Sweek is a young startup based in Rotterdam and they have just launched a series of mobile apps for Android and iOS. The company is trying to make self-published e-books viable for the smartphone generation and currently has a library of over 1,000 published stories and 20,000 classic e-books.
The Sweek app launched at the Frankfurt Book Fair a few weeks ago and their primary focus seems to be serialized fiction and short works. The vast majority of their content has been transcribed into 12 different languages and they are primarily focusing on the European market.
There are many e-book reading apps out there for mobile devices and what makes Sweek different? I spoke with Peter Paul van Bekkum the CEO of Sweek and he told me that “Our main focus right now is collaborating with publishing houses and indie authors. For starting authors, we offer a self-publishing tool and Sweek in itself is a way to build an online fan base to promote those books, or even to get discovered by traditional publishers. For publishers, we offer verified accounts for top authors – giving them a special place to get seen by readers in the app. We believe Sweek is a marketing tool to reach the smartphone generation. We offer publishers access to big data, targeted advertising and allow them to cherry-pick the most popular upcoming writers. For readers this means they can find quality content on Sweek – whether this is from upcoming writers, or established ones.”
Peter went on to say “Sweek itself is free to use for readers, writers and publishers. This means users can download the app for free and access all stories for free. Later on we will introduce paid spin-offs, especially in serialized writings, we’re still exploring those opportunities.”
You can download Sweek for Android from the Good e-Reader App Store.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
