UK's Pearson invests in Barnes & Noble's Nook

London: British publisher Pearson PLC says it is investing in a business based on Barnes & Noble's NOOK e-reader.Pearson said Friday it would pay $89.5 million cash for a 5 percent stake in NOOK Media LLC which includes the bookseller's e-reader and tablets, its digital bookstore and its 674 stores serving U. colleges.[caption id="attachment_571989" align="alignleft" width="380"] Reuters.[/caption]Barnes & Noble will hold 78.2 percent of the business and Microsoft will have about 16.8 percent, Pearson said.Will Ethridge, CEO of Pearson North America, says his company had worked with Barnes & Noble for decades.He describes the new investment is part of a strategy to make content and services more broadly available to students and teachers.AP