Credit: Bloomberg

Barnes & Noble is reported to give away a free Simple Touch e-reader with every Nook HD+, in a limited time promotion.

Bookseller Barnes & Noble has enjoyed a crazy good start with its line of Android-powered tablets. Back in December 2011, the retailer ranked an amazing fourth place in market share thanks to its Nook Color tablet, and seemed capable of turning itself into a powerful player in the tablet business.

However, market forces disrupted B&N’s plans, and after a poor 2012 holiday season, the bookseller announced a dismal 26% drop in revenues from its tablet business.

In this context, the fact that Barnes & Noble will bundle a free Simple Touch e-reader with every Nook HD+ tablet sold next week should come as no surprise. As reported by Reuters, the promotion could signal an effort to reduce inventories, at a moment when B&N mulls a strategy change, or even a complete exit from the hardware business.

For now, the promotion, which is for all purposes a fire sale, isn’t advertised on the B&N site, but do check back starting tomorrow, March 24. The Simple Touch e-reader, first launched in June 2011, currently sells for $79, while the Nook HD+ starts at $269 for the 16GB version.

Good deal? Are you still interested in e-readers?

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