Following the October launch of the CapReader app at the Apple iTunes App store, which offers access to 1,100 e-books for ages 0-13, Minnesota-based Capstone Young Readers will introduce a pilot e-book bundling program at 10 independent bookstores that will enable them to offer a Capstone e-book paired with the print edition.
Later this week retailers such as University Book Store in Seattle and Park Road Books in Charlotte, N.C., will be able to sell Capstone interactive e-book bundles to their customers.
The bookstores selected for the program were recommended by members of Capstone’s sales force, who chose indies open to testing new sales models. “I’m always looking for something new and different, and to expand my marketability,” explained Ellen Richmond, owner of Children’s Book Cellar in Waterville, Maine. “The market is changing and we’re all trying to find our niche.” She is looking forward to working with schools to promote the bundles, since many Capstone titles address the Common Core.
“Capstone, as a brand, sells really well for us,” said Marc Galvin, co-owner of Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid, N.Y. He plans to set up a small section dedicated to Capstone titles in the children’s section at the back of the store. Capstone will provide a demo iPad preloaded with the CapReader app.
“Community booksellers are some of the most passionate and experienced curators of good books for children and young adults,” commented Capstone Group publisher and general manager Ashley Andersen Zantop in a press release.
“We’re excited to launch a program that allows them to extend that expertise and passion to the sale of e-books, as well as printed books," Zantop continued. "Giving bookstore customers a convenient way to purchase e-books in their community bookstore, the place where they first discover so many of their favorite books, is a great opportunity for everyone.”
The beta program is scheduled to end on June 30, 2015.
