Springwise - Media & Publishing

Custom notebooks feature your tweets or Facebook feed

2010-03-19T07:52:42Z

Now that sites like Facebook and Twitter have become a major part of many consumers' lives, there's growing need to bridge the online and offline worlds, as we've noted before. Efforts like HotPrints, News from YOUs and Kodak's new kiosk capabilities all get at that to some extent, and recently we came across two more interesting examples: Famebook and TweetNotebook, both of which embellish custom notebooks with select online content.

With Famebook, Facebook users can create a unique notebook featuring a post from their Facebook feed at the bottom of each page. By connecting to Facebook from the Famebook site, users allow Famebook to access their status updates. If there are fewer than 320 available, Famebook will duplicate some to fill the pages; if there are more, it makes a random selection. Either way, the result is a mostly-blank notebook with one timestamped update on the bottom of each page. Pricing is EUR 18 for a 200-page hardcover notebook or EUR 14 for the 320-page paperback version. Users can choose their own cover post and design.

TweetNotebook, meanwhile, does much the same thing but featuring the user's Twitter posts instead. Customers simply enter their Twitter name on the site, and it automatically populates each page in a blank 320-page notebook with one randomly selected tweet along with its timestamp and URL. As with Famebook, users can customize the cover post and design; three colour choices are available. Pricing on a TweetNotebook is EUR 12.

Both Famebook and TweetNotebook are the creations of Belgian agency Boondoggle. Who will push the OFF=ON integration even further—notepads, t-shirts, laptop skins, bags, anyone...?

Website: www.myfamebook.net — www.tweetnotebook.com
Contact: support@myfamebook.net — support@tweetnotebook.com

Spotted by: Murtaza Ali Patel

Social DIY cartoon to spawn crowdsourced book

2010-03-16T12:55:00Z

Regular Springwise readers may recall food52, the year-long series of weekly recipe contests we wrote about last autumn that will ultimately culminate in a published cookbook highlighting the winners. That project is still under way—it's nearing week 40 now—but recently we came across an Australian venture that brings much the same concept to the world of cartoons.

Billed as "the world's first social cartoon character", Eric the Circle is the story of—sure enough—a circle named Eric. Eric is not just any circle: he lives a full and active life, as evidenced by the hundreds of cartoons contributed so far that depict some of its highlights. Participants simply sign on to Eric's web page and then begin creating their own cartoons about him. A drawing tool on the site makes drawing and adding captions easy. Those cartoons can then be published on the site gallery; they can also be publicised using Twitter, Facebook, web pages and blogs. Viewers can vote on the submitted cartoons, and those that fare the best will be published in a book and syndicated to other web pages. The creators of those winners, meanwhile, will be rewarded financially, the site's founders say.

There are few things we love more here at Springwise than to see the prolific members of Generation Cash get compensated for their efforts. When was the last time your brand tapped the creative crowds—and rewarded them? (Related: Crowdsourcing site helps publishers find new authors — Greeting-card maker pays for top crowdsourced designs — Author's next thriller will be cowritten by the crowds.)

Website: www.ericthecircle.com
Contact: www.ericthecircle.com/contact

Spotted by: Douglas Aplin

Online platform for long-distance bedtime stories

2010-03-11T07:55:00Z

Long-distance relationships are difficult enough to maintain among adults, but when young kids are involved, the chances of achieving a meaningful conversation from afar tend to diminish. That's where Readeo comes in, with a newly launched platform that lets families share bedtime stories through the web.

The Chicago-based company's patent-pending application integrates digitised picture books with webcam communication, allowing adults and children to share stories while seeing and interacting with each other. A diverse library is available on the site, including titles from publishers such as Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Candlewick Press, Blue Apple Books and Chronicle Books. The library is fully searchable, and families can create personalised virtual bookshelves of their favourites. A Book of the Month is available to all users for free, but unlimited use of the site costs USD 9.95 per month or USD 49.95 per year.

With its focus on stories, Readeo promises a new point of connection for families separated by travel, divorce, military service or just geographic dispersion. Currently, however, the site serves only United States users—other languages and countries, anyone? (Related: Narrate-your-own storybook videos.)

