The biggest challenge writers face today isn’t finishing a book and getting it to market, but being noticed once they get there. So at WWW we get excited when a new platform demonstrates the sort of ingenuity that can help get books noticed in an ever-growing crowded marketplace.
The social book discovery and commerce platform Bublish fits that bill. Writers can join Bublish for free. You create a bio and upload your photo and book (Bublish requires the ePub format). You then add a book synopsis as well as links to your website and an online retailer, i.e. Amazon.
“My partner Charles Wyke-Smith and I are both writers,” says Bublish founder Kathy Meis. “We wanted to empower authors, to give them a platform to get the word out about their books. We wanted them to have tools to start conversations and draw interested readers toward their larger body of work and into conversations about their stories. As writers, we also knew that the platform also had to enable authors to create quality content fast, share that content across multiple social platforms efficiently and be simple for readers to share with others. What we came up with was the book bubble.”
Example of a “bubble.” Click to enlarge!
Meis explains that there are a number of things that make the book bubble a unique piece of highly effective social content. “Bublish allows authors to chop their digital book into hundreds of small excerpts,” notes Meis. “Authors begin creating a bubble by highlighting the passage from their uploaded ebook that they wish to share. Next, they add their Author Insight. At Bublish, we call this the story behind the story. Think of it as a director’s cut for books. It’s a type of bonus content, and it’s a very powerful way to engage readers.”
“Finally,” says Meis, “the author shares the bubble on Facebook, Twitter or via email and at the same time the bubble becomes part of the Bubble Stream on Bublish.com. Three steps. That’s it.”
Of course writers can then also link their latest “bubble” to their other social media outlets, too — giving all their potential buyers an opportunity to read a passage and gain an insight.
For readers, book bubbles recreate online that quiet, enjoyable bookstore browsing experience that is becoming more difficult to find amid widespread bookstore closures. “No one sells you a book in a bookstore,” says Meis. “With Bublish, there’s no need for writers to say, ‘buy my book’ or ‘download your free sample.’ Instead, they can simply say, ‘enjoy this book bubble.’ If a reader encounters a bubble on Twitter or Facebook and wants to buy a book right from the bubble, they can. If they’re not inclined to impulse buy, they can explore the author’s website and learn more. The book bubble gives readers a lot to explore at their own pace.”
We especially like the author insights that let authors say a little about their book or the particular passage, a bit of “insider info” that lets readers get inside the head of the author.
“There is incredible downward pressure on the price of books,” says Meis. “Authors are going to have to sell more books over a longer period of time to make up for lower prices. This means relationship building will be key. Bublish aims to provide writers with innovative tools to engage with readers in meaningful but sustainable ways throughout their career. It’s a win/win situation for readers and writers.”
What does the future hold for Bublish? “We’ve only just begun,” says Meis. “We’re still in live beta, having just launched this past summer. As we build out our backend mapping tools, we’ll be able to see how readers are interacting with different book bubbles. Our aim is to be able to create a ‘contextual serendipity’ for book discovery.
“In other words, readers on Bublish will be introduced to new writers in the context of the genres and topics that interest them as well as through a social graph interested in those same genres and topics. It’s time to shake up book discovery, and we’re out to revolutionize how writers share their stories and readers find books they’ll love!”
Where Writers Win is planning a special webinar with the Bublish folks for our clients. If you have interest in participating, email us at info@wherewriterswin.com or leave a comment below and we’ll make sure you’re included on the invitation!
I’d like and invite, if it’s not too late! My book is already on Amazon and starting to sell, but I need to know where to go from there to get more buyers.
I’d like to find out more about this, too! Marketing is a tough job.
Great – will put you on the list 🙂
This is a great idea! I’d love to be included in the webinar (if I haven’t missed it).
You’re on the list! Kathy is waiting on confirmation on a few schedule items before we send the invite…
Bublish looks like a great place to clear up an understandable misconception many have about my book, Honest Eating, How to Love Food, Love Yourself & Love Life. In fact it’s difficult for me the author to explain my book in that one sentence we all love to hear. My book is about food, our relationship to food, what foods are available to us, what they do to our body, and how passion fills a hole often filled by substance abuse. Have I mentioned the profit-over-health food industry? Oh yes, and how knowing yourself can keep weight off? So much in my “fast and compelling” book. So, I’ll go to Bulish next!
Great Jane and I’ve got you on the invite list for when Kathy does the webinar – stay tuned for the date — it’ll be at 7 p.m. so as many folks as possible from the WWW tribe can attend! I think this platform would be great for your book – seriously!
Jane, we’d love to have your book on Bublish. At it’s heart, Bublish is really a storytelling platform, a way for you to share the story behind your story. What inspired you to write Honest Eating? What did you discover about your own relationship with food while writing this book? These are the types of questions readers are interested in. Use Bublish book bubbles to engage them with your answers. And please, don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have questions: info@bublish.com. Hope to see your book bubbles soon!
Definitely interested in learning more. I would love to be included on your webinar. Thanks WWW!
Julie
You’re on the list! I have one author using this already and think it has great potential as they move forward to get readers… Stay tuned!
Looks like a great place to find new books to read. Question on the option to buy. Can an author only add one retailer? Some readers buy from Amazon however, a lot don’t. I notice a lot of the books only include an Amazon link.
I believe so, though you can direct folks to your website where they can choose from your established retailers (which I’ve seen some do).
Hi Kat, We just started adding the affiliate links on Bublish. We’re beginning with one retailer, Amazon, because it is the place where most of our writers have their books. We’re using this as a model to get the kinks out of the system on the administrative side. Once that’s done, we will expand the selection of retailers we offer through Bublish. Thanks for your interest. We’ll have a date for that Bublish webinar soon.
Love to be included.
Thanks.
You’re on the list!
Please include me in this webinar, so I can learn additional marketing ideas for my book “The Road to Hell is Seldom Seen.”
Will do!
What an interesting new site! I’m definitely eager to learn more about it. Please send me an invitation to the upcoming webinar.
Will do so, thanks!
Love my book bubbles! The coolest thing for me as an author, is writing the author insights for each excerpt. It could be a book club question list! And I think readers like to see the “back story” by way of introduction.
Great points, Jacquie! They remind me of the old “popup” videos on MTV…
Jacqueline, so glad to hear that you’re enjoying Bublish. We love reading your book bubbles. And you are right, the Author Insight is the secret sauce in each book bubble. Readers can find many book excerpts on the web, so what makes yours pop? The story connected with that excerpt. It’s the story behind your journey as a writer, the story behind the creation of a scene or a character or a settting, that makes your excerpt stand out in a very crowded and noisy content marketplace. It engages the reader and draws them toward your larger body of work. We have big plans to help you stay connected with those readers once they’ve found you. We’re really just getting started. Thanks for being a beta bublisher Jacqueline.
Please include me in this webinar, so I can learn additional marketing ideas for my book “Jew in Jail.”
Wonderful Gary – will do (and great title!)