know someone to send a message or invite him or her to connect.

LinkedIn’s Groups feature might just be among its most valuable, especially when used effectively to build influential connections. Participating in a group — by asking questions, suggesting topics, answering questions or recommending another member’s answers — is a way to build a more personal connection. For example, I mentor a large number of entrepreneurs who want to better their business writing skills, meeting with them on a regular basis via telebridge. These “mentees” have also formed a group on LinkedIn, where they can share writing opportunities or get reviews from peers on a new piece they’ve written.

Participating in groups can take as much or as little time as you choose. For maximum impact, choose group discussions that are highly popular, judged from the number of responses.

3. Capitalizing on Search Engine Optimization
LinkedIn profiles show up very high on search-engine results. The more links you add to your profile, the higher one’s ranking may be in search-engine results. LinkedIn allows you to incorporate two very important links to a profile: websites and a blog. Adding these to your profile not only builds your profile’s link count, but lets you promote your site or sites. I use this feature to highlight my own website, BusinessNetworking.com.

4. Tying in a Twitter Connection
LinkedIn easily dovetails with Twitter. Indeed you can adeptly integrate Twitter with several social networks using Twitter’s application programming interfaces: I cross-promote content I have written across my various social networking accounts. Every article I write can be seamlessly shared via my Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn status postings.

Tying your Twitter account to your LinkedIn profile (achieved by clicking a box), allows you to promote your Twitter profile easily through LinkedIn.

5. Building and Enhancing Credibility
LinkedIn may well become the first place everyone will look to determine the business profile of an individual. LinkedIn allows a professional to showcase a collection of printed works or publications, recommendations from other LinkedIn users, company affiliations, and work history. When I want to know more about someone I’ve just met, I can get quite a bit of information about them by reading their LinkedIn profile. I can see where they’ve worked, or what they’ve done in the business world, and I can see what others think of them by reading recommendations that others have written about them.

Since most professionals do not stay in the same job for a lifetime anymore, their LinkedIn profile can continue to capture their work history narrative.

LinkedIn also allows for profiles of companies and brands, which can be cross-connected with the profiles of the “humans” associated with those organizations – including executive management, the founders, and the employees.

These days, a professional’s worth is frequently judged by the quality of his or her network. So LinkedIn is particularly vital for today’s entrepreneur, demonstrating knowledge, expertise, experience, social capital, and the breadth of one’s network.

Called the “father of modern networking” by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author. He is the Founder and Chairman of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization. His newest book, Networking Like a Pro, can be viewed at www.IvanMisner.com. Dr. Misner is also the Senior Partner of the Referral Institute, an international referral training company.

Barnes & Noble Reports Fiscal 2012 First Quarter Financial Results

Press Release — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:35:56 +0000

Digital Content Sales Quadruple

BN.com Comparable Sales Increase 65%

Fiscal 2012 EBITDA Expected to Increase 30% to 50%

New York, NY (August 30, 2011) – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, today reported sales and earnings for its fiscal 2012 first quarter ended July 30, 2011.

FIRST QUARTER RESULTS

Total sales for the first quarter were $1.4 billion, a 2% increase compared to the prior year. Sales through BN.com increased 37% as compared to the prior year to $198 million, with comparable sales increasing 65%. This increase was driven by strong demand for the NOOK product line, including the continued success of the Award Winning NOOK Color, the mid-quarter launch of the NOOK Simple Touch Reader and a quadrupling of digital content sales over last year’s first quarter.

Barnes & Noble store sales decreased 3% to $1 billion, with comparable store sales decreasing 1.6% for the quarter. While traditional physical book sales declined during the quarter, the stores posted large increases in sales of the NOOK product line and Toys & Games. In a non-back-to-school period, Barnes & Noble College Bookstore (“College”) sales declined 2% to $220 million, with comparable store sales decreasing 1.8%.

The consolidated NOOK business across all of the company’s segments, including sales of digital content, device hardware and related accessories, increased 140% in the first quarter to $277 million, on a comparable sales basis.

EARNINGS

The company’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) improved 23% this quarter from a loss of $30.7 million to $23.6 million. For the first quarter, the company reported a consolidated net loss of $57 million, or $0.99 per share. The company’s effective tax rate is 36.2%, lower than its previous rate of 39.7%. The change in the effective tax rate had a $0.05 per share impact on the quarter. Excluding the impact of the tax rate change, the company’s net loss per share was $0.94.

“Our strategy of growing market share in the exploding digital content business while maximizing cash flow and EBITDA from our retail operations is paying off,” said William Lynch, chief executive officer. ”We plan to continue investing in the significant growth areas of our business, and in fiscal 2012, we expect to see leverage as our digital sales growth is projected to exceed the growth of investment spend. Additionally, the return on investment is expected to increase in future years, as readers purchase increasing amounts of digital content on the platform we have built.”

