Fictionwise
| Company type | Private (before acquisition) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electronic book retail |
| Founded | June 5, 2000 |
| Founder | J. Stephen Pendergrast, Mindwise Media, LLC |
| Fate | Acquired by Barnes & Noble in 2009; wound down operations in 2012 |
| Successor | Barnes & Noble (NOOK) |
Area served | North America |
| Products | eBooks (various formats including ePub, eReader, Mobipocket) |
| Parent | Barnes & Noble (from 2009) |
Fictionwise, which was purchased by Barnes & Noble in 2009, ranked among the top electronic book retailers in North America, having sold close to 1.5 million ebook copies in 2008. The company provided a selection of ebooks both with and without DRM protection, supporting various formats such as ePub, eReader, and Mobipocket. These were compatible across multiple platforms including personal computers, dedicated eBook readers, PDAs, and smartphones.
In November 2012, almost four years after its acquisition, Fictionwise declared it would be "winding down its business operations".
History
Fictionwise.com began operations on June 5, 2000, as a joint venture between J. Stephen Pendergrast and Mindwise Media, LLC, an enterprise owned by his brother R. Scott Pendergrast. Due to its rapid growth, the business separated from Mindwise Media to become an independent entity by October 2000.
On January 1, 2008, Fictionwise expanded by purchasing the eReader division from Motricity, Inc. The eReader product originated as Peanut Press in 1998 and was subsequently rebranded as Palm Reader under Palm Digital Media. This strategic acquisition nearly doubled Fictionwise’s revenue stream.
Post-acquisition efforts included broadening eReader platform compatibility to encompass newer versions of Symbian, updated releases of Mac OS X, and Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch devices. Fictionwise also made "Pro" editions of the eReader software available at no cost and introduced the first mobile-optimized commerce site at eReader.com. In December 2008, Fictionwise licensed the eReader format to Lexcycle for integration into the Stanza ebook reader on iPhone devices. Further licensing arrangements led to a BlackBerry beta launch in March 2009 and ongoing development of an Android version.
On March 5, 2009, Barnes & Noble acquired Fictionwise for $15.7 million in cash plus potential earn-out payments, incorporating it into their digital content strategy alongside the rollout of their own e-Bookstore.
In March 2010, Fictionwise ended its "Buywise Club," which had previously offered ebooks at discounted rates through membership subscriptions.
By November 15, 2012, it was announced that Fictionwise would cease operations on December 4. Customers in the United States lost download access by December 21, while international users retained access until January 31, 2013. Users based in the US and UK were provided with options to transfer their accounts—including purchased ebook libraries—to Barnes & Noble's NOOK ecosystem.
See also
- Comparison of e-book formats: summary of different electronic book formats