Website: www.readeo.com
Contact: info@readeo.com

Spotted by: Claudia Allwood

Location-based guide for books and literary events

2010-03-08T12:55:00Z

As the electronic age puts physical bookstores and libraries under increasing threat, Local Books is a great example of how, by encouraging a resurgence of consumer interest at a local level, new technologies can be used to provide a shot in the arm for traditional outlets. Launched in January, it's a free iPhone app that allows users to search an area for bookstores, libraries and literary events such as readings, book discussions and signings.

Local Books is powered by LibraryThing Local—a crowdsourced database of 51,000 bookstores and libraries around the world. Users can search for these "venues" by name or by location. The details provided for venues include maps plus (when available) descriptions, photographs, links, and information about upcoming events at those establishments. Venues and events can be sorted by distance, name, type and date.

At present Local Books does not show inventories from bookstores and libraries. We wouldn't be surprised to see this feature available from them or from someone else in the near future. Could that be you? (Related: Online platform connecting booklovers.)

Website: www.librarything.com/blog/2010/01/local-books-iphone-application.php
Contact: tim@librarything.com

Spotted by: Los Angeles Times via Jim Stewart

Crowdsourcing site helps publishers find new authors

2010-03-03T07:55:00Z

Back in 2008 we wrote about Authonomy, HarperCollins's Sellaband-like effort to recruit the crowds to help spot the next bestseller. Suggesting the concept may be starting to stick, a new Dutch website has teamed up with not one but three book publishers on a crowdsourced effort to choose what gets published next.

Aspiring writers register for free on TenPages and post the first 10 pages or more of their book. Those pages then become viewable to the site's prospective shareholders, who can buy up to 200 shares in any book for EUR 5 each; a widget is available to help them promote their favourites among their own social networks. The books that sell 2,000 shares during the four months they remain active on the site—garnering EUR 10,000—get put into production at one of TenPages' partner publishers, which include Pearson, The Workers Press and The House of Books. Authors get paid EUR 1,000 from the initial funds raised, while the remainder is held over for publishing and promoting the final book. The author then has eight months to write the tome with the help of a professional editor.

For books that don't sell 2,000 shares after four months, investors get 80 percent of their money back. The site accepts submissions in virtually all genres with the exception of science books, it says. Following publication, authors earn standard royalties of 10 percent, while publishers earn 30 percent. Shareholders as a group earn 10 percent for up to four years, divided according to the number of shares they bought; in addition, their names appear in the back of the published books they helped discover.

Will this become the new model for publishing? Time will tell. In the meantime, one to watch! (Related: Crowd-finding the next blockbuster.)

Website: www.tenpages.com
Contact: www.tenpages.com/contact

Spotted by: Daniel Ogertschnig

Location-based messaging for neighbourhoods

2010-02-26T14:55:00Z

It was back in 2003 that we began covering nethoods, as our sister site calls them, and since then GPS and mobile technologies have greatly increased locally focused possibilities. BlockChalk is a new site that aims to provide the online equivalent of a neighbourhood bulletin board where residents can use their mobile phones to leave location-based messages for other people in their community.

Billed as “the voice of your neighbourhood,” BlockChalk lets mobile phone users leave messages (“chalks,” as the service calls them) on their block, their street, at the coffee shop or anywhere they happen to be. Neighbourhood tips, restaurant recommendations, pothole alerts or even lost pets are all perfect candidates for location-tagged message topics that can be left on BlockChalk, which allows other users of the service in the same area to reply either publicly or privately. No signup is required to use the service, and BlockChalk never reveals a user's identity or exact location unless they specifically request it. The mobile application is now available for iPhone, Palm Pre and Android-based handsets, with Blackberry and Nokia support coming soon. Launched early this year, BlockChalk is now used in more than 114 countries, 8,700 cities and 13,700 or so neighborhoods. The Bay Area startup is also in the process of integrating its service with Twitter's new geo-enabled API, it says.

Besides helping to connect neighbours with each other and with a wealth of hyperlocal information, BlockChalk also promises a world of advertising opportunities for local businesses; for developers, an API is already available. One to partner with in your neck of the location-based woods...? (Related: Connecting neighbours and landlords online — More neighbourhood problem-solving: SeeClickFix.)

