Bookseller Barnes & Noble, Inc. (BKS) has been hoping to find a potential buyer, but it appears as though its search will end with no buyer.

The book seller has been searching for months for a potential buyer, and the search will likely continue for a couple more weeks, but people close to the bidding process have stated that it looks unlikely that the company will be able to find a buyer.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble Struggles to Find a Buyer

Barnes & Noble Struggles to Find a Buyer originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Short City Update: McGraw-Hill

Short City Update: McGraw-Hill originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shares of bookseller Barnes & Noble (BKS) traded sharply lower in the opening minutes of the trading session after the company reported disappointing second quarter results.

Going into this morning's earnings report, analysts had expected a loss of 8 cents per share for the quarter. BKS reported a much worse loss of 22 cents per share.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble Loss Wider Than Expected, Shares Drop

Barnes & Noble Loss Wider Than Expected, Shares Drop originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When there's uncertainty to a thesis, I'm not inclined to buy. That might seem obvious on the surface, but I know there are a lot of individual speculators out there who would disagree with me. Take a roll of the dice, they might say. Uncertainty can lead to huge gains, they might counter. Well, it depends on the situation, I suppose. In the case of Barnes & Noble, Inc. (BKS), I think I'll take my chances elsewhere.

At the time of this writing, shares of the bookseller were off by more than 4% in the afternoon session, coming in at $14.36. Volume wasn't yet above average, however.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble: Too Speculative For Me

Barnes & Noble: Too Speculative For Me originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Friday morning, a Parisian court convicted Google (GOOG) in a copyright infringement case surrounding the online publication of French books. The French judge ruled that Google has to pay roughly $430,000 in damages and interest to French publishing house La Martiniere.

In addition, Google was ordered to pay 10,000 euro per day until the French books are taken down from the online database. This decision is notable because publishers and libraries in both the U.S. and Europe have criticized Google for its decision to scan millions of books and make them available online.

Continue reading Google Convicted of Copyright Infringement in France

Google Convicted of Copyright Infringement in France originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Santa hasn't even been tugged down Central Park West yet, and Wal-Mart (WMT) is already slashing its prices. The market among major retailers is intensifying, with many offering products as loss leaders in order to entice customers into the store (physical or otherwise) and boost their basket sizes. Along with Target (TGT) and Amazon (AMZN), Walmart is slashing DVD prices, the same tactic it's using with books.

Retailers are rushing to undercut each other this year, which is causing prices to spiral down quickly. When Walmart announced reduced prices on several titles to $10, Amazon followed at $9.99, with Walmart stepping back in at $9.98.

Continue reading Walmart, Amazon now slash DVD prices: What's next?

Walmart, Amazon now slash DVD prices: What's next? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the publisher of the Harry Potter books, issued its first-quarter numbers on Thursday. Although things do seem to be improving, I can't say I was wholly enchanted by the data.

Net sales from continuing operations rose 14%. Okay, that's a good start. Double-digit rises are always respectable. But then we get to the bottom line. Scholastic, which is a related business to McGraw-Hill (NYSE: MHP), lost 68 cents per share from continuing operations. Now, sure, the loss was considerably less severe than the year-ago black ink of $1.13 per share. But I always get nervous when I read about losses. Can't help it.

Continue reading Scholastic's Q1 doesn't cast magic spell -- or does it?

Scholastic's Q1 doesn't cast magic spell -- or does it? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Google buys ReCatpcha to help in faster book scanning

Google buys ReCatpcha to help in faster book scanning originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), a bookseller that competes with Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), and Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE: BGP), issued a Q2 earnings report on Thursday morning that in no way makes me want to invest in the company. As far as I'm concerned, the retailer has a lot of work to do, and I wouldn't want to involve my portfolio with a business that is still trying to find its way.

Barnes & Noble earned 14 cents per share on an adjusted basis. Earnings.com reports an expectation of 10 cents per share. So management went beyond projections. Should shareholders be content with such news and call it a day?

Continue reading Barnes & Noble struggles with comps in the second quarter

Barnes & Noble struggles with comps in the second quarter originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to this news source, Borders delivered adjusted income equal to $1.05 per share. The market was looking for $0.95 per share. Beating by a dime is a pretty wide margin and something to celebrate. If you're a healthy company, that is. Borders is not a healthy company. It's had all kinds of problems. For instance, Zac Bissonnette recently reported on the bookseller's debt problems and how it needed to secure a loan to stay running. Elizabeth Harrow discussed the terrible holiday-selling season and the replacement of the CEO back in January. And there have been workforce reductions.

Continue reading Borders wins the earnings game, but it's still a loser in my book

Borders wins the earnings game, but it's still a loser in my book originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"I want people to understand the environment in which I was making decisions. I want people to get a sense of how decisions were made and I want people to understand the options that were placed before me," he told the Associated Press.

Continue reading Will you be buying George W. Bush's book?

Will you be buying George W. Bush's book? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The publishing industry might be in the toilet, but former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is doing just fine.

The Associated Press reports that the former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has signed a three-book deal with Crown Publishers that guarantees her at least $2.5 million. The first book will be a memoir of her years in the Bush Administration, followed by a book about her family, followed by a young-adult version of her life story.

