App-books to "steamroll over e-books"?

[L.J. Sellers]

"As for apps, I think we've barely seen the tip of that iceberg. The "app-book" (as I call it) is going to steamroller right over e-books as more and more developers realize what they can do and how they can transform the experience of reading into an event that takes full advantage of the digital platform."

This quote is from Peter Glassman, a bookstore owner, as quoted in Shelf Awareness.

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue...ue=1419#m11773

I just don't see it happening, but maybe I don't fully appreciate what an app-book is or how many people are reading that way.
L.J.

[jgaiser]

Sorry.. Even on my iPad, I just want to read. Not have an experience. Certainly there will be enhanced ebooks and they will have their followers, but Steamroll over ebooks? Ain't gonna happen..

[abookreader]

Okay, so we have a bricks and mortar bookstore owner begging for Publisher to bundle the physical book with a coupon to download the eBook. That really doesn't surprise me I suspect he's trying to find his store's place in the emerging market.

As for "App books" when I hear that phrase I think of products like I see on iTunes where they bundle the eBook, the audiobook and some video together. I think they tried something like this with Jodi Picout's recent release where they stuck a bunch of music in with the book and sold it as an "enhanced eBook." I haven't seen any reports on how it sold, they are usually expensive. For my own reading, I'm not interested because I really don't listen to audiobooks and I'm really not interested in watching movies while I read. The cynic in me also thinks that this is one area where Publishers think they can convince authors that they are still needed in the digital world. Most authors can publish their own eBook. They probably can't however publish a multi-media app.

Call me old and grumpy but when I read I like to read.

I do buy Children's Read to Me books on the nook color for my youngest son. He is special needs and has a hard time reading. We've found that he's doing really well with those nook color children's books - and I wish they had more of them. That is one market where I can see a demand for multi-media books.

[ficbot]

I don't think so either. Most people have enough apps cluttering up their devices. I don't think they want to have an individual app for every single book they read. I have over 1500 ebooks! I don't want a separate icon and program loading time and all that for each of them.

[RainingLemur]

Yeah, I'm gonna have to call shenanigans on this one. *Some* app-books could be cool. But, I really highly doubt that they are going to outright replace ebooks as they are.

[queentess]

Originally Posted by abookreader

As for "App books" when I hear that phrase I think of products like I see on iTunes where they bundle the eBook, the audiobook and some video together. I think they tried something like this with Jodi Picout's recent release where they stuck a bunch of music in with the book and sold it as an "enhanced eBook." I haven't seen any reports on how it sold, they are usually expensive. For my own reading, I'm not interested because I really don't listen to audiobooks and I'm really not interested in watching movies while I read.

It also depends a lot on how often you plan to read the book. That blog post compares selling the book bundled with the ebook to dvds and digital download movies. The problem with this is that I'm much more likely to watch a 2 hour movie repeatedly than reread (and in different formats, no less) an 800 page novel that may take me 2+ weeks to get through, depending on the baby's schedule. Most of what I read is fiction, and I reread only the few books that I truly love. The rest are throw-away entertainment for me. And, as with you, I don't really like audiobooks.

Bundled editions don't do anything for me, though they may be a good way to get more people into ebooks... they'll be curious about it if it's mentioned in the book they just picked up. (They'll still have to overcome the hurdle of $150 device purchase and figuring out what formats/DRM they can buy...) But I don't see a benefit to buying a paperbook to get the ebook for people who already prefer ebooks, especially at an added cost.

[murraypaul]

I can certainly see a bit advantage for 'app-books' in limited situations, such as childrens books, where you could do a lot more with animation, sounds and video, interactivity and so on than could be done with standard eBooks.
But for general fiction, no.

[Hellmark]

Outside of children's books, I really see no real need or use of app books. Other companies have tried this before, but have had limited success. Really it is a pain, since it offers less organization, books mixed in with apps, and if you have many you'll have a mixed up mess.

Really, what I think would be best is an open format, or at least industry accepted one, that offers some interactivity or media capability.

[Penforhire]

Too much extra work on each book to make enhanced digital editions take over the market. How about they fix the spelling and format errors we see in many e-books first?!

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by queentess

Bundled editions don't do anything for me, though they may be a good way to get more people into ebooks... they'll be curious about it if it's mentioned in the book they just picked up. (They'll still have to overcome the hurdle of $150 device purchase and figuring out what formats/DRM they can buy...) But I don't see a benefit to buying a paperbook to get the ebook for people who already prefer ebooks, especially at an added cost.

I would definitely buy a bundled hardcover or paperback with an e-book for backlist books (e.g., John Steinbeck) . I have a lot of favorite books that I want to keep in physical form, but they are worn and tattered. I also want them in e-book form. Buying both a new physical copy and the e-book is expensive, so I have to choose one or the other.

I'd also probably buy a bundle for books in continuing series that I started out buying in hardcover and now will have to decide which format to get.

A bundle could be an option--buy just the physical copy at $10, buy just the e-book at $10, or buy the bundle for $15.

[sufue]

Originally Posted by abookreader

Call me old and grumpy but when I read I like to read.

And I like to use MY imagination to flesh things out. I can't count how many times I've been disappointed when seeing the movie of a book and the characters or locale or whatever don't look anything like I think they should.

But, along the lines of abookreader's comment, I don't know if I'm just old, and younger folk will want other ways to interact with their content.

I hope not, but I detect possible luddite-ism in my psyche...or maybe just echoes of "when I was young, I had to walk five miles to school"

[ardeegee]

We just have to look back at historic transitions. Such as how, soon after the invention of pop-up books, the market for text-only books quickly evaporated, until today it is hard to find a book that isn't a pop-up. And when cheap sound chips came out that allowed you to add sound clips to various pages of the book? I challenge you to find a modern book without those!

[SolRaven]

I think when thet say app books, it's not individual book apps but one app, such as Inkling, with many books. I do see textbooks fading from their original format into app format. It makes sense. Right now with one textbook I have multiple apps and websites that either came with my textbook or I had to buy in addition. If that one textbook was on Inkling it would be a smoother and more interactive learning experience.

The other day I was showing my SO the Khan Academy website and my Inkling app. He said he thought that's how learning is supposed to and he wished he had that when he was in school; it wouldn't have been so boring. There is no need for something so interesting as learning, to ever be boring, especially with the tools available today.

If you haven't checked out Khan Academy, here is great video showing what it can do.

Inkling App

[queentess]

There wasn't really a definition given for "app book", but I imagine they're thinking something like the Vook. Essentially an interactive book. But you're forbidden from calling it an ibook.

[kjk]

These guys are exploring the app-book as well: http://www.pushpoppress.com/