“Our NOOK eReaders and applications continue to be cited as the finest digital reading products on the market, with the new NOOK Simple Touch Reader recently rated as the best eReader,” Mr. Lynch added. ”The company is encouraged by the progress achieved against our strategy and believes in our plan to continue to appropriately invest in the massive digital opportunity, while delivering strong EBITDA growth this year.”

GUIDANCE

For the full fiscal year 2012 consolidated sales are forecasted to be $7.4 billion. Comparable sales at BN.com are expected to increase 60% to 70%. Barnes & Noble comparable store sales are expected to increase 2% to 3% and College’s comparable store sales are expected to be flat. The company expects a $150 million to $200 million sales lift in this fiscal year following the complete liquidation of Borders stores. The consolidated NOOK business across all of the company’s segments, including sales of digital content, device hardware and related accessories, is expected to double this year to $1.8 billion from $880 million last year and $123 million in fiscal 2010, on a comparable sales basis.

The company expects full year earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) to be in a range of $210 million to $250 million, representing a 30% to 50% increase as compared to the prior year. This year’s EBITDA forecast includes transaction, advisory and legal costs of approximately $15 million related to the strategic alternatives process and the recently completed $204 million investment made by Liberty Media in the company. The company expects full year losses per share to be in a range of $0.10 to $0.50.

CONFERENCE CALL

A conference call with Barnes & Noble, Inc.’s senior management will be webcast beginning at 10:00 A.M. ET on Tuesday, August 30, 2011, and is accessible at www.barnesandnobleinc.com/webcasts.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. will report fiscal 2012 second quarter earnings results on or about November 22, 2011.

ABOUT BARNES & NOBLE, INC.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the world’s largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 704 bookstores in 50 states. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, also operates 635 college bookstores serving over 4.6 million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through BN.com (www.bn.com), one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites, which also features more than two million titles in its NOOK Bookstore(TM) (www.bn.com/ebooks). Through Barnes & Noble’s NOOK(TM) eReading product offering, customers can buy and read eBooks on the widest range of platforms, including NOOK eBook Readers, devices from partner companies, and hundreds of the most popular mobile and computing devices using free NOOK software.

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

The All-New NOOK(TM), The Simple Touch Reader(TM), NOOK(TM), NOOK 1st Edition(TM), NOOK Wi-Fi 1st Edition(TM), NOOK Color(TM), Reader’s Tablet(TM), Fast Page(TM), NOOK Books(TM), NOOK Bookstore(TM), NOOK Newsstand(TM), PubIt!(TM), NOOK Kids(TM), Read In Store(TM), More In Store(TM), NOOK Friends(TM), LendMe(R), NOOK Library(TM), NOOK Boutiques(TM), The Barnes & Noble Promise(TM), NOOK Books en español(TM), NOOK Study(TM), Free Friday(TM), Lifetime Library(TM) and Read What You Love. Anywhere You Like(TM) are trademarks of Barnes & Noble, Inc. Other trademarks referenced in this release are the property of their respective owners.

Follow Barnes & Noble on Twitter (www.bn.com/twitter), Facebook (www.facebook.com/barnesandnoble) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/user/bnstudio).

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Such statements reflect the current views of Barnes & Noble with respect to future events, the outcome of which is subject to certain risks, including, among others:

The general economic environment and consumer spending patterns, decreased consumer demand for Barnes & Noble’s products, low growth or declining sales and net income due to various factors, possible disruptions in Barnes & Noble’s computer systems, telephone systems or supply chain, possible risks associated with data privacy, information security and intellectual property, possible work stoppages or increases in labor costs, possible increases in shipping rates or interruptions in shipping service, effects of competition, potential effects of a bankruptcy filing by one of Barnes & Noble’s largest competitors and actions taken by that competitor during bankruptcy, including store closures, sales of inventory at discounted prices and elimination of liabilities, the risk that the expected $200 million sales lift from Borders’ store closures is not achieved in whole or part, the risk that digital sales growth is less than expectations and the risk that it does not exceed the rate of investment spend, higher-than-anticipated store closing or relocation costs, higher interest rates, the performance of Barnes & Noble’s online, digital and other initiatives, the performance and successful integration of acquired businesses, the success of Barnes & Noble’s strategic investments, unanticipated increases in merchandise, component or occupancy costs, unanticipated adverse litigation results or effects, product and component shortages, the risk that clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act with respect to Liberty GIC, Inc.’s (Liberty), a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, investment in the Company may not be received and the effects of the failure to receive such clearance, and other factors which may be outside of Barnes & Noble’s control, including those factors discussed in detail in Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” in Barnes & Noble’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and Form 10-K/A, and in Barnes & Noble’s other filings made hereafter from time to time with the SEC.

