eReading: anytime. anyplace

Just last week, Kobo expanded its service on yet another device – the Literati, a wireless electronic reader by The Sharper Image. Powering the complete eReading experience on the Literati, Literati customers can shop the onboard Kobo store and enjoy the great book-like reading escape book lovers expect from Kobo.

The new Literati features a 7-inch FULL COLOR LCD screen, Wi-Fi connectivity, a pleasing design, simplified interface and durability.

Starting in October, you can buy the device for $159 or less from over 7,000 retail locations in the US. That’s the broadest retail footprint of any eReader currently available! Just about anywhere you shop – Macy’s, Kohl’s, Best Buy, J.C. Penney’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, and more.

Key features available on the Literati, powered by Kobo:

- Direct access from the eReader to nearly 2 million titles – thousands of which are free – including New York TimesÒ bestsellers, new releases, cookbooks and more.

- 25 free books already pre-loaded on the device, and convenient download access to an additional 125 of the most popular free classics. That’s 150 free eBooks right out of the box!

- A customizable bookshelf and reading experience. Select fonts, sizes and colors that best suit your reading preferences.

- The ability to sync with your Kobo account on any device – whether it’s your iPhone, iPad, Kobo eReader, tablet, BlackBerry, and many more. Kobo will even save your bookmarks so you can pick up where you left off on any device.

The Literati was designed and is distributed by MerchSource, under trademark license from The Sharper Image. For more information, visit www.literatireader.com.

{ 2 comments }

New York, Meet Kobo…

With Kobo and US publishers, it’s been a long-distance relationship. Lots of planes, a river of email, plenty of phone and Skype. And like all long-distance relationships, it starts to get a little tired. Another meal at the airport. You wonder if they’re seeing someone else. You want more. Someone has to move. We asked the publishers if they could all move to Toronto. They said something about the lease on their Manhattan apartment and how they were focused on their career right now. It looks like it’s up to us. So I am happy to announce that Kobo has opened an office in New York, focused on publisher relations and content acquisition for the US market, and even happier to introduce the first two members of our New York team.

Jan Ehrlich joins Kobo as Director, Newspapers and Magazines (NYC). Most recently Director of Business Development for Texterity, she also ran periodical publisher relations for Special Data Processing, and held various roles at Playboy, Children’s Television Workshop,  and Forbes. Jan’s deep understanding of the economics, relationships, and requirements of newspapers and magazines in the digital age is essential as we look beyond books to other forms of reading and other types of publishers.

Ami Greko joins Kobo as Senior Manager, Vendor Relations, Books (NYC). Most recently Director of Business Development for GetGlue, she also managed digital marketing for Macmillan, was Marketing Director for Folio Literary Management, and held positions with Farrar, Straus & Giroux and Viking Penguin. We like Ami because she is a cross-media relationship builder and a tireless promoter of digital reading, with a rare combo of startup, publishing, literary agency, and PR. Having passed our test of constructing a new publisher agreement out of twine and bits of scavenged metal, we are very happy to have her on board.

(We’re still looking for some more NYC hires. Check out “Content & Vendor Management” at Jobs with Kobo.)

Publisher relationships are something we take very seriously at Kobo. We have always believed that building the digital reading market is something that should be done with publishers, rather than done to publishers. The more we can collaborate, the more information we can exchange, the better it will be for publishers, for Kobo and for the readers we serve. Our work with US-based publishers is growing at a frantic pace as we continue to add new vendors, deepen our retail relationships, innovate on devices, and manage the intricacies of agency relationships. Expect to see us in person more often, at more conferences, running and sponsoring events and generally making more noise. We look forward to growing our New York team as we continue to push the boundaries of this amazing market.

{ 0 comments }

How cool is that!

{ 0 comments }

Great news for all of you that have the Kobo eReading app on your iPhone or iPad – you can now bring in books from other eBook services to your Kobo library! And, for those of you that have an iPhone or iPad and haven’t downloaded the Kobo app, here is just one more reason why you should.

