Multimedia in our ebooks?

New publisher Cathedral Rock Publishing has announced the results of a survey: 77 per cent of ebook users want ebooks with music, and 50 per cent would pay double for it.


(Kindle image by Amazon; Haywire film still by Relativity Media; CBSi)

Naturally, we’re going to take any results with a grain of salt; Cathedral Rock Publishing, the brave pioneer that commissioned the survey, is trying to introduce the concept of e-commerce into ebooks. The company said in a press release last month:

“Using Cathedral Rock’s ‘Book IS the Store’ application, book publishers, authors — even musicians and music publishers — can turn a single sale into multiple and continuing sales by offering products and services selected for a customer with specific interests, presented at precisely the right time in the ebook.”

Only 105 people were surveyed, and the sampling isn’t exactly clear; and, as Cathedral Rock Publishing has a vested interest in the results coming up in its favour, it’s no surprise that the result turned out as it did.

Still, while we find the idea of advertising within ebooks execrable, the idea of integrated multimedia is an intriguing one.

What do you think; does the idea have merit, or is it a gigantic pile of tripe?

Check Also

The M2 MacBook Air Is the Ultimate Laptop Gift

This story is part of 84 Days of Holiday, a collection that helps you find the perfect gift for anyone. Over the years, I’ve often described Apple’s MacBook Air as the most universally useful laptop you can get (or in this case, give). The latest version, now with Apple’s new M2 chip inside, hits the fresh …

Leave a Reply