Barnes & Noble took another step into publishing with the announcement last week that SparkNotes, a series of online study guides, will soon be released in print.
The list will launch at BookExpo America this week and will bring its total to 150 titles by the summer. Many of its titles are annotated synopses of literary classics, while some are guides to academic subjects. There are currently 700 guides available online. The books will be distributed to the trade by Sterling Publishing. Editorial will continue to be handled by SparkNotes, a wholly owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble.
Founded by several Harvard students during the dot-com frenzy, Spark has thus far made its guides available on Sparknotes.com, and via Barnesandnoble.com. A spokesperson for Spark said the company was not worried about other booksellers' balking at supporting a competitor, saying that "the printed study guides are in response to market demand," and stores will stock them to fill this demand. She added that with bookstore distribution, SparkNotes is hoping to appeal not just to students but to adults looking to fine-tune their understanding of the classics and other subjects. The books will retail for $4.95, the same price as many CliffsNotes editions, and will be displayed with competing study guides.
