William Lynch
CEO, Barnes and Noble
When people think about e-books, they often think of Amazon. But it is Barnes and Noble, once the looming goliath to local book stores, that many publishers not-so-secretly hope will succeed. In recent years, it has struggled mightily, closing more than 100 stores and seeing its stock price languish. But it managed to build a game changer in its Nook. Microsoft is investing $300 million with Barnes & Noble for a 17.6% stake in its digital e-book reader. Microsoft's investment values the overall Nook business at $1.7 billion, which is more than twice the $792 million recent market value for all of Barnes & Noble.
