Part of the inspiration behind Rook – an app offering free access to ebooks, which is being shortlisted for awards even before it launches – lies in a pirated version of 21 Jump Street. As Rook’s co-founder Curtis Moran tells me, he’d had no inclination to watch the film at the cinema, but when he took a chance on an online stream he found it surprisingly enjoyable. When the sequel (22 Jump Street) came out, he organised a cinema trip with his friends.
Experiencing something for nothing, or next to nothing, can be the start of a fruitful relationship between consumer and producer. Library users buy more books, as do Kindle Unlimited users, according to a recent Nielsen survey. It’s risky to part with £17.99 on an unknown author, but take a punt for nothing and you might be so enamoured you’ll pre-order their next at the bookshop. Or so the theory goes.
Launching in beta later this spring, with the support of two independent publishers who will be named at the London Book Fair (where it is also up for an innovation award), Rook provides “location-based free access to ebooks”. A user sitting in a Rook spot, which might be a cafe, a hospital or a train, can read ebooks for nothing, provided they remain within that location. If they leave, they can choose to buy the book.
The biggest hurdle to overcome will be publisher suspicion about a great ebook giveaway. Fine if Rook spots are confined to a few cafes in London, but if their number swells to include the entire transport network, then the incentive to buy books will surely be reduced. Moran is confident that publishers have been softened up enough by subscription services to be open-minded about a platform that gives their content away in exchange for data and discovery, but I’m not so sure.
.jpg?w=600)
