Citing the growth in popularity of the EPub format and a decline in demand for other e-book formats, Barnes & Noble is shutting down its Fictionwise.com e-book retailing site and its affiliated sites effective December 4. Originally founded by Scott and Stephen Pendergast in 2001, the former independent e-book retailer was sold to B&N in 2009.
B&N is shutting down Fictionwise.com as well as its affiliated sites, Reader.com and eBookwise.com. A pioneering e-book retailer, Fictionwise.com offered e-books in a wide variety of formats including Mobipocket, Palm OS, MSReader, eReaderPro and others. In a FAQ page on the Fictionwise site, the company cites a decline in demand for other e-book formats and rise in demand for EPub, the e-book standard developed by the IDPF and offered through Fictionwise’s parent company Barnes & Noble.
The Fictionwise FAQ provides information for consumers about how to download any e-books still in their accounts.