What does this mean you ask? We now support the ability to add ePub or PDF books* to your iPhone**, iPad and iPod touch applications. You can add books from other sources such as Project Gutenberg and Feedbooks directly to your bookshelf where they will appear alongside your existing Kobo library. This is another enhancement to enable you to read and enjoy your books using the Kobo service, wherever and however you choose to get them. No need to be confined by the Kobo app and bookstore; Kobo stands behind its promise of open standards letting you explore eReading from many sources. The Kobo app is easy to use and clearly displays your bookshelf so that you can bring in PDFs and ePub files from any source and keep your library organized in one location on your device. Plus, you can customize your reading experience with adjustable font sizes and styles, book mark styles, shelf views and more. The applications also include other great features such as automatic bookmarking, the ability to have multiple bookmarks and night reading – so when you can’t put that great read down you won’t keep your loved one up.

* ePubs and PDFs added to Kobo must not be encrypted (non DRM)
** Requires iOS 3.2 and higher

{ 2 comments }

We have 150 Kobo eReaders ready to go to the Canadian forces libraries in Afghanistan. The eReaders are loaded with 100 great classics plus a wide selection of Best Sellers generously donated by HarperCollins Canada, Harlequin, McClelland & Stewart, Random House of Canada and Simon & Schuster Canada.

To help our troops select their next great read we’d like to include our Kobo community’s Recommendations and Reviews!

To support our troops:
1. Review the list of included Best Sellers
2. Let the troops know which books you think they’ll most enjoy in a comment to this blog.

Post your comments by September 5th.

Included Best Sellers:

1. A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane
2. A Soldier First by Rick Hillier
3. A Very Special Delivery by Linda Goodnight
4. All The Colours Of Darkness by Peter Robinson
5. Baby Bonanza by Maureen Child
6. The Best of Men by Claire Letemendia
7. The Bishop’s Man by Linden MacIntyre
8. Blue Covenant by Maude Barlow
9. The Burning Wire: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel by Jeffery Deaver
10. The Calling by Inger Ash Wolfe
11. Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels
12. Dale Brown’s Dreamland: Strike Zone by Dale Brown
13. Dancing in the Moonlight by RaeAnne Thayne
14. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
15. Fifteen Days by Christie Blatchford
16. Foreign Influence by Brad Thor
17. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
18. Gretzky’s Tears by Stephen Brunt
19. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
20. Hide in Plain Sight by Marta Perry
21. Highest Duty by Chesley B. Sullenberger
22. His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls
23. Hitch-22 by Christopher Hitchens
24. Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart
25. House Rules by Jodi Picoult
26. Irresistable Forces by Brenda Jackson
27. The Judas Strain by James Rollins
28. Just Watch Me by John English
29. Kiss Me Deadly by Michele Hauf
30. Last Call by Daniel Okrent
31. Military History Canada by Desmond Morton
32. Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat
33. Once a Cowboy by Linda Warren
34. The Penalty Killing by Michael McKinley
35. Playing with Fire by Theo Fleury and Kirstie McLellan Day
36. Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
37. Pursuit of Honor by Vince Flynn
38. Red Dog, Red Dog by Patrick Lane
39. Risk: The Science and Politics Of Fear by Dan Gardner
40. Slash by Slash
41. Slow Hands by Leslie Kelly
42. Speed Dating by Nancy Warren
43. Swan Peak by James Lee Burke
44. The Ark by Boyd Morrison
45. The Bride’s Baby by Liz Fielding
46. The Snowman by Jo Nesbo
47. The Untamed Bride by Stephanie Laurens
48. Under the Dome by Stephen King
49. Virgin River by Robyn Carr

Provide your recommendations by posting a comment to this blog by September 5th.

Thanks for your participation!
The Kobo Team

{ 39 comments }

<ROCKETSHIP>

I was recently sharing some of our growth stats with a key partner while he was driving to a meeting. He nearly drove off the road. It’s only been 8 months and 3 days since we launched Kobo last December, and we have experienced tremendous changes in the market and unbelievable growth for any startup. Here are some highlights:

#1 WORLD DOMINATION, THE BEGINNING…

We have now launched 4 of the largest bookseller chains worldwide – Borders (US), Indigo (CA), Borders (AU), Angus & Robertsons (AU) and Whitcoull’s (NZ). They each have an integrated web experience, mobile applications for iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, Android and Desktop. They also sell our Kobo eReader in stores and online.

