Thirty-Six Tips for Developing a Successful Mobile Publishing Strategy

12. Avoid gratuitous usage 
of technology.

"Elements such as video and animation should be used to enhance the storytelling's experience, not clutter it up," Davies advises. "The additional media ought to be relevant to the author's text (rather than an embedded video for video's sake), and, in the case of fiction, original content. An e-book on 'Moby Dick' shouldn't have a stock image of a boat that can be commonly found on Google."

13. Extras can enrich the experience.

"Because the app is connected to the Internet, you can link to all kinds of additional information. What was once a bore to sift through, especially with source material for historical titles and academia, annotations and references can now offer an exciting, multi-layered read. DVDs have done well with including special features like an interview with the director or a behind-the-scenes look of how the film was made," says Davies.

14. Price titles with the long-term in mind.

"Consumers are not responding to books that cost more than their print versions. The publishers should price titles in accordance with the thought of how many readers they think will purchase, not for the limited amount of readers who currently buy," he says. "The mobile format provides an opportunity to find new readerships—people are really into reading things on the iPad and Kindle, and are willing to try books they wouldn't have otherwise considered."

15. Repeat business comes at the click of a button.

"To some extent, an app is like a store. Once someone downloads yours, you have the opportunity to sell them more titles and without competition. There isn't an adjacent shelf with another publisher's books to lure the customer away," he says.

Tips From … Dani Essindi Behrendt, visual search business development, Ricoh Innovations Inc.