In another step towards bundling print and digital books together, Barnes & Noble has created B&N Sync Up, a program that will allow customers to buy selected paperbacks and receive the digital edition for $4.99.
B&N Sync Up is running only through the holiday period and will feature a limited number of paperbacks, including Doctor Sleep by Stephen King, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, Outlander by Diana Abandon, and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. In total, 72 titles will be available for bundling.
The retailer will place the program's titles in floor displays, identified with with a B&N Sync Up banner, in all of its trade stores. After selecting a book, customers bring it to the register and, there, a bookseller will activate the Nook Book offer. Once the offer is activated, a unique access code will be printed on the customer’s store receipt. Customers can also choose to have the code printed on a gift receipt, or emailed to them. According to Kashif Zafar, v-p U.S. eBooks at Nook Media, the company "looks forward to supporting similar bundling programs in the future.”
The e-book version can be read on any Nook device, as well as on smartphones and tablets via the free Nook Reading App.
Commenting on the program, Jaime Carey, chief merchandising officer at Barnes & Noble, said: “We are committed to helping our customers discover great reads in all formats, and we believe they will appreciate the value, convenience and gift-giving opportunities our B&N Sync Up program provides, as we head into the busy holiday shopping season.”
