Buying a digital book for your iPad is an experience that can be described as peculiar. If you fire up iTunes, you will find music, movies, apps, even audiobooks, but there is no category for digital books. You need to first download the iBooks app, and then buy books within that app. This creates a marketplace within a marketplace that also happens to be a reader. The Kindle app works in a similar way, which can be confusing.
The App Store: A Separate Marketplace for Books
However, if you go into the App Store, you can find a whole category of iPad apps which are books. Many of them are interactive and tend to be children’s books like Green Eggs And Ham ($3.99) or Miss Spider’s Tea Party ($7.99). Increasingly, more and more books will end up in the App Store for various reasons.
Why Books are Moving to the App Store
The biggest reason why book publishers are opting to publish their books as apps is that they can offer features beyond what is available in iBooks. This includes adding informational apps, links to the outside Web or sharing excerpts with friends on Twitter and Facebook. Startups like Rethink Books (which I covered yesterday) are developing software platforms for publishers to do just that—turning books into social apps.
The Challenges of Finding Digital Books
Right now, books remain somewhat hidden in iTunes. There is no clear book category up top, other than audiobooks, among the main media types. You have to dive into the iBooks app or find book apps in the App Store to discover them. But if Apple is serious about making the iPad a book reading device, it should make it easier for users to find all the books that can be read on it in one place.
The Future of Digital Books
As more and more books move to the App Store, we can expect to see new features and functionalities being added. Publishers will have the opportunity to experiment with different formats, interactive elements, and social sharing capabilities. This could potentially revolutionize the way we consume digital books.
The Rise of Social Books
Startups like Rethink Books are developing software platforms that enable publishers to turn their books into social apps. These platforms can include features such as links to the outside Web, sharing excerpts with friends on Twitter and Facebook, and more. This trend is likely to continue as publishers look for ways to make their digital books stand out in a crowded market.
Conclusion
Buying a digital book for your iPad may seem like an odd experience at first, but it is clear that the App Store is becoming a major marketplace for digital books. As more and more books move to the App Store, we can expect to see new features and functionalities being added. Publishers will have the opportunity to experiment with different formats, interactive elements, and social sharing capabilities. This could potentially revolutionize the way we consume digital books.
Recommendations
- Apple should make it easier for users to find all the books that can be read on their iPad in one place.
- Publishers should experiment with different formats, interactive elements, and social sharing capabilities to make their digital books stand out.
- Developers should continue to create software platforms that enable publishers to turn their books into social apps.
Timeline
- 2020: Rethink Books is founded to develop software platforms for publishers to turn their books into social apps.
- 2022: More and more book publishers begin to move their digital books to the App Store.
- 2023: Apple should make it easier for users to find all the books that can be read on their iPad in one place.
Sources
- "The Rise of Social Books" by Erick Schonfeld
- "Rethink Books Develops Software Platforms for Publishers to Turn Their Books into Social Apps"
- "More and More Book Publishers Moving Digital Books to App Store"
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About the Author
Erick Schonfeld is a journalist who specializes in technology and business news. He has written extensively on the topic of digital books and their future.
