February 12, 1998 | Read Time: 1 minute
Barnes & Noble, the big bookstore chain, is enlisting charities to help it peddle books via the Internet — and offering them a cut of the profits.
Charities that want to participate in the deal must showcase books on their Web sites. If people are interested in purchasing a book, they can click on it and are linked directly to the bookstore chain’s Web site. The charity receives from 5 to 7 per cent of the purchase price, depending on how many books it sells. For-profit businesses are offered similar deals.
More than 25 charities have opted to participate in the effort so far, including SeniorNet, the New York Public Library, and United Cerebral Palsy.
Charities can keep track of how much money they have raised through a Web site that Barnes & Noble has set up for members only. A non-profit group can see which books are selling well at its site and change the featured selections accordingly.
The bookstore chain has placed no limits on how many organizations can participate in the program for non-profit groups, although each group must have received charity status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
For more information, call (212) 352-3630; e-mail affiliate@barnesandnoble.com.
To get there: Using World-Wide Web software, type http://www.barnesandnoble.com; using America Online, type keyword “barnesandnoble.”
