As the viability and future of
ebook subscription models is debated in some parts of the world, Argentina's Grupo Vi - da has become a hub for community and title discovery that includes a subscription (Leamos), online sales (BajaLibros), library access (Bidi) and now a social network, Grandes Libros.
Nathan Hull is Chief Business Development Officer at Mofibo, Europe's success story in the world of
eBook subscription models, Nathan's role is to identify the markets in which Mofibo will roll out as well as establishing relationships with media, telco and hardware partners, and negotiating terms with publishers and authors.
It turns out that
ebook subscription models don't work very well when people read too much.
More than a few people are asking how long
ebook subscription models can pay a full royalty — since greater success in engaging users / subscribers means costs can outpace revenue.
I'm a fan of
the ebook subscription models as manifested by Oyster and Scribd because I think they complement conventional ebook retail channels where readers purchase books one at a time.
eBook subscription models have taken off in the past year, despite having digital roots extending back as far as 2010 with companies like Spain - based 24Symbols.
On third use
ebook subscription models which brings them ahead of the traditional publishers.
One of the most interesting aspects is the growth of the emerging
eBook subscription models, such as Nubico in Spain, Scoobe in Germany, Youboox in France, Oyster in the US.
As
ebook subscription models continue to gain ground with consumers, keeping a student - centric model in motion through classrooms instead of only through private consumer subscriptions seems to be the smarter approach.
It's rare that Amazon isn't leading the charge in some aspect of the book industry, but news came out today that Amazon is experimenting with
ebook subscription models.
Interestingly, the image only alludes to 600,000 titles available in the Amazon catalog, not the full ebook catalog, which could mean that Amazon would have the same problem with acquiring content for lending that has plagued
the ebook subscription model since it first became news back in 2010.
The eBooks subscription model encourages people to read books from unknown authors.
Will the book publishing industry simply settle for the basic
ebook subscription model we see today?
Takeaway: The last year has hinted that
the ebook subscription model is experiencing some strain.
For instance, there was that balder - than - usual statement of how
an ebook subscription model might be economically sustainable from Mofibo c.e.o. Morten Strunge in Lasse Winkler and Johanna Westlund's report forThe Bookseller:
Entering a sector with a checkered track record, Canada's Kobo and The Netherlands» Bol.com are talking sustainability in
an ebook subscription model.
Considering publicly available information that 25 % of best - seller titles are written by self - publishers, Nate of The Digital Reader comments on
the eBook subscription model is nothing new since several publishers have already signed the deals.
Andrew Rhomberg, founder of Jellybooks, said that
the eBook subscription model is a «strategic response» to Amazon.
The announcement from Scribd yesterday gave a positive signal that there are rooms for improvement in
eBook subscription model.
Although it remains to be seen whether
the eBook subscription model can predict the future of reading, next year's competition will be a phenomenon to watch due to enormous addition of new eBooks to be automatically fed into paid subscribers» devices.
Not exact matches
As mentioned previously, in the section on
subscription based
ebook pricing
models, pay per use
models usually pay publishers a pre-set rate.
Entitle Christian, as the service is called, allows its members to download up to four books per month depending on the pricing option they choose; unlike typical
subscription models, this one serves as more of a book club of sorts, as the
ebooks do not disappear after a predetermined amount of time.
Scribd is a company that used to abide by the unlimited
subscription model with audiobooks and
eBooks, but in recent years, they have scaled back.
Penguin Random House UK CEO Tom Weldon has proclaimed that
eBook subscription websites such as Amazon Unlimited, Scribd and Oyster are not viable business
models.
In the six years since Trip Adler created a startup called Scribd, something incredible happened for digital publishing and
ebooks: publishers finally found
models they can work with to support
ebook subscription - based reading.
Nubico is offering a competitively priced
ebook subscription service for consumers, and an attractive royalty
model for publishers.
ProQuest's
ebooks businesses — ebrary ® and EBL ™ — are renowned for their breadth of content and flexible
models including
subscription, perpetual archive (purchase), demand - driven acquisition, and short - term loans.
The paper eventually backed out of the deal, but as it turns out, The Star was already working on a
subscription model for
ebooks that shied away from single - copy sales.
The Star, with its four - month fledging Star Dispatches program, is the first in Canada to bring in a
subscription model for
ebooks.
The Toronto Star is testing the
ebook market with a dedicated
subscription model — something no other newspaper in Canada has tried yet.
Rather than luring consumers with a
model that affords them the ability to read mountains of content for one price, Rooster's clientele is expected to read serialized and novella - length works for far less than the cost of a typical
ebook subscription plan.
Earlier this year BENQ and Truedigital started a great new
subscription model ebook store, you can check out our article on it HERE.
Oyster's CEO had some welcoming remarks for the introduction of Amazon's service into the
ebook subscription sphere, seeing the launch of KU as yet another sign that reading consumers are responding to this
model.
One of the things that has kept
subscription ebook reading from already securing its place on consumers» devices has been reluctance on the part of publishers, authors, and rights holders to adopt a
model that didn't offer very clear explanations of how royalties will be determined.
Wei Shi, an analyst at Strategy Analytics» wireless media strategies division, said that a significant development in the
eBook market is
subscription - based services launched by platforms like Amazon Unlimited, which have a
model similar to how Spotify and Pandora work in the music industry.
One the most elusive
models in digital publishing has to be
subscription - based
ebooks, with companies around the world all seeking to be the Netflix or Spotify of reading.
While the original book club
model may have fallen by the wayside,
subscription reading is seeing a comeback of sorts under the
ebook and long - form journalism platforms.
The road has been admittedly bumpy for the
eBook subscription service, but by ensuring a genuinely unlimited service through the avoidance of unsustainable royalty payment
models, the concept may now finally see the success that the consumer demands.
Given his experience with
subscription ebooks through Safari Books, O'Reilly explained where some of the reluctance to adopt even the current
models comes from.
Oyster and Scribd are the only two companies to really make the entire
eBook subscription service a viable business
model.
While other
ebook subscription startups have been around for years, Oyster and Scribd have made the most headway with not only enticing readers into the benefits of their programs, but also in working with some publishers to put their titles in the catalogs with the most viable compensation
models so far.
This doesn't seem to be a popular sentiment at the moment, but I believe 2015 will bring with it the demise of the broad - based
subscription model for
ebooks.
But it occurred to me that there may yet be some unexplored and promising territory for Big Pub, if they're willing to entertain an unorthodox idea: a
subscription model of
ebook content delivery.
In today's Publetariat Dispatch, Publetariat founder and Editor in Chief April L. Hamilton wonders if a
subscription model, such as that employed by Netflix and Gamefly, could work for trade publishers where
ebooks are concerned.
Examining the Business
Model of
Ebook Subscription Services, Parts 1 and 2 — the second has its own headline, How
Ebook Subscription Services May Redefine the Value of Books — are the lengthiest treatments of the subject I've seen.
Thinking about more of the product vs service
model...
ebooks CAN be a service if say Netflix started offing them or Pandora / yahoo, etc started lettin you read as part of your monthly
subscription.
Since KU is a
subscription model, users aren't buying a copy of an
ebook.
Publishing expert, Jane Friedman also asks whether
ebook buyers are migrating to audiobooks (where sales are on the increase) and whether the more voracious readers have opted for unlimited
subscription models.
Still, it helps publishers and authors get a sense on the types of revenue is available on a Netflix
subscription model for
ebooks.
While there are already sites that exist to loan
ebooks, including some that use a Netflix - like freemium
model for
subscriptions, Bilbary's plans for
ebook rental are to cut out the commitment by simply loaning books on a per - rental fee basis.