Amazon says Kindle sales hit monthly record in Nov

Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com Inc., holds an interview with Reuters next to a Kindle in Cupertino, California in this October 6, 2009 file photo. Amazon.com said on Monday that its Kindle electronic book reader posted its best sales yet in the month of November, as rivals struggle with fulfilling their customer orders.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Amazon.com said on Monday that its Kindle electronic book reader posted its best sales yet in the month of November, as rivals struggle with fulfilling their customer orders.

The online retailer said shoppers were buying several Kindles at once as holiday gifts, while businesses and organizations were buying the device "in large quantities" for employees or clients. Amazon does not provide precise data on Kindle sales.

Amazon's statement on Kindle's success this holiday season follows notices by Barnes & Noble and Sony Corp to their customers that they had sold out of their e-readers before the start of the holiday shopping season due to high demand.

While the higher-than-expected demand proves consumer interest in the device, Barnes & Noble and Sony also appear to have lost an opportunity to gain share against Amazon's market-leading Kindle device.

On Sunday, Barnes & Noble said it would delay shipments of its newly-launched Nook reader to stores as it strives to deliver pre-ordered devices before the holidays.

The bookseller said last week it had lowered its full-year earnings forecast as it expected a tough holiday season and higher costs to accelerate Nook production.

(Reporting by Michele Gershberg; Editing by Derek Caney)