Meeting the tide of technology is important for any forward-thinking company, none more so than those within the publishing industry, as book lovers turn to a plethora of electronic devices to read and view printed material.
Finding the right platform and application to not only reach your intended and future audiences, but also staying true to your company’s ethos and image, can be difficult.
Earlier this year, Amber Books – a publishing company based in London who specialise in military books, amongst other genres – looked to widen their market, to reach those readers with little, or no knowledge of their titles.
Charles Catton, Publishing Manager, said, “Due to the graphic nature and imagery included throughout our military books, we needed a digital solution that would best serve, or enhance, the visual element.”
Great Potential
“The digital products and options open to us, in April 2011, were extremely limited and very expensive for the level of quality we were seeking.”
“I met Angela Patchell at the London Book Fair and when she showed me the VizEbooks’ app, I saw immediate potential for our titles. As companies, we both face the same issue – our books are carefully and expensively designed to present their content in the best possible manner. The VIZebooks’ platform was clearly well thought out and attractive, both in price and visually; following a few tweaks, it was perfect for our military audience. In fact, the whole process was remarkably smooth.”
“Easily, one of the biggest benefits of VIZebooks was its Apple-like ease of use – it was so simple to understand, even if the user had never come across an e-bookstore before. We instantly saw a way of quickly making our content available digitally, reaching more consumers, such as those without access to a bookshop. Even for readers that do frequent book stores, there are few outlets that house a wide range of military books – with VIZeBooks, anyone can search or find our titles.”
Stamp your own brand
As VIZebooks’ software is easily customisable, Amber Books were able to completely brand their digital bookstore with their own logos and images. The app is easily accessible, which served their needs of reaching markets previously untapped.
Charles found that the quality of VIZeBooks outstanding, and the first of its kind designed for visual books. He said, “VIZeBooks gives an enhanced reading experience for the illustrated military enthusiast, because it allows him or her to zoom into the illustrations and photographs to see real detail, in an easy and convenient manner. It’s even better than a printed book in that respect.”
The creator of VIZeBooks, Angela Patchell, is delighted Amber Books found what they were looking for. She said, “Amber Books’ military titles are perfectly suited to the VIZeBooks’ concept. The product was borne from our frustrations, as publishers of visual books, that the concept of a title was often much bigger and better than the finished, printed product. VIZeBooks was created to allow users to interact with what they were reading.”
Future plans…
So what does the future hold for Amber Books, now that they can access new markets and collect reams of new military book enthusiasts?
“We want Military Books to be more than just a bookstore. We want it to become a destination of choice for military enthusiasts; therefore, we are approaching other military publishers to bring their content on board. We have exciting plans for the future development of the app!”
For more information on Amber Books’ Military Books, visit www.amberbooks.co.uk.