Website: www.blockchalk.com
Contact: contact@blockchalk.com

Spotted by: Judy McRae

Wearable patches feature scannable code

2010-02-19T17:48:16Z

There are ever more connections being forged between the online and offline worlds, as we've been noting regularly for years. We've already seen T-shirts printed with scannable QR codes, and now a Pennsylvania startup is adding flexibility to the concept by putting the codes on patches that can be affixed practically anywhere.

Pennsylvania-based Tikaro Interactive now offers a series of 2-by-4-inch, Velcro-backed patches with a “mysterious commando” design on top and a QR code on the bottom. The code on each p8tch, as they're called, is actually a URL that can be scanned with a smartphone. Initially it directs scanners to the domain “p8t.ch,” but patch owners can set the redirect target of the URL to whatever page they wish, much like with TinyURL or other URL shortening services. Bloggers, for instance, can redirect the code to their blog; videographers can send it to their latest YouTube video. Users can change the target URL as often as they like. Each patch costs USD 19.95, including one waterproof, machine-washable patch along with two rectangles of Velcro “loop” fabric for attachment to a jacket, backpack, laptop sleeve or other visible spot. Also included in the price are a pass phrase for redirecting the patch's target URL and two .png files of the associated QR code.

Just as consumers have long used real-world products and brands to tell the world who they are, so too have online destinations come to play a similar role. The opportunity? Create a digital lifestyle lubricant that lets users flaunt their online affiliations in the offline world, and you may receive some nice lifestyle lubrication in return! ;-) (Related: Google window decals link online & off for retailers — Bumper stickers recruit Twitter followers in traffic — Electronic business card forges online connections.)

Website: www.p8t.ch
Contact: john.young@gmail.com

Spotted by: Jeremy Pope

More quick-turnaround editing

2010-02-15T13:34:36Z

When we wrote about Gramlee's while-you-wait editing service back in 2008, we noted that there was still widespread opportunity for other contenders. So it wasn't too surprising recently to come across Wordy, a Danish company that provides quick-turnaround editing of a variety of documents written in English.

Academic text, corporate literature, blog posts and web content are all among the categories of copy that Wordy's professional editors can handle, with specialized staff available to work on material focused on specific subjects. Clients simply paste their text or upload a file onto Wordy.com, or use a plugin for integrated editing (the company offers a plug-in for WordPress, and an API for use with other publishing platforms). Wordy then instantly returns a free price quote along with an approximate delivery time—EUR 7.68 for 26 minutes of editing on a 440-word document, for instance. If the client accepts, a Wordy copy editor quickly checks the text for grammar, spelling, punctuation and structure—the company can currently accommodate both UK and US English—and returns it in ready-to-publish form. After that point, the client has two business days to accept the work or request a re-edit.

Wordy's 100-plus editors have already edited close to 80,000 words, with an average speed of roughly half an hour for a 400-word document. Over the course of this year, meanwhile, the company is hoping to scale its platform to begin editing documents written in other languages as well. One to try out—or get involved in?

Website: www.wordy.com
Contact: www.wordy.com/contact

Spotted by: John Greene

Business books served in bite sizes for e-readers

2010-02-11T11:07:31Z

Whether it's burgers, brownies or popular books, consumers increasingly favour bite-sized portions. That fact apparently hasn't escaped Pearson Education's FT Press, which just launched a brand-new imprint offering a variety of condensed business classics and original essays packaged in pint sizes for e-readers.

FT Press Delivers offers its new, controlled-portion content in the form of Elements and Shorts. Elements focus on one simple idea relating to work or life based on content from existing FT Press books, offering expert perspectives and solutions; they're priced at USD 1.99 each for 1,000 to 2,000 words. Shorts, meanwhile, are original pieces published in partnership with New Word City that focus on business-oriented topics and lessons from some of the leading business thinkers today. Pricing on Shorts is USD 2.99 each for 4,000 to 5,000 words. Both formats are accessible via computer and electronic devices, including the iPhone, and are available via Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and the Sony e-bookstore. More than 240 titles are currently available, from contributors including Jim Champy, Brian Solis, Michael Abrashoff and Seth Goldman; by year's end, FT Press Delivers aims to be offering a total of 500 titles this way.

“There are people who only want to access pieces of what you write,” Champy told the New York Times. “I don’t think they have an appetite for reading a long, serious business book.”

