Barnes & Noble Acquires Fictionwise as Part of a Move into E-books

Barnes & Noble has acquired Fictionwise, a well-establish e-book retailer. This purchase is a clear move to counter Amazon.com's growing influence over the e-book market.

Fictionwise was founded in 2000 by Steve and Scott Pendergrast, who will continue to operate the business as a separate unit. Barnes & Noble said it plans to use Fictionwise as part of its overall digital strategy, which includes the launch of an e-bookstore later this year.

Barnes & Noble versus Amazon.com
For years, e-books appealed to a small niche audience, but Amazon.com has been working hard to change that. It's Kindle e-book reader has enjoyed modest success, and there was much hoopla surrounding the recently release of the second generation, the Kindle 2.

Amazon.com made headline again this week when it introduced Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch, which allows Apple smartphone and handheld computer to read e-books created for the Kindle. 

With these moves, the Kindle format is rapidly becoming the default standard for digital books, but Barnes & Noble's purchase of Fictionwise shows it is interested in throwing its hat into the ring.

Source: Barnes & Noble