Meanwhile, our direct business at Kobobooks.com is rocking and we’ve delivered ebooks into 200 countries from Azerbaijan to Vanuatu – we’re making books available in more places to more people than ever before.

#2 CONTENT IS KING

We now have 2.2 million eBooks, and local content in Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand in addition to the US. We have 95% of New York Times bestselling titles available in digital format (even kids books!) and 90% of Globe & Mail bestsellers, with more arriving every day. We are actively acquiring content around the world, and this goes beyond black & white text, beyond plain ole’ ebooks. As we announce new distribution channels, we will give a deeper update here.

#3 KOBO EREADER STARTED A TREND

We’re amazed at how many customers we’ve turned on to our Kobo eReader in the last 100 days. It’s affordable, stylish, easy to use positioning definitely struck a chord with customers and started a trend for lower priced eReaders (you’re welcome!). For competitive reasons, we can’t tell you just how many are out there, but it is fact that many of our global retail distributors have been out of stock too often. We thought they would be popular – but we didn’t think they’d be that popular. It’s the best bad problem a device-maker can have. We like to think that we convinced the world that yes, in fact ereaders are for everyone. Not just tech people. Not just people with lots of money to spend.

Just last week we announced that Fairmont Hotels will start providing Kobo eReaders to guests in select hotels. We knew we were stylish, but we didn’t know we’d be in The Plaza… nice!

#4 THE FIRST ON ANDROID

We launched a new Android app last month that we are hugely excited about – we think Android has a big future. We started the “any device” mantra, and guess what? The industry has caught on. We have recently launched updates our popular apps for iPhone, iPad and Blackberry. Our desktop app for Mac/Windows ships with our eReader but we will make that available to everyone shortly.

#5 OVER 1 MILLION SERVED (LAST MONTH)

Across web, mobile, devices, direct, channel…we served 1 million people last month.

There are more of you, buying at a higher frequency, staying longer, and building their libraries. We now have customers with ~400 books in their libraries! Prices have continued to come down, despite concerns many had with agency pricing. Our average price is now $8USD. Even those who buy eBooks download a lot of free eBooks, loving our 1.8MM++ FREE titles!

#6 OUR GROWTH BEATS THE MARKET

You can check the IDPF growth numbers here. We’re beating them, probably more than anyone, on a % growth basis. Now for our version of directional, relative, growth stats: In Q1, we sold over 10X the ebooks as we did in Q4 (when we were still in pilot-mode). In Q2, we nearly tripled Q1. Comparing that to the first half of 2009, when we launched in pilot-mode, that’s more than 130X growth. In mid Q2, we started selling Kobo eReaders too and that drove total sales more than 10 times in Q2.

#7 THE KOBO COMMUNITY IS AWESOME

I love our Kobo customers and can only stand back and marvel at all the passion pouring from our community. Our “Where are You Reading Campaign” drove some awesome photos of people reading eBooks….and recently I saw a picture of two Kobo customers’ wedding and the groom is reading the wedding wows on his Kobo eReader!

</ROCKETSHIP>

We are rocking. We’re a David among many Goliaths, building a global business, developing the market for eReading. We’re not a billion-dollar company (yet), but this is all we do and we are scrappy. We have no other business to lose any sleep over or steal our focus. We are in this both because we want to win and because we think reading can be better. This is the first time in 500 years that the book has had a major change. This is bigger than all of us and we have immense respect for the impact that these changes will have on our traditions, our culture, and the way we think about the written word.

Thank you for your continued support, enthusiasm and patience in our quest to build a global eReading juggernaut. As we approach fall, and growing competition, Annabel Lyon’s “Golden Mean” (which I loved) reminds me of my roots, and Alexander’s wars.

Watch out Darius, here we come.