Continue reading Condoleezza Rice signs a three-book deal

Condoleezza Rice signs a three-book deal originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Long term investments: The (bright) future of publishing

Long term investments: The (bright) future of publishing originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The first authorized sequel to A.A. Milne's beloved Winnie the Pooh series will make its debut this year. David Benedictus's "Return to the Hundred Acre Wood" will be in stores on October 5. Dutton Children's Books is the publisher, and executive Don Weisberg says the book will be a "huge seller for a long, long time."

To its credit, Milne's estate has carefully guarded the character -- they could have easily cashed in for millions years ago by authorizing sequel after sequel. That Mr. Benedictus was finally the one who convinced them would seem to suggest that the book will be quite good.

According to The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), "The troubled book industry, in need of titles that will pull readers into the stores, will get a much-needed jolt" from the title.

I somehow doubt that Winnie will be a big enough hit to provide much relief to booksellers. But he's a hard guy not to root for.

Can Pooh pull publishing out of the crapper? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Are books doomed?

Are books doomed? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

And the bestselling book of 2008 is. . . originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 25 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Borders takes books from HarperStudio with no returns originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of our feature on Money Winners of 2008. See all 20.

They called her Caribou Barbie. Saturday Night Live lampooned her mercilessly during the presidential election. The media elite denounced her as an idiot and a right-wing loony tune. But Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is not going to fade into the snow of the beautiful state she governs. In fact, she is coming to a book store near you.

Media reports indicate that the former vice presidential nominee is expected to earn $7 million to tell her life story to a ghost writer. That's not too shabby considering that former president Bill Clinton got about $11 million for his life story and he actually was the leader of the free world. Barack Obama and his former rival John McCain both have earned big money from their books, so why shouldn't Palin.

There was also some talk during the campaign about a talk show or reality show starring the woman responsible for giving Tina Fey's career a boost -- as if it really needed one -- but that seems to have gone nowhere.

Palin, though, will have the last laugh on her naysayers, including me. During her brief time in the spotlight, Palin transformed herself from an obscure politician to a cultural icon. Along the way, she infuriated many voters and charmed more than a few. The power of Palin's celebrity will entice people who may not agree with her politically to buy her book. Her devoted fans will line up at the bookstores to buy it as well. Palin's tome has the makings of a best-seller.

Continue reading Money winners of 2008: Sarah Palin, coming to a book store near you

Money winners of 2008: Sarah Palin, coming to a book store near you originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 13 Dec 2008 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS), a bookseller that competes with Borders Group (NYSE: BGP), Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), and retailers that stock books such as Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), did not do well during the third quarter. Total sales decreased over 4%. A GAAP loss of $0.34 per share was reported versus a GAAP profit of $0.07 per share in the year-ago period. On an adjusted basis, the loss of $0.21 per share missed the call by $0.05, according to this source.

Okay, is it me, or do these numbers basically broadcast loud and clear that Barnes & Noble is not worth one penny of your investment capital? Besides the above, same-store sales took a big dive of 7.4%. That should be the last nail in the coffin of the current Barnes & Noble story, one that reads like a Stephen King novel. Actually, though, it isn't. Another nail to add would be the fact that guidance has been adjusted lower by management. Now, according to CEO Steve Riggio, gross margins are doing okay. I'll skip that chapter, though, as there isn't much substance to it. Who cares about the gross margin at this point. With traffic down and probably due to get worse, a positive tale of the gross margin isn't going to make me want to buy Barnes & Noble as a value play.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble's Q3: By my read, you should avoid this stock

Barnes & Noble's Q3: By my read, you should avoid this stock originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

So, how will booksellers such as Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS), Borders Group (NYSE: BGP), and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) fare during the holiday season? It's an interesting question, one which is examined in an article at The New York Times. The piece talks about how the current recession seems to be affecting consumers and their desire to buy books. At the beginning of the article, two shoppers are browsing in a bookstore -- one buys, the other doesn't. Both have been affected by the bad economy. What are we to make of this?

I'll give you my take on things. Books, unfortunately, are simply not so glamorous these days. And I do think that booksellers are going to have a hard time this holiday season. With all the competition from video games and other media, the printed page just isn't that exciting to a lot of consumers. I don't think that books will be a top priority as the wallet continues to get squeezed and while job security remains an issue. Our attention spans have been cut so short these days, and they're only getting shorter. In an era of MTV quick-edits and PowerPoint presentations, 100,000-word diversions don't feel so diverting anymore.

Books are probably even less exciting to young people. Seriously, how many kids have books on their Christmas lists this year? They may want the latest Blu-ray cartoon from Disney (NYSE: DIS), or the latest Call of Duty game from Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), but I'm not so sure they want the latest Stephen King novel (as for me, I picked up King's latest short-story collection Just After Sunset at my local Barnes & Noble). Many kids have been introduced to the joys of reading through the Harry Potter series, but I don't think Potter will be working his magic this season. If parents do cut back this year on presents, I figure they're going to err on the side of making sure that all the non-book gifts are acquired.

Is there anything the booksellers can do about this?

Continue reading Booksellers hope people read even during a recession (BKS, AMZN, BGP)

Booksellers hope people read even during a recession (BKS, AMZN, BGP) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.