BookBub

BookBub is a book discovery service that was created to help readers find new books and authors.[2] The company features free and discounted ebooks selected by its editorial team,[3] as well as book recommendations,[1] updates from authors,[4] and articles about books.[5] The service is free for readers[6] and includes a website and personalized email newsletters.[1] The Guardian called BookBub the “Groupon of e-books.”[7]

BookBub
Type of businessPrivate
FoundedJanuary 2012 (2012-01)
HeadquartersCambridge, Massachusetts
Founder(s)
Industry
Employees120
URLbookbub.com
RegistrationOptional
Users15 million[1]

BookBub has more than 15 million users in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.[1] For publishers and authors, BookBub provides marketing tools that are intended to help them reach readers and sell more books.[1] The company also operates an audiobook retailer called Chirp.[8]

The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[1]

History

BookBub was founded in January 2012 by Josh Schanker and Nicholas Ciarelli.[9]

In May 2014, BookBub raised $3.8 million in a Series A round led by NextView Ventures and Founder Collective, and joined by Avalon Ventures and Bloomberg Beta.[3]

In September 2014, BookBub launched in the UK.[10]

In May 2015, BookBub raised $7 million in new equity and debt financing[11] from its existing investors.[12]

In 2019, BookBub had 120 employees, 15 million subscribers, and launched an audiobook division called Chirp.[1]

Business model

The newsletter is free to customers but authors and publishers pay to be featured in the newsletter.[9] Authors and publishers use BookBub to gain exposure with the intention to increase future sales.[9] The cost to have your book feature depends on the genre and price of the book.[10] In 2014, the cheapest slot was $40 to advertise a free book of African-American interest.[10] BookBub rejects about 80 to 90 percent of requests for eBooks to be featured.[13]

References
  1. Green, Alex (December 1, 2019). "BookBub and an Age-Old Question: What to Read Next?". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  2. Turchi, Megan (August 1, 2016). "Cambridge-based startup helps readers browse books in the digital world". Boston.com. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  3. Kolodny, Lora (May 1, 2014). "BookBub Raises $3.8M to Help Readers Find E-Book Deals Online". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  4. Donelan, Katie (January 4, 2016). "Introducing BookBub New Release Alerts". BookBub Partners Blog. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  5. "BookBub Blog". BookBub Blog. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  6. Leighton, Mara (August 29, 2019). "BookBub is a free newsletter that lets you know when the books you want to read are on sale — here's how it works". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  7. Bridle, James (2015-01-25). "BookBub – it's Groupon for ebooks". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  8. "BookBub Enters Audiobook Space with Chirp". Publishers Weekly. March 7, 2019. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  9. Kirsner, Scott; Columnist, Globe. "BookBub, Cambridge site promoting free and discounted e-books, approaches one million subscribers". Boston.com. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  10. "BookBub launches in the UK | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  11. "E-book service BookBub raises $7m and pushes its global expansion". www.betaboston.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  12. "BookBub Raises $7M to Help Bookworms Discover New Authors". WSJ Pro Venture Capital. May 20, 2015. Retrieved 2020-08-03. (subscription required)
  13. "Bookbub Is Luring Book Lovers To Site For Great Deals". www.inquisitr.com. Retrieved 2020-03-16.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.