Book publishers experimenting with new models; books fighting binge drinking in Italy
Netflix models
An article on Wired.com looks at a new online fiction service called Rooster in which a book publisher adopts a magazine model to make itself more like Netflix! The service uses a subscription based model that sends content to iPhones and iPads. The daily chunks of content should take about 15 minutes to read and will deliver two books’ worth of content over a month. Similarly, Waterstones in the UK has announced Read Petite – a ‘rich reading experience for time-poor readers’.
Another innovation learning from the Netflix model is Epic! This app aims to encourage children to read by offering rewards for completing chapters or starting ‘reading marathons’. For a monthly subscription, children have access to a library of over 2000 titles and can rate the books they have read. The app also allows parents to monitor their children’s reading habits.
Book buying and book borrowing and struggling readers
The latest Pew report shows the link between highly engaged library users and book buying. The report shows that ‘Library Lovers’ – the heaviest users of libraries and about 10% of the US population – are also frequent buyers of books, despite many of them experiencing a drop in income.
The UK Charity Quick Reads found that reading e-books can be particularly helpful for adults who may be struggling with their reading while 48% say e-readers have encouraged them to read more.
Binge drinking – books to the rescue!
Sadly Neknominate, the social media drinking game, has spread around the world. In Italy a literary alternative to the game has been developed. ‘Booknomination’ follows similar rules but instead of drinking, the nominated person must read a passage from a book over a webcam. The initiative is on Facebook on the hashtag #booknomination.
Sources: Springwise; DigitalBookWorld; TheLocal; Pew Research Center; Publishing Perspectives; Wired.
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