Independent bookstores can now be reduced in the e -book market. Today, Bookshop.org has announced that it will add e -books to the website. As with physical books, online retailers urge shoppers to specify a local bookstore when checking out, and send a part of the purchase price to the store. Since the launch of physical volume in 2020, Bookshop.org has poured more than $ 35 million into Indie Booksler.
In recent chats, CEO Andy Hunter told me that hundreds of stores have acknowledged the ability to maintain business through pandemic closure in Bookshop.org. Through the sale of the added e -book, these stores have another source of revenue. And shoppers have another way to support a nearby store. “It’s not a good business strategy to come to your book, but go to Amazon when you need an e -book,” he said.
This site provides more than 3 million e -books from all major publishers, and all profits from sales are sent to the customer selected. If the user does not specify the store, the profits will be partially introduced in the pool of some participating bookstores, and the rest will return to Bookshop.org. The company also makes money from a publisher advertisement on the website. Since the price of e -books is set by publishers, the title is the same cost as Amazon, Kobo, Google Books, or other places.
In addition to the new category, Bookshop.org also introduces a new Reader app for iOS and Android devices today. Through the app, the reader can search the curated list of books, search for an e -book catalog, read the preview, and add a book to the wish list. Like other e -book sellers, you need to go to Bookshop.org in a browser to buy. (However, in TANGENTAL NOTE, Bookshop.org’s website accepts Google and Apple Pay.)
Reading a book in the app makes it familiar to those who use a tablet or smartphone EREADER app, providing highlights, annotations, fonts, and text search. In addition to swipe -possible pages, you can also set the text in a vertical endless scroll mode that you have never seen in other EREADER apps.
Bookshop.org
Probably the most interesting feature is quoting sharing. When I was talking to a hunter, he often had a quote from a physical page or a photo of the cover of the book when he shared a quotation from a social media book. I pointed out. If you want to read the book, you will have to do a little work to find it and buy it.
You can emphasize and share a maximum of 300 text textbooks by sharing the Bookshop.org app or a browser leader. The generated link creates a posted post with a quoted mark, along with the book cover image. Anyone who clicks the link will be brought to the web page with a context on the button to buy a book. Hunters say that the goal is to “feel like a conversation about books like the native part of the social web.”
As a person invested in Ereaders, I asked if the Bookshop.org e -book was easy to read with Kindless or Kobos. Hunter said his company is already compatible with Kobo Devices and discusses with Amazon so that Kindles can display the title purchased from Bookshop.org. Integration with kobo may come as soon as possible this year. Amazon’s cooperation can take time.
With another future feature, Indie Booksellers can sell e -books directly from the bookstore’s own website using Bookshop.org technology. The partnership is not available at the time of release, but it should be released in the spring of 2025.
The hunter told me from the first investor stage from the repetition of Bookshop.org only. When a potential investor knew he couldn’t defeat Amazon at price or speed, he was laughed in the room. They assumed that no matter how valuable that independent bookstores were, no one would pay more books or wait longer.
More than five years later, not only proved that those investors are wrong, but the continuous existence of the company is that at least some people save some extra dollars and some patience. It suggests that you can. In addition, even the largest electronic retailer cannot discount e -books, and delivery is instantly delivered no matter where they are purchased.
