Bookstream Inc., a multimedia company providing online video promotion tools to booksellers, has signed with Books-A-Million to provide content for Bamm.com, making it the first of the major chain booksellers to pick up the service.
Bookstream supplies downloadable video and audio clips of authors discussing their latest works, along with a synopsis, biography, reviews and excerpts. Called Bookwraps, the clips appear on the product pages of Bamm.com. Doug Corne, director of merchandising at Bamm.com, said, "We are very excited to offer Bookwraps. Readers' apprehension about buying books online because they can't 'touch' the product is easily overcome through the enhanced content they provide."
While other companies, such as B&NTV and Bookstarz.com, have attempted similar services in the past, Bookstream is gaining some momentum. It appears on approximately 140 Web sites, including those of many well-known independent bookstores through Booksite.com.
Bookstream founder Charles Halpin, formerly of R.R. Bowker, told PW, "Essentially, a Bookwrap is the equivalent of an online book jacket. The publishers provide us with the authors they want to feature, and we distribute to bookstores, who can link to us for free." The clips vary in length from 15 to 90 seconds, with little time needed to download. Publishers pay a fee of $3,200 for each author and book to be promoted. Among publishers that have used the service are Farrar Straus & Giroux, Harcourt, Perseus, Basic and St. Martin's.
