Is There A Market For Selling Ebooks In Brick-And-Mortar Stores? - somersault

Is There A Market For Selling Ebooks In Brick-And-Mortar Stores?

This article by Laura Hazard Owen (@laurahazardowen) on paidContent.org (@paidContent) says a company called Enthrill Entertainment Inc. (@Enthrill) plans to partner with bookstores to sell “physical” copies of ebooks in brick-and-mortar bookstores.

Enthrill’s model will allow bookstore to sell physical cards with an image of the book’s cover on one side and a QR code (which provides access to extras like sample chapters and trailers) and download code on the other side. After consumers purchase the card, they go to Enthrill’s website and use their code to download the book as a PDF or EPUB file, which is readable on any device. If they then download other titles as well, those sales are credited back to the bookstore where the customer made his or her original purchase.

Read the article in full.

Read Enthrill’s news release (pdf).

Enthrill’s explanatory video above looks much like Zondervan’s (@zondervan) Symtio (@Symtio) business model (see video below) when it was first launched in 2008, but then was divided in two in 2010, with the online portion sold to LibreDigital (@LibreDigital) and the in-store portion discontinued (see Christian Retailing‘s (@ChristianRetail) “Zondervan suspends, sells Symtio ebook program”).

Also see our Feb. 10 blog post “Is there hope for small bookstores in a digital age?”.

Somersault Group

Announcing Somersault Group, doing business as Somersault. We believe the unprecedented changes occurring in the publishing world aren’t a crisis; they’re a playground of possibilities. We're here to help clients embrace change and leverage it to fulfill their mission. We're flipping the publishing world right-side up! Due to rapidly churning communication technology and seismic shifts in the book market distribution landscape – from the Internet to eReaders and the iPad to individual book print-on-demand capability – publishers expect authors to take more responsibility for the development, promotion, and sales of their books. Somersault helps publishers, agents, ministry partners, and Christian authors adapt to these changes with dexterity. We combine the experience and vision of Somersault publishing executives with the integrated marketing and technology expertise of digital natives. We honor good ideas and the creative people who embody them. We believe in the power of books to change lives, and are committed to help authors tell their stories and actively engage their readers. We want to be known for our nimbleness and responsiveness. Anticipating and embracing the future, being attentive to consumer behavior, inviting collaboration, and encouraging entrepreneurship are our core values, as we operate within the framework of having fun and reflecting the kingdom of God. We’re seeking ‘blue water’ opportunities, be they pond, lake, or ocean. We provide authors with brand counseling, editorial direction, research capabilities, marketing strategy, Internet and social media presence, and a comprehensive portfolio of publishing assistance. Our mission is to change lives by connecting inspirational content creators with readers using exceptional creativity, right-now technology, and old-fashioned personal care. See all our social networks on our Google profile. Contact us at hello@somersaultgroup.com, 1.616.551.1539, 131 Division Ave. S., Suite 300, Grand Rapids, MI 49503-4215.

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