At first glance, one might wonder why an app designer was at Digital Book World, especially since they didn’t seem to sure themselves. The staffers made it clear that they were not publishers, just more like app creators who took on challenging projects for a wide range of users. But when they started talking about the extra features that an app can provide to enhance the reading experience, more than one passerby at their booth stopped to listen to what they had to say.
The designers, who readily agree that they do so much more than explore digital books, may have just stumbled on the next great feature in reading of any ilk. The extra content that can be incorporated in an app can include anything from how-to guides in the palm of one’s hand, a recipe app to correlate to a digital cookbook for chefs who don’t want their e-readers on their countertops, even study notes that correspond to a particular work of fiction to aid in book club gatherings or study groups.
More importantly, as authors and publisher look for ever more creative ways to attract the attention of readers who already have large amounts of content to choose from, books are going to have to have a way to stand out from the crowd on the bookstore shelves. Whether a non-fiction print edition from a major publishing house or a genre fiction ebook from a self-published author, contracting the services of a group like MethodApps can easily provide the extra push needed to market a book, especially if the app is sold or distributed in the same sales channel as the book and can therefore be bought at the time of the book purchase. One untapped potential of MethodApps may very well be the serialization of books by providing the book trailer to a pending sequel as an app to accompany the original title.
While MethodApps was exhibiting at the event in order to make users of any sector aware of their services, a wealth of additional content in the form of an app can easily go hand-in-hand with literally any type of book in order to overcome the ever-present problem of book marketing.
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.
