This Week’s Wonder comes from The Wonderfactory’s road warrior, Bill Klavon.
“I travel frequently, primarily between the D.C. Suburbs and NYC. I’ve learned to pack light.
Like many other commuters, I tote an iPhone and an iPad. I LOVE to read, always have. I read anywhere and everywhere I can. Even so, I average only 10-15 books per year – if I’m lucky. Why so few if I’m ‘always’ reading? You may well ask.
On the road I do all of my reading via a combination of iPad and iPhone using the Kindle, Nook or iBook apps. This means the window of time I have to “consume” a book can be limited by – amongst other things – battery life, direct sunlight, FAA rules, driving vs riding, dry eye fatigue, and – if I’m reading at night in bed – my partner’s desire to sleep in the dark vs. in the gentle glow of an electronic screen.
E-readers have a big place in my backpack. But in my heart there’s no replacement for physical books. Hardcover, paperback, old, new…it really doesn’t matter. For me nothing can take the place of the feel of a book in my hands and the smell of paper and ink in my nose. I delight in a bookshelf shelf filled with great reading.
So much so in fact, that my iPad is cloaked in a special case produced by a small company out of South Carolina by the name of Twelve South called ‘BookBook’, which replicates the look and feel of a classic leather-bound book.
I know that I’m not alone. Bibliophiles like me are a dime a dozen. But we are missing something in this golden age of digital access. At a time when companies like Amazon and Barnes & Noble increasingly give us a choice between physical, e-book or audio book, NONE offer us the option of “all of the above” – at least not without paying individually for each. Sure, Amazon recently started bundling (on a very limited basis) the sale of Kindle e-books with audiobook versions of the same…but it isn’t enough. I want to be able to travel light and read my e-book on my iPad, listen to the audiobook while I drive (or when my aging eyes grow tired of reading), and pick up the old-school bound copy from my nightstand and read the old fashioned way – and once finished, place my beloved biblio-trophy on my bookshelf as my reward.
I’d even be willing to pay more to get this bundle – $5, maybe even $10 more. But not $20 or $30 more, which is what I’d have to do today.
I’ve heard the excuses for why not – most of which revolve around the fact that the old publishing business model still rules — but if I could seamlessly move between e-book, audio and physical copy – at the right price – my consumption would increase considerably. I would spend more, publishers (and authors) would make more, and the rising tide would lift all boats.
So take heed, publishers and booksellers — there is a big market out here for whichever one of you cracks the code first. I even have a name for this service and a URL for you when you’re ready to jump in: UBOOQUITY.”
So, do you agree with Bill? You want the full-monty bundle o’ book too? Here at The Wonderfactory publishing is in our DNA. Magazines are our passion, our meat, our drink, but we are bibliophiles too. We love stories. We love reading. We love books. And we’ve been lucky enough to work with some pretty cool players in this space.
We enjoyed a very successful partnership with B&N. And currently we have a very exciting publishing project in the works for a non-profit that is led by an award-winning author of international repute. And let’s just say that a consulting project with a very senior book agent is going to turn the content world on its head – we’re looking at YOU @nike.
And as if that’s not enough you want to hear Co-Founder David Link bang on about Transmedia. In fact next week you will, when David Link launches his very own Wonderblog kicking off with his vision for the future of storytelling.
It ain’t UBOOQUITY, but it ain’t half bad.
The Wonderblog 