###

Media Contact:
Mary Ellen Keating
Senior Vice President
Corporate Communications
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3323
mkeating@bn.com

Investor Contacts:
Joseph J. Lombardi
Chief Financial Officer
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3215
jlombardi@bn.com

Andy Milevoj
Director of Investor Relations
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3489
amilevoj@bn.com

Barnes & Noble Expands its Industry-Leading NOOK Newsstand(TM) with Bestsellers FORTUNE, PEOPLE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, TIME, Parents and Fitness

Press Release — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 22:39:06 +0000

Offers NOOK(TM) Customers More than 200 Periodicals, Including the Largest Digital Collection of Top 100 Magazines

Free NOOK Editions of FORTUNE, PEOPLE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and TIME Available to Print Subscribers

New Special Edition Titles Offer Enhanced Interactivity, Optimized for Award-Winning NOOK Color(TM) Reader’s Tablet(TM)

New York, New York – August 23, 2011 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, announced today it is enhancing its best-in-class NOOK Newsstand, giving NOOK Color customers even more interactive versions of the country’s favorite magazines and newspapers. With the addition of top titles including FORTUNE, PEOPLE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, TIME, Parents and Fitness magazines, Barnes & Noble now offers more top 100 magazines than any other digital newsstand service. These newly added titles include a selection of interactive special editions optimized for NOOK Color’s stunning 7-inch color touchscreen with all the print magazine content along with an exciting array of bonus features. Print subscribers to FORTUNE, PEOPLE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and TIME can enjoy the NOOK Magazine(TM) versions on their NOOK Color at no additional cost. These new magazines and periodicals – totaling more than 200 – along with other enhancements can be enjoyed by NOOK Color customers through a free software update available at www.nookcolor.com/update or provided over the air (OTA) to customers connected to Wi-Fi beginning this week.

An Even Richer Reading Experience

With the version 1.3 software update, millions of NOOK Color customers will get more from their favorite magazines than ever before. Starting with special edition versions of FORTUNE, PEOPLE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and TIME, Time Inc. will make all 21 of its U.S. titles including Real Simple, InStyle, Entertainment Weekly and Cooking Light available on NOOK Color by the end of the year. Additional special edition versions are expected this fall from Better Homes and Gardens and others. These NOOK Magazine special editions offer customers all of the great content in the current print edition, along with a host of extras, built right into the pages to get more of the story – from videos and audio podcasts, animations, photo galleries and other bonus features. With these embedded multimedia enhancements, magazine lovers will be able to watch celebrity interviews, see the week’s sports highlights, listen to podcasts, take quizzes, get how-to’s on arts and crafts, and even learn new exercises with fitness videos to stay in shape. These special editions also feature a portrait-centric reading experience that’s fun and simple to use, as well as the ability to get to desired content quicker. Just tap the article promoted right on the magazine cover or in the table of contents.

“We’re proud to work with leading periodical publishers to deliver an unmatched selection of bestselling digital magazines to NOOK Color customers,” said Jonathan Shar, Vice President and General Manager of digital newsstand at Barnes & Noble. “With more than 200 of the top periodicals available in NOOK Newsstand for NOOK Color, Barnes & Noble continues to provide customers with the best digital periodical collection.”

More Periodicals, Across More Devices

In addition to the six new special edition magazines available on NOOK Color, NOOK Newsstand now offers an even wider variety of popular titles including new additions such as Ladies’ Home Journal, Traditional Home, Siempre Mujer, Smithsonian Magazine, The Knot and more. Engaging digital magazines are offered in rich color, featuring Barnes & Noble’s innovative ArticleView(TM) which allows customers to customize the article text to their favorite reading style.

NOOK Color and NOOK(TM) device customers will also find an even greater selection of major market daily newspapers with many recently added titles. All periodicals are available for subscription with a 14-day free trial or via single copies. NOOK device customers can also enjoy Time and Fortune in digital versions, designed for NOOK’s crisp E Ink(TM) display. And most NOOK Newsstand titles are also accessible to iPad(TM) and Android(TM) tablet owners using the free NOOK for iPad(TM) and NOOK for Android(TM) reading applications (www.bn.com/freenookapps).

NOOK Color v1.3 Now Available

Through its latest free NOOK Color firmware update, Barnes & Noble has made ongoing enhancements for Wi-Fi connectivity, other performance improvements and is adding a new feature to give parents and organizations the much-requested ability to disable the built-in Web browser. The NOOK Color v1.3 software update is available at no cost via immediate manual download at www.nookcolor.com/update. A free over-the-air (OTA) update will begin rolling out to customers connected to Wi-Fi beginning this week.

