Barnes & Noble Bankruptcy Index: No news this week (Only plans for Android Apps on Nook..)

Nothing important happened this week and this week our B&N bankruptcy index is showing no change. Just a short reminder - As Borders filed for bankruptcy, we look at Barnes & Noble, the nation's largest book chain to see if they will follow Borders and also go into bankruptcy and if so, when exactly.

To do it more analytically we launched few weeks ago a new B&N Bankruptcy Index, which is based on 10 parameters, which receive a grade between 1-10 (1 - worst grade, 10 - best grade). Hence we receive a 0-100 point index scale, which we divide into several ranges as follows:

90-100: B&N is in an excellent shape. Couldn't be better!
80-89: B&N is doing great. Bankruptcy is no longer a real threat.
70-79: B&N could do better and has to be cautious of bankruptcy.
60-69: B&N doesn't look too good and bankruptcy is becoming a more realistic threat.
50-59: Bankruptcy is a clear and present danger.
49 and less: Red alert! Bankruptcy is just around the corner and is likely to happen within a short time frame.

We will check the B&N Bankruptcy Index every Thursday, updating each one of the parameters included in the index and will analyze the trend. You can follow the weekly changes in the index from the day it was launched on the Barnes and Noble Bankruptcy Index page on our website.

So here's our update for this week (in brackets is last week's grade):

1. Confidence of the stock market in B&N
This parameter will look at the performance of the B&N stock (symbol: BKS) in the last week. The performance of B&N's stock is an indication of the confidence the market has in the ability of B&N to maintain a viable business.

So let's look at last week's figures:

3/30: $9.75
4/6: $9.58
Change: -1.77%

As you can see, B&N's stock fell slightly down last week (-1.8%). Just for comparison, Amazon went up 1.8% last week and the S&P500 Index also gained 0.55%.

It doesn't look like anything significant happened this week on the stock market and therefore this week's grade for this parameter stays the same: 4.5 (4.5)

2. What analysts say on B&N

We didn't find any references this week (I told you it was a quiet week..) and therefore our grade stays the same: 5.5 (5.5)

3. New strategy to regain sales in the brick and mortar stores
Just like Borders, B&N still doesn't have yet a clear and comprehensive strategy that will transform their brick and mortar stores from a liability back to an asset. Nothing happened this week, but I want to take this opportunity and mention the article I published this week on Triple Pundit, offering B&N to consider a green strategy for its stores. This week's grade stays the same: 4 (4)

4. What B&N is saying about itself
No updates here. This week's grade for this parameter stays the same: 6 (6)

5. Steps B&N is taking
Nothing happened this week (only few development on the digital front, which you can find more details on under parameter 8 - the strength of the digital business). This week's grade stays the same: 6 (6)

6. Competitors
This parameter will mainly look into Borders and how its problems affect B&N. This week Borders, according to the NYT, "presented a restructuring plan to its creditors on Wednesday that promised publishers and landlords a sleeker, more efficient company poised to emerge successfully from bankruptcy through increased online sales and revamped stores." Publishers, according to the article, "characterized the plan as unrealistic and said they were more convinced than ever that Borders would be forced to sell itself or liquidate." Good or bad news for B&N? We'll see about it. In the meantime, our grade stays the same: 5 (5)

7. Financial strength
Couple of weeks ago Barnes & Noble published the results for the third quarter. We don't have any updates for this week and our grade stays the same: 7 (7)

8. Strength of the digital business
This was the most active part in B&N this week - AllThingsD reported earlier today that "Barnes & Noble Moves Forward With Plans To Allow Android Apps on Nook", explainning that "The company released new tools for those looking to create apps for the e-reader and said it plans to offer developers 70 percent of revenue generated through its store, with Barnes & Noble getting the remaining 30 percent. Free apps will also be allowed, as well as the ability for developers to offer trial versions of their programs." CrunchGear reported that "Barnes & Noble just announced that they’re opening their Nook platform to developers and will now begin accepting apps."

Also, TechCrunch reported that "a week after Amazon Kindle New York Times subscribers received word that their subscriptions granted them free access to the paper’s website, Barnes & Noble Nook subscribers will also soon be able to access NYTimes.com for free."

This week's grade stays the same: 8 (8)

9. Sense of urgency
It looks like B&N still think they have time and are not worried at all, or at least not worried enough to begin doing something with their brick and mortar stores (again, we don't believe more toys in the stores and extra room for the Nook is a winning strategy). If we can learn something from the Borders' case, it's how fast things go bad when your reach a certain tipping point of financial distress or distrust of your stakeholders (consumers or publishers for example). This week's grade stays the same: 5.5 (5.5)

10. General feeling
This parameter will be an indication of our impression of all the materials read and analyzed for this index. Our feeling that things are still not looking too good for B&N hasn't changed this week and this parameter's grade stays the same: 5.5 (5.5)

This week's Barnes & Noble Bankruptcy Index: 57 points (57)

As you can see, this week's index is set at 57 points, which means B&N is getting deeper into the 50-59 zone: Bankruptcy is a clear and present danger. It's still not the red zone but it means that bankruptcy is getting closer and is becoming a real threat to B&N. See you next Thursday.

To view the weekly changes in the index visit Barnes and Noble Bankruptcy Index on our website.

