Vook, a digital publishing and distribution platform, is launching Author Control, a new data service that allows authors and publishers to track e-book sales and unit downloads across every major retail channel. The service is delivered as part of Vook’s market intelligence dashboard and Vook accounts can use the service to track up to 10 titles for free.
The service can track e-book sales across 28 different retail channels and provide real-time data and historical analytics, according to Vook cofounder Matt Cavnar, who told PW “we can track data no matter who is distributing it.” Among the retail channels tracked are Amazon, Amazon KDP, Kobo Writing Life, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Nook Press, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Google, and Samsung.
The new Author Control service, Cavnar said, is free for the first 10 books. Sales data is delivered to each account via an “easy-to-use” dashboard accessible by mobile device and on the web. “Author Control e-book sales tracking is entirely free for up to 10 books for any content holder,” Cavnar told PW. “It’s not part of any package. You can come to Vook if you have a book in Amazon KDP and start tracking it with us and never have to buy a thing from us. We're ultimately aiming to build the Google Analytics of e-book market intelligence.”
Although Vook recently acquired Booklr, a firm that also specializes in providing real-time data on book sales and retailer performance, Cavnar said that Author Control is “built entirely on Vook proprietary technology.” However he added that, “the tech and market intelligence from Booklr will be added in to the Author Control dashboard in the coming months to give authors access to more data, like price points, retailer discounts, rankings and other performance information we are tracking.” Cavenar said to “think of Author Control as the base product we’ll use to extend and render more and more data to content holders.”
The service is already being used by R.R. Bowker, the New York Times, Forbes, Grub Street, Author Marketing Experts, the CUNY Publishing Certificate Program, members of writer organizations such as International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America and Romance Writers of America as well as literary agencies such as Writers House.
Cavnar said, “Author Control is the next step in our vision to empower authors with the best digital publishing services and the right data. Authors can get the complete picture of their sales across the major retail channels in one dashboard, helping them take control of their publishing initiatives.”
