If Amazon (AMZN) was comfortable with its spot atop the e-reader market, it just got a wakeup call from Barnes & Noble (BKS). The brick-and-mortar book retailer's e-reader, the Nook, which hasn't even hit stores yet, is in pre-order nirvana right now. The first run for the Nook occurred at the end of October (the product was introduced on October 20). These buyers were told the reader would ship on November 30. High demand resulted in backorders, so the next wave of pre-orders was scheduled to ship on December 7. Now, a third group will have to wait until December 11.

This product is on fire, and it still isn't even on shelves yet.

Mary Ellen Keating, a spokeswoman for Barnes & Noble wouldn't reveal how many of these devices have been pre-ordered, but she did say, "Demand for the product in our stores and online has surpassed our expectations." She also noted, "We are working hard to meet demand for the holidays."

For retailers, the crucial season is on its way. Blow the Christmas rush, and next year starts off on a miserable foot. Success, of course, also delivers a healthy dose of momentum -- and a little bit of wiggle room, important in what will continue to be a tough economy through at least the first half of next year. For booksellers, now contending with a new variable in the form of digital readers, e-readers will play a major role in defining the winners and losers. So far, it looks like Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is off to a great start, and it will take some genuine innovation for the competition to chip away at its market share.

Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS), once the leading names in literary retail, is expected to release its own e-reader this week. It will look a bit like Amazon's Kindle, according to Reuters, but with a touch screen intended to make the reader's experience easier. The price hasn't been disclosed yet, but rumor has it that it'll be higher than the Kindle's $259. BKS is staying mum on its plans in this space. There are others in the space, as well, including IREX Technologies, which is a spinoff of Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG), Asutek (tk: tk) and a project called FirstPaper that has Hearst behind it.

Book seller Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS) pulled a rabbit out of its own hat and posted diluted EPS of $0.26 in 2Q 2007 last week. But there is always a catch. $0.12 of those earnings derived from a tax benefit and $0.03 derived from lower than expected costs related to closing a huge distribution warehouse. Net earnings for the quarter were just over $18 million or $0.12 per share. Total sales increased 7.6% to $1.2 billion. In-store sales were up 4.4% while online sales were up 18%. Enjoy these increases while they last. Almost all of the good news is a result of the release of the last Harry Potter installment. Barnes & Noble sold just over 2 million copies of the title as of early August. Without Harry Potter, sales increased barely 1%.

Bricks and mortar book stores are a mature business. Possibilities for growth are very hard to come by. CEO Steve Riggio admits as much even while trying to sound upbeat about 3Q releases planned by former President Clinton, former Fed Chair Greenspan and musician Eric Clapton. No offense to these gentlemen, but Harry Potter they ain't. 3Q store sales are forecast to be flat with a loss per share of $0.06-$0.10. Barnes & Noble also posted losses in 1Q, so an increase in FY guidance to $1.69-$1.87 from $1.49-$1.67 is puzzling. Perhaps management is expecting a huge 4Q surge in book buying for the December holidays. Guess they missed the recent report stating 25% of adults surveyed in the U.S. read ZERO books the previous year.

The company is still buying back its shares, adding 500,000 repurchased shares in 2Q to the 750,000 shares repurchased in 1Q. Barnes & Noble has budgeted $400 million for stock buy backs. The stock is surprisingly volatile. It began the year trading at $40.29, hit $42.88 in May, but closed at $35.80 on 27 August. By all means, shop at Barnes & Noble, but spend investment dollars elsewhere.