{ 9 comments }

10 Fairmont properties offer Kobo eReaders loaded with Random House bestsellers

TORONTO, ON —August 11, 2010— Kobo, a global eReading service, today announced that Fairmont Gold guests will have access to Kobo eReaders featuring a library of new and bestselling Random House books. The Kobo eReaders are now available at select properties in the US and Canada for guests staying on Fairmont Gold, a private, dedicated area offering guests the experience of an exclusive oasis with personalized service and enhanced amenities. The eReaders are loaded with a variety of fiction and non-fiction eBooks by authors including Bret Easton Ellis, Sophie Kinsella and Alexander McCall Smith. Upon returning the Kobo eReader, guests will receive a special offer for $2 off select Random House titles redeemable at www.kobobooks.com/randomhouse.

“Travelers are a great fit for the Kobo offering and a group that is eager to engage in eReading,” said Michael Serbinis, CEO of Kobo. “We know that travelers do not want to carry heavy books in their luggage, and vacations provide the perfect time to relax and catch up on reading. This partnership allows Kobo to expand our reach and offer our service to an important segment of our customer base.”

The opportunity to trial a Kobo eReader is a benefit of Fairmont President’s Club (FPC), the brand’s guest loyalty program. Free to join, Fairmont President’s Club provides guests with special benefits and privileges designed to reflect individual travel preferences and offer an enhanced level of service. Personalized travel profiles afford members customized stay experiences, while in-hotel benefits include private check-in, complimentary room upgrades, and high-speed and wireless Internet access. Guests can enroll at time of booking or online at www.fairmont.com/fpc.

Brad Martin, President and CEO, Random House of Canada commented, “Random House is excited to partner with Kobo and Fairmont Hotels to give travelers the opportunity and convenience to read books by some of our bestselling and award-winning authors on Kobo eReaders. I’m sure guests will really enjoy this great reading experience.”

In addition to the Random House library, Fairmont guests can easily access Kobo’s eBook store at www.kobobooks.com to browse and purchase from Kobo’s collection of over two million titles, thousands of which are available for free. Kobo also offers free eReading apps for today’s most popular devices such as; iPhone, Blackberry, Android, and the latest tablets – such as iPad. Kobo‘s eReading service is being used by customers in more than 200 countries. A customer’s Kobo library is bookmarked from one device to the next for a continuous reading experience. The Kobo eReader is available for $149 at Borders in the US and at Indigo Books & Music and Walmart stores in Canada.

Brian Richardson, VP Marketing and Communications, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts says, “Offering benefits that are valued and distinctive allows us to provide our most loyal guests with something unique – either during the stay or when they return home. The Kobo eReader is a great way for guests to enjoy entertainment while staying with Fairmont and a great partner for us.”

The Kobo eReader is available at the following Fairmont Hotels & Resorts*: The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Fairmont Pacific Rim, Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, The Fairmont Royal York, Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, Fairmont Château Laurier, Fairmont Turnberry Isle, The Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston, and The Plaza, A Fairmont Managed Hotel.

* Where Fairmont Gold is not available, guests can request Kobo eReaders through Royal Service.

About Kobo, Inc.
Kobo is a global eReading service backed by majority shareholder Indigo Books & Music, Borders Group, REDgroup Retail, and Cheung Kong Holdings. Kobo believes consumers should be able to read any book on any device. With a catalog of over two million eBooks, and an open platform, Kobo enables retailers, device manufacturers and mobile operators to bring the joy of eReading to customers everywhere. For more information, visit www.kobobooks.com.

About Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
With over 60 distinctive hotels, including the iconic Fairmont San Francisco and Fairmont Peace Hotel, Shanghai, and more in development, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is a global hospitality brand known for its warm and engaging service and culturally rich experiences. Located in coveted worldwide destinations, its unrivalled collection of classic hotels imbue a sense of heritage, sophistication, and social importance, and are often considered destinations in and of themselves. Fairmont is also committed to responsible tourism and is an industry leader in sustainable hotel management with its award-winning Green Partnership program. Fairmont is owned by FRHI Holdings Limited, a leading global hotel company with 95 hotels under the Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel brands. The company also manages Fairmont and Raffles branded residences, estates and luxury private residence club properties. For more information or reservations, please call 1-800-441-1414 or visit www.fairmont.com.

