Barnes & Noble, in a move to increase sales of its Nook devices, will offer deep discounts on them to customers who also buy subscriptions to the Nook editions of People magazine or The New York Times, the retailer is expected to announce on Monday.
The promotion, which will run through March 9, is also intended to have readers associate Nook devices not just with e-books, but with magazines and newspapers as well. Publishers of magazines, especially titles aimed at women, say that they have sold a surprisingly high number of subscriptions for magazines available on the Nook Color.
The Nook edition of People is $9.99 a month; with a one-year subscription, customers will receive a Nook Tablet, a color device with a 7-inch display, for $199, a discount from its regular price of $249. Customers who buy a one-year subscription for the Nook edition of The New York Times for $19.99 a month, which includes access to NYTimes.com, will receive a black-and-white Nook Simple Touch free or a Nook Color for $99.
“We’re continuing to make it easier than ever for customers to get more out of their Nook device and are excited to offer our most popular content and leading devices at an amazing value,” Jonathan Shar, vice president and general manager of digital newsstand at Barnes & Noble, said in a statement.
The announcement comes as Barnes & Noble is reviewing its Nook business strategy. Last week, the company said it was considering spinning off its Nook division. It also announced that it had sold fewer of its black-and-white Nooks than previously forecast, but has exceeded expectations for sales of its color tablets.