Ether Books Banks on Increased Digital Readership on iPhone and iPod Touch

April 19, 2010 - By Justin E. Gehrke

A fledgling startup in the publishing industry is banking on the frugality of consumers, specifically Apple iPhone and iPod Touch owners, to launch a new literary catalog. Ether Books plans to offer a variety of short stories, essays, and poetry to existing iPhone and iPod Touch owners. It may be a long-shot, but the company is counting on consumers to skip purchasing pricey eBook devices, such as the Amazon Kindle and Sony eReader, since they can leverage their existing gadgets to purchase electronic publications, at cheaper prices.

Scheduled to officially debut the service at this week’s London Book Fair, the company’s initial offerings will include works by such notable authors as Alexander McCall-Smith and Louis de Bernieres. By providing works by popular authors and aiming for a more cost-conscious demographic, Ether may actually be able to carve out a successful niche for themselves, in an increasingly competitive digital publishing market.

Specifically, the company is hoping to attract consumers who may like the idea of purchasing the Amazon Kindle or Apple iPad but simply are willing…or able…to do so. For gadget owners in this category reading on a small screen may be a worthwhile alternative to spending hundreds of dollars more for a separate device. In a statement quoted by Reuters, Maureen Scott, Ether Books Digital Director, said, “…at Ether Books we’ve made the decision to go straight to distributing short works via our iPhone app to devices people already own, are familiar with and are happy to use when they have 10-15 minutes to spare.”

If Ether Books’ venture gets off on the right foot, they may attract other authors, who see a potentially lucrative market for iPhone consumers who only have a few minutes a day to dedicate to electronic reading. More details on Ether Books, as well as information on how they may be contacted, can be found on the company’s official website.