You can find more resources on the future of bookstores on our website at www.ecolibris.net/bookstores_future.asp

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Working to green the book industry!

Earth Day 2011 Campaign - 41 Reasons to Plant a Tree for Your Book: Reason no. 26

We continue with our Earth Day campaign - 41 Reasons to Plant a Tree for Your Book, where we share with you 41 reasons provided by readers in celebration of the upcoming 41st anniversary of Earth Day!

With more than 180,000 trees planted so far on behalf of readers, authors and publishers working with Eco-Libris, it's no surprise that we think planting trees to green up books is a great idea.. But we also want to hear what readers think about it and why they believe planting trees for their books is a good idea.

So for 41 days until Earth Day, we publish here the 41 best replies we receive, one reply a day. All replies are gathered and presented on the Earth Day 2011 page.

Reason no. 26:
Planting trees helps the environment. It helps offset the damage we have caused to our planet. If we don't take care of our plants and wildlife, movies like "Wall-e" and "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" will become a reality for our great great great grandchildren. I care to plant trees so that future generations don't have to wonder "What's a hummingbird look like? Were butterflies really colorful?Was the sky really blue? - Susy O'Rourke, Barefoot Books Ambassador

Thank you Susy for sharing with us your thoughts on planting trees for your books!

Susy, just like all the other readers whose replies we'll publish, is winning one of the great 41 prizes we give away on this campaign, courtesy of our partners. Winners can choose their prize from a great list of gifts including audiobooks from Simon & Schuster Audio (such as The Half Life by Jennifer Weiner, Left Neglected by Lisa Genova and Essence of Happiness by the Dalai Lama) and great books, like Planet Home by Jeffrey Hollender, Spit That Out! by Paige Wolf and The Healthy Home by Dave Wentz and Dr. Myron Wentz. You can see the full list of the prizes on the campaign's page.

Every day we'll give further details on one of the prizes. Today we present you with the book Greening Your Small Business: How to Improve Your Bottom Line, Grow Your Brand, Satisfy Your Customers - and Save the Planet by Jennifer Kaplan.

Greening Your Small Business: How to Improve Your Bottom Line, Grow Your Brand, Satisfy Your Customers - and Save the Planet by Jennifer Kaplan - The ultimate resource for small business owners who want to go green without going broke.

Greening Your Small Business is the definitive resource for those who want their small businesses to be cutting- edge, competitive, profitable, and eco-conscious. Filled with stories from small business owners of all stripes, Greening Your Small Business addresses every aspect of going green, from basics such as recycling, reducing waste, energy efficiency, and reducing the IT footprint, to more in-depth concerns such as green marketing and communications, green business travel, and green employee benefits.

For companies too small to hire consultants to draft and implement green policies and practices, this guide is designed for easy use, featuring:

• Simple ways to make the workplace greener
• Two plans of action for going green (divided into two levels)
• Definitions for green terminology and jargon

We still have some spots available so please send us your reply to info@ecolibris.net. We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Our weekly list of 10 recommended green ebooks - Naked Idealism and 9 more great green ebooks!

We're late in one day (that what happens when you go to a BIEC meeting..), but our weekly update of 10 recommendations on green ebooks is right here!

Just a reminder - Each week we present you here with list of 10 recommended e-books on a variety of green issues - from climate change and conservation to sustainable living and green marketing. Most of these green ebooks are new and were either released in the last month or two or about to be released (but already available as ebooks).

The links of these ebooks are to Amazon.com and I apologize in advance to all the Nook, iPad, Kobo and Sony Reader owners. I hope you can easily find an ebook you'll like on other ebookstores. This is also the place to disclose that we're taking part in Amazon's affiliate program and therefore will receive a small percentage of every purchase made using these links. We hope you don't mind! You can find all the lists published so far on our recommended green ebooks webpage.

Without further ado, here's this week's list of 10 recommended green e-books:

1. Naked Idealism by Dave Wheitner - Divergent Drummer Publications (March 23, 2011)

2. Surviving the Apocalypse in the Suburbs: The Thrivalist's Guide to Life Without Oil by Wendy Brown - New Society Publishers (April 1, 2011)

3. Planning a Green and Ethical Wedding by Denise Duffield-Thomas - Amazon Digital Services (March 27, 2011)

4. Green Facilities : Industrial and Commercial LEED Certification (GreenSource) by Greg Winkler - McGraw-Hill Professional (March 25, 2011)

5. Hybrid Organizations by Brewster Boyd, Nina Henning, Emily Reyna, Daniel E. Wang and Matthew D. Welch- Greenleaf Publishing (March 7, 2011)

6. The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook: How to Start, Build, and Run a Business That Improves the World by Rupert Scofield - McGraw-Hill (April 25, 2011)

7. The Age of Responsibility: CSR 2.0 and the New DNA of Business by Wane Visser - Wiley (March 8, 2011)

8. How to be a Social Entrepreneur: Make Money and Change the World by Robert Ashton - Capstone (March 23, 2011)

9. The Virtuous Consumer by Leslie Garrett - New World Library (February 16, 2011)

10. Leading Change toward Sustainability by Bob Doppelt - Greenleaf Publishing(March 7, 2011)

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!