Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s
largest bookseller, announced today that it has launched Quamut.com, a
new how-to website. In an age where people can go online and look up how
to do just about anything, authored by just about anyone, consumers are
often faced with inaccurate, poorly presented information surrounded by
ads virtually indistinguishable from content and from sources they are
not sure they can trust. But now, Quamut.com (www.quamut.com)
introduces how-to guides that offer credible information in a concise,
user-friendly format.
Quamut (derived from Latin for how-to and pronounced kwómut)
guides are commissioned by Quamut editors, written by experts,
fact-checked, copy edited, enhanced with illustrations and photographs,
and produced in an easy-to-read format for free viewing online at www.quamut.com.
Covering topics from podcasting to Pilates, and estate planning to
embroidery, Quamut’s website currently covers
more than 1,000 topics, adding hundreds of new titles each month.
"Quamut.com positions Barnes & Noble as a
leader in digital how-to publishing,” said Dan
Weiss, publisher and managing director of Quamut.com. "We
simultaneously publish everything in two formats, to the web as both
HTML content and as downloadable PDFs. And in some cases, we actually
publish in three formats, adding a four-to-six page laminated printed
chart available at Barnes & Noble stores and Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com).”
The business is supported through three revenue streams: advertising
through display ads and Google AdSense, the sale of full-color PDFs, and
the sale of laminated printed charts.
"The advertising-driven business model allows
us to give content away for free online,”
added Weiss. "The free aspect combined with
the diverse breadth of information available at Quamut.com, creates a
place people will visit time and time again, and in turn we feel the
site will be very enticing to advertisers.”
Quamuts are classified under five categories:
House & Home: For those overwhelmed by buying a home or
planning a wedding, or for people who just want to know how to make a
good martini, Quamut.com offers easy-to-follow advice on projects big
or small.
Hobbies & Leisure: Quamut helps consumers enjoy
their free time, with at-a-glance expertise on topics such as playing
Texas Hold ’em, chess, making jewelry,
quilting, sewing, brewing beer, biking, and reading music.
Money & Business: Helping consumers take control of their
careers and finances, Quamut offers concise and expert corner-office
know-how on 401(k)s and IRAs, business writing, and estate planning,
to name a few.
Computers & Technology: Whether it’s
podcasting, buying a digital camera, or Microsoft Office shortcuts,
Quamut shows people how to make the most of technologies they already
use, or would like to use.
Mind & Body: To achieve balance without expensive
coaches and classes, Quamut offers clear, authoritative information on
diet, exercise, weight training, quitting smoking, and more.
While Quamut.com’s foundation consists of
professionally produced content, Q-Wiki (wiki.quamut.com),
a Quamut sister site, enables individuals from the community to make
contributions to the content through a wiki platform.
"Since we don’t
need to fill up entire books on each subject, our guides can cover
everything from narrowly focused topics such as how to fix a leaky
faucet, to broad subjects like how to play the piano,”
said Ben Florman, co-founder of Quamut.com. "And
because we are essentially a digital publisher, we can publish to the
web quickly, as shown by our latest guide on home theater systems.” ABOUT BARNES & NOBLE, INC.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS),
the world’s largest bookseller and a Fortune
500 company, operates 798 bookstores in 50 states. For the fourth year
in a row, the company is the nation’s top
bookseller brand, as determined by a brand’s
overall strength based on its combination of familiarity, quality and
purchase intent, according to the EquiTrend®
Brand Study by Harris Interactive®. Barnes &
Noble conducts its online business through Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com),
one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites.
General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the
Internet by visiting the company’s corporate
website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.
ABOUT QUAMUT.COM
Published by Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s
largest bookseller, Quamut.com offers expert-driven, how-to information
on over 1,000 topics that fall under the categories of House & Home,
Hobbies & Leisure, Money & Business, Computers & Technology, and Mind &
Body. Quamut guides are commissioned by Quamut editors, written by
experts, fact-checked, copy edited, enhanced by illustrations and
photographs, and produced in an easy-to-read format. Quamuts are
available free online, for sale in chart form online (PDF) for $2.95 and
in laminated printed format at Barnes & Noble retailers for $5.95. To
learn more about Quamut, please visit www.quamut.com.
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