Enhancing the E-book Business

When publishers partner with Vook—and more than 20 have, so far—"We basically say, 'Bring us what you have, and we'll find a way to make it work,' " Cavnar continues, noting that Vook handles video creation, if needed (some publishers/authors already have video); the creative treatment of the vook; and collaboration with the author, as well as the distribution and marketing.

"We really want to find [partners] who want to go out there with us and make a big splash out of it. And it doesn't matter if they're a small company in Alaska, or if they're one of the big six [publishers]," says Cavnar. "We want to work with people who believe in the future of this medium."

Another way that Vook has established itself as a publisher is with the launch of its series of original titles, which Cavnar refers to as "vook video guides"—how-to vooks on topics ranging from car maintenance to quilting. "They're selling pretty well," he says. "The thing is, we can keep the budget on them really low, and we only need to sell about 450 copies before we make back our expenses and start earning a profit."

The original titles are doing well enough that Cavnar says Vook will do "hundreds" more in 2011.

'Lite' Marketing

A challenge for any application developer is to make your particular app stand out among the masses in the app stores and easily discoverable by the consumer. As previously mentioned, Vook handles the marketing of all its products, even those produced with partners. It has found success, says Cavnar, with creating a "lite" version of every application that includes three chapters of that particular title for free. "When we release [a lite version], you'll see sales just double the day it comes out because everyone downloads the free [version], they try it out and think, 'Oh, this is great,' and they buy the complete version," he continues. "It's a great way to drive enthusiasm for a title."