Barnes & Noble’s Nook Press is targeting the UK for a much needed boost to its ebook business by linking up with UK trade publishing magazine The Bookseller for a New Preview Section for self-published authors in the UK.
It will sponsor an Independent Author Preview section in The Bookseller and exclusively provide self-published titles for previews starting in October until April next year. Each month, The Bookseller will pick about 10 Nook Press titles to feature on the new section.
To get the opportunity to be featured, authors just have to be published on Nook Press or sign up and publish their works. This means authors could benefit from non-Nook buyers, as Nook has fairly low take-up in the UK, where Amazon has the leading position with Apple probably second, and Kobo having a toehold with its hardware sales link-up with WH Smith.
An author with books published on Amazon who isn’t concerned about Amazon exclusivity on KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited could publish with Nook and put their books forward for review. Readers could then read the review and buy the book for their Kindle.
Nook does already run some decent promotions on its website for self-published authors. It will be good if they can extend that promotional support beyond the main best-sellers.
It will also be interesting to see what The Bookseller’s readers make of the move, as they are traditionally bookstores and publishers. Nook is an ebook-only concern, so there won’t be any print books for the bookshops to sell.
Publishers Weekly in the US has been running reviews of self-published books for some time and has a monthly supplement called Select which focuses on the self-publishing sector.
The Bookseller editor Philip Jones says, “Our goal with this new section is to discover the best new books published independently and made available to customers in the UK and we’re thrilled to have partnered with Nook Press, one of the leading self-publishing platforms, to exclusively deliver this content.
“This is a new spin on what we have been doing for more than 100 years and recognizes that some of the best new writing now comes through non-traditional channels. The Bookseller’s job remains the same, however, to shout about these books and bring them to the attention of our audiences.”
Colin Eustace, General Manager, Barnes & Noble, says, “We are constantly looking at new ways to help Nook Press authors get the exposure they deserve. This new partnership will give our self-published authors a new outlet to showcase their work, while giving Nook customers another resource to discover their next great read.
“We also encourage self-published authors who are not yet on our platform to sign up to be considered for this opportunity and discover all the great promotions available to Nook Press authors.”
Authors included in the Independent Previews section may also be promoted through The Bookseller’s sister consumer books’ magazine, We Love This Book.
Nook says it will help promote titles featured in the Independent Author Previews through unique merchandising opportunities such as Nook First and Nook Press Presents, as well as customer emails and social media.
In another UK initiative, Nook is involved in a multi-platform partnership to raise literact rates in London schools. It includes sponsorship of the Best Play award at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards and support for the London Evening Standard Get London Reading campaign.
The joint campaign will include a free ebook offer and co-branded promotions, alongside display advertising campaigns across the Evening Standard’s print and digital platforms.