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In a surprise move, Barnes & Noble named William Lynch, president of the company’s Web division, as chief executive, replacing Steve Riggio, who will remain as vice chairman.

Some industry analysts were surprised that Mr. Lynch had been promoted so soon. It is “the corporate succession equivalent of moving in with someone a week after the first date,” said Michael Norris, senior analyst at Simba Information, which provides research and advice to publishers.

In a statement, Len Riggio said: “Given the dynamic nature of the book industry, William is uniquely qualified to lead the company’s transition to multichannel distribution and drive the continuing expansion of our e-commerce platform, eBooks and other digital content and products.”
When you look at the book market, physical books will continue to be the dominant format that consumers buy — they value having the object,” Lynch told Reuters in an interview, though he said that attachment was weaker for the mass market paperbacks segment.

The company, which has 723 general retail bookstores and operates 639 outlets through its college bookstore subsidiary, is unlikely to open new locations. Mr. Riggio said that in the next two years, “the net number of stores will not change much.” After that, he said, “we will have to see.”

This is a bold move for B&N as Lynch is the first person outside of the Riggio family to be named CEO since Len Riggio bought B&N in 1971.  I am glad Lynch acknowledges that print is still the dominant form. While e-book sales are increasing exponetially print books still remain the lion’s share of a publisher’s’sales.

The Gossip Girl DVD with audio book goes on sale shortly, with an August 19 release date. The DVD set of the first season of this CW hit will include a CD version of the novel that inspired it by Cecily von Ziegesar, narrated by Christina Ricci. The audio book can be transferred to an iPod, for an ideal marketing fit with the show’s primary audience of females around 26 years of age.

Publishers are getting more savvy to the digital world, and how to capitalize on the successes of other forms of media. The New York Times reported that the 12 books in the series have sold 5.6 million copies; the three audio versions, based on the first three books, have only sold less than 1,000 copies a year. Because audio book sales of Gossip Girl have been dismal, publisher Hachette is hoping that hitching it to the DVD set in a format appropriate for its main audience, could prove just what the doctor ordered to boost sales.

Publishers should watch out for, or create their own opportunities, to creatively piggyback their struggling products to ones whose star are on the rise. The market for audio books has generally been drivers who listen while on the road, but this doesn’t translate well to young adults. Books for the iPod could better serve this audience. The sales and success of the Gossip Girl DVD with audio book will be something to watch in the coming months.