ScrollMotion releases in-app purchase, has sold over 200,000 e-books on the iPhone
Today, ScrollMotion releases Iceberg Reader [iTunes link], an update to their existing e-book reader that takes advantage of Apple’s in-app purchase feature. Previously, each of ScrollMotion’s e-books came as a separate app, which means that ScrollMotion has over 2,500 apps on the store [iTunes link]. Now, instead of having to get a separate app for each book, users can simply obtain Iceberg Reader 3.0 for free and then use the in-app bookstore to purchase additional titles. Iceberg Reader comes with a free copy of James Patterson’s Maximum Ride.
I’ll also add that the reading experience is better than Kindle for the iPhone. Specifically, the pages are much easier on the eyes because they have an off-white background instead of the Kindle’s pure white. The text was a lot more authentic, which is in line with what Lema told me is the goal of the company: to keep the reading experience the same as a real book. Obviously, the iPhone’s screen prevents that from becoming a reality, but the Iceberg Reader comes as close to paper as possible.
Many of us already read news on the iPhone, so reading books is not too much of a stretch. Granted, there are tons of dedicated e-book readers already on the market, but I don’t know that I want to walk around with a bulky Kindle, Nook or IREX when I’m on the go. For people like me, buying a book or two on the iPhone might make sense, though I can’t imagine having a large collection on my iPhone.
That said, Amazon and Barnes and Noble both have apps on the store, and the big issue for ScrollMotion is that their books often cost more than in the Kindle store. For example, Dreams of My Father by Barack Obama costs $14.99 via ScrollMotion’s Iceberg Reader [iTunes link], but only $9.99 on the Kindle Store. Similarly, Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers costs $9.99 on the Kindle Store, but a startling $19.99 on the Iceberg Reader. However, most non-bestsellers show no significant difference in price, so don’t expect the trend to continue when you try to buy books that aren’t as famous.
But despite the difficulties of taking on Amazon, ScrollMotion has sold over 200,000 books and that’s nothing to scoff at. Remember that most books are upwards of $10, which means they’ve sold almost $1 million worth of books. Add that to the fact that ScrollMotion has deals to create iPhone apps for People, Esquire, ESPN The Magazine, and Bon Appetit, and ScrollMotion is quietly running a successful indie publishing business on the iPhone. As ScrollMotion’s CEO puts it, “ScrollMotion’s goal is to allow people to read books wherever they are without destroying the experience.”