Indeed, that's snack culture at work, as our sister site would say, and it's diminishing appetites for full-sized portions the world over. What can your brand offer to satisfy snack-minded consumers...? (Related: Music site offers updated playlists in 22 genres — Healthy snacks, delivered by mail in serving sizes.)

Website: www.ftpress.com/delivers
Contact: www.ftpress.com/about/contact_us

Cookbook-only store with test kitchen and café

2010-02-10T09:00:06Z

'Try before you buy' is an ages-old maxim that's at the heart of the tryvertising trend we write about so often. It's a tough one to apply to books, though—beyond enabling browsing—and even tougher when it comes to cookbooks. That's where 25° Celsius comes in. First, it's a bookstore that sells only cookbooks. Second, it features an on-site test kitchen and café that lets patrons sample from the recipes served up on the shelves.

Singapore-based 25°C aims to offer a wide variety of cooking-related titles, browsable by region or ingredients as well as special interest topics like travel. Even more interesting, however, is that 25°C has created what appears to be the first bookstore-owned test kitchen in Singapore. On a regular basis, the 25°C staff will pick a book off the shelves and test out a few of the recipes it contains, making a point to closely follow the prescribed steps. Those recipes are then included on the menu of the month at the 25°C Café.

The lesson to be learned? All those who think the tryvertising trend doesn't apply to you, think again! With a little ingenuity, you may just hit upon a way to make it happen—and to build a loyal community while you're at it. One to emulate as soon as possible! (Related: More meal prep and cooking instruction, this time by Jamie Oliver — Tasting bar for babies serves up tryvertising for tykes.)

P.S. Many thanks to Malika for pointing out a similar concept in London: Books for Cooks.

Website: www.25degreec.com
Contact: ask@25degreec.com

Spotted by: Sharon Sng

Love Springwise? Share us with your friends & win one of 5 iPads

2010-01-29T13:08:39Z

Monthly mail service turns kids into globe-trotters

2010-01-21T03:00:57Z

Remember the excitement you felt receiving mail as a child? That's the inspiration behind San Francisco-based Little Passports, a new educational subscription service that aims to turn 5-to-10-year-olds into world travellers, one country at a time. Little Passports delivers monthly travel packages designed to provide a fun, hands-on way for kids to learn about other countries without leaving home. The first shipment in the USD 10.95 per month subscription prepares little voyagers for their global adventure with a mini suitcase, passport, world map and a letter and photo introducing their travel guides, Sam and Sofia.

Each following month, children receive a personalized letter and package from Sam and Sofia, which includes travel-related items like a passport stamp, suitcase sticker and collectible boarding pass to access online games and activities that teach geography, history, culture and vocabulary. As the months pass, little travellers notch up a jetsetter's stamp-filled passport, personalize their suitcase, and pack it with country-specific souvenirs.

In an era dominated by electronic communication, people are embracing concepts from a slower age, like the company that transforms emails into paper letters and one that resurrected the classic telegram. Little Passports combines that nostalgia for 'real' mail and combines it with the convenience of a subscription service. What else could this formula be applied to? (Related: Interactive piggy bank teaches kids about money.)

Website: www.littlepassports.com
Contact: info@littlepassports.com

Spotted by: Jason Ferguson

Your purchases, published in real time for all to see

2010-01-20T08:44:49Z

We've seen the social shopping trend manifested in various forms in recent years, including TeethYou, the Chinese site we covered back in 2007 that let shopping fans show off their favourite purchases. Adding to that concept a heady splash of so-called nowism is Blippy, a Twitter-like effort that lets users automatically publish their shopping transactions in real time for all the world to see.

Launched to the public just last week, California-based Blippy bills itself as “a fun and easy way to see and discuss the things people are buying.” Friends can select to follow each other, meaning that they'll see a constantly updated feed of those people's purchases. Followers can both comment on and “like” transactions as they move through the stream. Each user decides which purchase categories they'd like to share; they can choose to automatically share purchases at vendors like iTunes, Amazon, Netflix and Blockbuster, for example, or they can publish all those made through a particular credit card, debit card or bank account. They can also deliberately keep more private transactions to a “non-Blippy” account.

