Tuesday

Bundle Me Up Tight

Do you read e-books?  Do you read physical books?  Do you sometimes buy both versions of the same book?

I know not everyone buys a book in multiple formats, but there are quite a few people who do.  They love having a portable library and the ability to feel the heft of a paper book.  Some want the e-book for reading on the go and the physical copy for reading at home.

So, for the people who generally purchase both, why aren’t e-book and physical copies offered in a bundle?  It wouldn’t replace buying just the physical or electronic versions, so why not?  The publishers could even give a slight discount over buying each type of book separately, making it a more appealing option for consumers who have a million pieces of media vying for their hard-earned cash.  It would be a more convenient shopping experience, too.

All online retailers would have to do is put a drop-down menu on the physical book’s page where a reader can choose which e-reader they want the electronic edition for.  It is simple to do on almost any website.
As for physical stores, I’m not sure how it would be done.  Maybe a redemption code right with the book with a choice between the most popular e-book formats.

It would be great for readers, and not take too much extra effort on the part of the publishers and retailers.  The money received would (most likely) be more than the cost of making it happen. Maybe companies fear not enough people would want the bundles.  But, they can always test and tweak as they need to.  Heck, they can even have audiobooks as one of the format options, eventually!

What do you think about multiple-format bundles?  Would you ever give them a try?

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