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As a result of a number of innovative strategies that Barnes & Noble has put in place, the book retailer's online sales have jumped 9% during Q2 fiscal 2010, from roughly $110 million last year to $120 million.

Most significantly, B&N is taking orders for the Nook, its new wireless e-reader. Nook gives customers 3G wireless access to AT&T’s mobile broadband network and Barnes & Noble in-store WiFi at no additional cost. In addition, Nook features a color touchscreen with EInk display, digital book lending and bookmarking capabilities, and the ability to transfer documents between Nook and other digital devices.

Children's Initiative

Barnes & Noble is also building out is online marketing efforts aimed at children. Most notably, it is expanding its website to include an array of titles recommended for young people on bestselling author James Patterson's website, ReadKiddoRead.com.

Overall, Barnes & Noble reported a positive impact from its year-long focus on online retailing and its August 2009 purchase of privately-held Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, Inc., writes RetailerDaily.com.

For the quarter, B&N reported total sales of $1.16 billion, a 4% increase from the same period in 2008. B&N also reported a $23.95 million net loss, a 30% increase over its $18.42 million net loss a year prior. Same store sales fell 3.2% and B&N store sales declined 2%, from roughly $970 million to $950 million.