Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the nation’s largest retail bookseller and the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced that excitement is growing among customers and booksellers at Barnes & Noble stores across the country for the upcoming release of Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. Supported by a unique series of customer events around To Kill a Mockingbird that Barnes & Noble has been running for several months, Go Set a Watchman has been the number one most pre-ordered book online at BN.com and reserved book in stores of any new release yet to publish this year. Now, with less than a week to go before the much-anticipated launch of Go Set a Watchman, Barnes & Noble is inviting customers into its stores on July 13 for a very special all-day Read-A-Thon of To Kill a Mockingbird. Throughout the day, customers are encouraged to visit their local store and celebrate Harper Lee by participating in an all-day Read-A-Thon of her acclaimed classic novel. Those who are interested should contact their local store to sign up to read and to get further details, including what special guest readers will be appearing.

In addition, Barnes & Noble said that all pre-orders of the hardcover edition of Go Set a Watchman (ISBN 9780062409850) placed on BN.com on or before 12 p.m. Eastern Time on July 13 will be delivered July 14, the on-sale date. Restrictions apply.*

Then, on the morning of July 14, Barnes & Noble stores nationwide will open early at 7 a.m. so customers can get their copies of Go Set a Watchman first. Those who visit the Barnes & Noble Café from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. will get a free tall hot coffee with their purchase of Go Set a Watchman. Plus, in every store, the first 20 customers to buy the book will receive a free exclusive To Kill a Mockingbird reusable tote.

“Everyone at Barnes & Noble is excited for the launch of Go Set a Watchman, which we expect to be the number one book when it’s released on July 14 and one of our top-selling books this year and beyond,” said Mary Amicucci, Vice President, Adult Trade and Children’s Books at Barnes & Noble. “There’s a built-in audience for Go Set a Watchman because To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most widely read backlist books we have, with sales doubling at Barnes & Noble this year alone. Generations of adults and teens have shared Scout’s story, and with Go Set a Watchman, they can revisit many of their favorite characters from To Kill a Mockingbird again.”

Sessalee Hensley, Book Buyer at Barnes & Noble, added: “This is the most exciting publishing event in my 40 years of bookselling – I never thought there was a chance of there being anything else from Harper Lee. Scout is one of the most enduring characters in 20th century literature, curious and honest to the core, and I can't wait to see how she has grown into a young woman.”

To Kill a Mockingbird at Barnes & Noble

  • To Kill a Mockingbird is consistently one of Barnes & Noble’s top summer reading books every year.
  • After the announcement of Go Set a Watchmen, the book immediately hit no. 1 on BN.com.

This month, Barnes & Noble is celebrating pop culture with its second annual Get Pop-Cultured campaign (www.bn.com/getpop-cultured). A major part of the celebration is Harper Lee’s to To Kill a Mockingbird, a book that reverberates throughout literature, film, music and social media, and has been referenced, spoofed and more. Examples include celebrity children’s names like Harper Beckham (David and Victoria Beckham’s daughter) and Scout Willis (Bruce Willis’s and Demi Moore’s daughter), numerous mentions in movies including Almost Famous, Capote, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and more, TV show references including on The Simpsons, and a huge influence on other popular culture include band names and song lyrics in music, comic book references and even video game references.

For more information on everything related to To Kill a Mockingbird or Go Set a Watchman, visit www.BN.com/HarperLee, speak to a bookseller at any Barnes & Noble location, or follow Barnes & Noble on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, and like Barnes & Noble on Facebook.

Customers can still pre-order Go Set a Watchman discounted at 40% off for Members and 30% off for non-Members at Barnes & Noble stores nationwide and online at BN.com for 40% off. Go Set a Watchman is also available to pre-order on NOOK® devices and the Free NOOK Reading App™; for more information visit NOOK.com.

*Expedited delivery applies only to orders of Go Set a Watchman delivered to valid US addresses. All other products purchased with this order will be delivered separately as and when indicated in the order.

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS) is a Fortune 500 company and the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products. The Company operates 648 Barnes & Noble bookstores in 50 states, and one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites, BN.com (www.bn.com). The NOOK digital business offers award-winning NOOK® products and an expansive collection of digital reading and entertainment content through the NOOK Store® (www.nook.com), while Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC operates 724 bookstores serving over five million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States.

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained by visiting the Company's corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

Barnes & Noble®, Barnes & Noble Booksellers® and Barnes & Noble.com® are trademarks of Barnes & Noble, Inc. or its affiliates.

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