Experience the NOOK Newsstand special interactive editions and other great new content at the NOOK Boutique(TM) or display in one of Barnes & Noble’s more than 700 bookstores across the country, hundreds of Barnes & Noble College bookstores or by visiting www.nookcolor.com. NOOK Color, along with NOOK devices, can also be found at Best Buy, Walmart, Staples, Books-A-Million, OfficeMax, and Fred Meyer stores.

About NOOK(TM) from Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble’s NOOK brand of eReading products makes it easy to read what you love, anywhere you like(TM) with a fun, easy-to-use and immersive digital reading experience. With NOOK, customers gain access to Barnes & Noble’s expansive NOOK Bookstore(TM) of more than two million digital titles, and the ability to enjoy content across a wide array of popular devices. The award-winning NOOK Color(TM) Reader’s Tablet(TM), the best-value on the tablet market ($249), features a stunning 7-inch VividView(TM) Color Touchscreen to read all of the content you love, shop popular apps, connect via e-mail, browse the Web and more. The All-New NOOK ($139), the Simple Touch Reader(TM), is the easiest-to-use 6-inch touch reader, with the longest battery life of any eReader. In Barnes & Noble stores, NOOK owners can access free Wi-Fi connectivity, enjoy the Read In Store(TM) feature to read NOOK Books(TM) for free, and the More In Store(TM) program, which offers free, exclusive content and special promotions. Barnes & Noble was the first company to offer digital lending for a wide selection of books through its LendMe® technology, available through NOOK eReading products. Find NOOK devices in Barnes & Noble stores, College bookstores and online at www.BN.com, as well as at Best Buy, Walmart, Staples, Books-A-Million, OfficeMax, and Fred Meyer stores.

In addition to NOOK devices, Barnes & Noble makes it easy for customers to enjoy any book, anytime, anywhere with its free line of NOOK software, available at www.bn.com/freenookapps. Customers can use Barnes & Noble’s free eReading software to access and read books from their personal Barnes & Noble digital library on devices including iPad(TM), iPhone®, iPod touch®, Android(TM) smartphones and tablets BlackBerry®, PC, and Mac®. Lifetime Library(TM) helps ensure that Barnes & Noble customers will always be able to access their digital libraries on NOOK products and software-enabled devices and BN.com. Barnes & Noble also offers NOOK Study(TM) (www.nookstudy.com), an innovative study platform and software solution for higher education, NOOK Kids(TM) (www.nookkids.com), a collection of digital picture and chapter books for children, and NOOK Books en español(TM) (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooksenespanol), the first-ever Spanish language digital bookstore in the United States.

For more information on NOOK devices and eReading software, updates, new NOOK Book releases, Free Friday(TM) NOOK Books and more, follow us on www.twitter.com/ebooksbn and www.facebook.com/nookbn.

ABOUT BARNES & NOBLE, INC.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the world’s largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 705 bookstores in 50 states. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, also operates 636 college bookstores serving nearly 4.6 million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com), one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites, which also features more than two million titles in its NOOK Bookstore(TM) (www.bn.com/ebooks). Through Barnes & Noble’s NOOK(TM) eReading product offering, customers can buy and read eBooks on the widest range of platforms, including NOOK reading products, devices from partner companies, and hundreds of the most popular mobile and computing devices using free NOOK software. General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

The All-New NOOK(TM), The Simple Touch Reader(TM), NOOK(TM), NOOK 1st Edition(TM), NOOK 1st Edition Wi-Fi(TM), NOOK Color(TM), Reader’s Tablet(TM), Fast Page(TM), NOOK Books(TM), NOOK Bookstore(TM), NOOK Newsstand(TM), NOOK Magazines(TM), NOOK Newspapers(TM), NOOK Apps(TM), PubIt!(TM), NOOK Kids(TM), Read In Store(TM), More In Store(TM), NOOK Friends(TM), LendMe®, NOOK Library(TM), NOOK Boutiques(TM), The Barnes & Noble Promise(TM), NOOK Books en español(TM), NOOK Study(TM), Free Friday(TM), Lifetime Library(TM) and Read What You Love. Anywhere You Like(TM) are trademarks of Barnes & Noble, Inc. Other trademarks referenced in this release are the property of their respective owners.

Follow Barnes & Noble on Twitter (www.bn.com/twitter), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/barnesandnoble) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/bnstudio).

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CONTACTS:
Mary Ellen Keating
Corporate Communications
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3323
mkeating@bn.com

Carolyn J. Brown
Corporate Communications
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-4062
cbrown@bn.com