About Random House
Random House is the world’s largest publisher of general interest hardcover, paperback, audio, and digital adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction books, Their parent company is Bertelsmann AG, one of the world’s foremost media companies. For more information, visit us at www.randomhouse.com or www.randomhouse.ca.

{ 4 comments }

Free application provides enhanced features making for an easier, faster and more versatile iPhone reading experience.

TORONTO, ON — June 29, 2010 — Kobo, a global eReading service, today announced the availability of its new iPhone application, built specifically for iPhone 4 and the iOS 4 operating system. The application features additional reading format options, automatic syncing, multiple bookmarking and faster navigation. In addition to iPhone, Kobo is available on iPad, Android, BlackBerry, netbooks, tablets and dedicated eReaders – including the Kobo eReader. All of Kobo’s applications connect to the Kobo eBook store, which features more than two million titles including best sellers, classics, and thousands of free books.

“Our iPhone application has always been one of our most popular apps and we’re excited for our users to see Kobo on iOS 4,” said Michael Serbinis, CEO of Kobo. “Kobo users now have even more flexibility when reading free books and best sellers. It’s all about ensuring that our customers continue to have the best and easiest reading experience on any device.”

The new and improved Kobo iPhone application adds the following new features:

• Retina Display: The iPhone 4’s high-quality screen makes reading easier on the eyes.
• Multitasking Functionality: Users stay connected to Kobo while performing tasks such as texting and email.
• Rich Text & Images: Read books in their original format as ePubs and select from different font sizes and styles.
• Bookmark Syncing: Kobo for iPhone automatically syncs a user’s last read page across all of their devices so users can pick up where they left off from device to device.
• Multiple Bookmarks: ‘Dog ear’ favorite pages in several books to easily come back and continue reading later. Kobo will also store the date and time of the last bookmark.
• Easier navigation: Kobo now includes the ability to advance pages and chapters in a book without losing one’s place.

Kobo is a global eReading service with customers in more than 200 countries. In addition to building applications for existing mobile devices, Kobo recently started selling the affordable eInk Kobo eReader, with a goal of making eReading more accessible for consumers. Kobo’s open approach enables consumers to read their content on any device anytime, anyplace – including downloading purchases and reading on popular third-party devices and software. Kobo believes customers should have the freedom of choice, and be able to build their eBook libraries independent of any device or service.

To download the free Kobo app visit www.kobobooks.com or visit the App Store. Customers who currently have Kobo on their iPhone can download the update directly on their device.

About Kobo, Inc.
Kobo is a global eReading service backed by majority shareholder Indigo Books & Music, Borders Group, REDgroup Retail, and Cheung Kong Holdings. Kobo believes consumers should be able to read any eBook on any device. With a catalog of over two million eBooks, and an open platform, Kobo enables retailers, device manufacturers and mobile operators to bring the joy of eReading to customers everywhere. For more information, visit www.kobobooks.com.

Did you download the new iPhone OS today? We did, and it’s pretty sweet. Behind the scenes, we’ve been working with the new OS for weeks prepping the new iPhone 4.0 Kobo app. It’s available in the App Store today, and we can’t wait to hear what you think! Here are a few of the new features you’re sure to notice…

- Rich Text & Images: Read books in their original format as ePubs and select from different font sizes and styles.

- Cloud Bookmark Syncing: Kobo for iPhone automatically syncs your last read page across all of your devices so you can pick up where you left off from your iPad, desktop or Kobo eReader. Never get lost again!

- Multiple Bookmarks: Are your paperbacks earmarked messes? This one is for you. Corner your favorite pages in a book to easily come back to it later. We also store the date and time of your last bookmark.

- Easier navigation: You now have the ability to advance pages and chapters in a book without losing the page you’re reading.

- Performance Improvements: Reading a book on your iPhone is even faster so you can start reading right away.

- Support for Retina Display screens on the new iPhone 4

- Now you can multi-task – Kobo stays connected so you can check your texts to find out where your friends are meeting for coffee!

As always, we love feedback. Happy reading.

{ 4 comments }