Barnes & Noble’s first forays into the publishing business back in the ’40s (when it put out a series of college study guides) and in 1991 (when Len Riggio started publishing under the B&N name) came to pass with little outcry from the industry. As publishers expanded their markets to include non-traditional outlets, Riggio’s response was to add more stores, more square footage, and more publishing. In 2001, it acquired SparkNotes, then Sterling the next year, and launched B&N Classics in 2003. When it began selling SparkNotes exclusively at its stores in 2004, questions of monopolizing certain categories arose from other publishers and retailers.
But no alarms have sounded for its latest sortie, Quamut. The lack of outcry from the publishing industry could be because Quamut (which means “how to do it” in Latin) comes in peace, and with the potential to help other publishers make money too. It doesn’t threaten to displace a brand (i.e. CliffsNotes with SparkNotes) or usurp a category (i.e. Sterling and the how-to market). Rather Quamut marries the best of both, and online to boot.
With nary a press releasee, Barnes & Noble recently rolled out the ad-sponsored website that gives away free how-to articles which can be downloaded as a PDF ($2.95) or purchased as a six-page laminated chart at a B&N store ($5.95). The “lifestyle charts” cover five categories from House & Home to Money & Business. Currently, B&N sells 102 of the 1000+ charts at stores. Dan Weiss, President of Quamut, reports they’re “flying off the shelves.”
Though much of the content comes from outside sources at this point, either from freelancers or a few select publishers, the rest comes from the vast storehouse Quamut has at its disposal through Sterling, Spark, and B&N Publishing. Weiss estimates the breakdown to be about 60/40 and, as Quamut grows, it’s likely re-purposed content will fill the majority of the charts.
Essentially, B&N has come up with an enviable model of synergy, monetizing every step in the customer’s experience of Quamut through online ad revenue, selling books and charts published in-house, or selling books from another publisher. Take “How to Make a Mosaic Frame.” The 222 word step-by-step tutorial online comes from Lark Books, a Sterling imprint. On the lower left side of the web page sits a column with links to buy related books from B&N, natch, all of which incidentally are published by Lark or Sterling. Google ads run along the other side of the page.
Even if the customer buys nothing at Quamut.com, B&N wins. Other publishers could benefit too if Quamut decides to expand its publisher partnerships when the official launch comes this Spring. Above all, Weiss says that “very high quality content from a trusted source is most important.” For those who trust fellow consumers most, there’s Q-Wiki, a user-generated component.