There are obviously privacy considerations associated with using Blippy, though the site says it performs “super-human feats” to protect its users' data. The potential benefits, however, are intriguing. In addition to paving the way for affiliate fees through the vendors that get mentioned in its stream, Blippy also stands to increase transparency by facilitating reviews and comparisons. To wit: “Imagine being able to tell if you’re getting ripped off with what you’re paying for a gym membership or on your Comcast bill when compared to what your friends are spending on the same things,” as TechCrunch points out. An API is also reportedly in the works, promising even more transparency in the future. In the meantime, one to watch! (Related: Cheap & simple credit card processing for everyone.)

Website: www.blippy.com
Contact: hello@blippy.com

Spotted by: Benoit Rigaut

Personalised newspaper targets young readers

2010-01-04T12:44:17Z

The death of the newspaper may be oft-discussed and widely predicted, but every once in a while a bit of evidence comes along suggesting that those predictions might be premature. Last year we saw the arrival of The Printed Blog, which aggregated blog content into a newspaper package tailored for local readers. That effort didn't survive the year, but now a German counterpart has picked up the torch and revived the idea with a personalised web-to-print newspaper service aimed at young readers.

Launched in November for Berlin residents, Niiu has partnered with 17 daily papers—both national (such as the Berliner Morgenpost, Der Tagesspiegel and Bild) and international (including the New York Times and the Washington Times)—to give readers a choice of content. Customers begin by selecting which pages or sections of those papers they'd like to fill their own 24-page publication, as well as any content they'd like included from hundreds of online RSS feeds. Those who don't want to specify their content piece by piece can also choose from a variety of predefined profiles focused on emphases like fashion or business. The paper can be further customised with a name and a color for the front and back; users can even choose to add a greeting, slogan or uploaded photos. Then, following an entirely outsourced production process, the resulting creation is delivered to their door. Orders for a single issue need only be placed by 2 p.m. for next-morning delivery. Per-issue pricing is EUR 1.20 for students and EUR 1.80 for everyone else, with an introductory offer of three free issues.

Cofounder Wanja Oberhof explains: "It's an individualized paper which has a wide appeal because people, especially students who grew up with the Web, want to get their news from different sources." Despite the diversity of media they're familiar with, however, such readers still prefer print, he told The Editor's Weblog: "We asked this target group which is the most comfortable and which is the best distribution channel; is it an e-paper, is it only on mobile, is it printed or online? The feedback was that for now, paper is still the best distribution channel."

Niiu is currently available only in Berlin, but it plans to expand soon to other German cities. And with its highly targeted model—benefiting not just readers but advertisers as well—the concept might just work. Definitely one to watch! (Related: Web-to-print tool creates personalised magazines — Customised magazine from Lexus, Time & Amex — Magazine publishing for everyone and every niche — Personalised music mag.)

Website: www.niiu.de
Contact: www.niiu.de/kontakt

Spotted by: Lieke Voermans

Adults-only colouring & activity book

2009-12-07T14:01:14Z

Thanks largely to the anything-goes nature of the online world, audiences in mature consumer societies are not easily shocked. As a result, brands are harnessing ever higher levels of risqué to stand out from the crowd. The Icecreamists recently grabbed our attention by sexing up dessert with their x-rated gelato dubbed The Sex Pistol—touted to have the same charge as a dose of Viagra. For those of you who need added proof that maturalism is rife, look no further than Hot Wax, an adults-only colouring book created by Atlanta-based pin-up artist Tyson McAdoo.

Pushing the boundaries in a traditionally child-centric domain, Hot Wax is a 32-page colouring and activity book (USD 14) filled with raunchy graphic illustrations. The images may be just outlines but the themes are unambiguous. With nudity, tattoos and lingerie featuring prominently, clearly this is not a colouring book for kids.

If you’ve read our sister-site's latest trend briefing, you will know that 2010 is set to be rawer and more risqué than ever. What will be the next plain-vanilla product to be infused with a saucy new twist? Could a side of daringly super-charged seduction be the order of the day for your brand?

Website: www.tysonmcadoo.com/store_book/storeBook_02.html — www.facebook.com/pages/Tyson-Mcadoo/54928786199
Contact: store@tysonmcadoo.com

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann