Blloon ereading app launched in UK
Ereading app Blloon has launched in the UK and is using ‘gamification’ to engage young people, reports the Bookseller. The app was launched earlier this year by Thomas Leliveld, founder of the Txtr ereading app. It allows customers to read the first 1000 pages of an ebooks for free. However, to continue reading, the customer must either invite others to join the platform or subscribe to the premium service for a monthly fee. Leliveld said Blloon aims to target young people who ‘read up to 12 books a year’. The app is available for free on iOS devices and is designed with ‘gamification at its core’ to engage young people. ‘Research shows that 85% of young people would be likely to recommend books if rewarded for it—this gamification gets young people talking about books and Blloon, while getting something in return,’ said the company in a statement. The platform currently features titles from the publishers Allen & Unwin, Diversion Books, Faber Factory, Guardian Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Lonely Planet, Open Road Media, Profile, RosettaBooks and Workman Publishing, as well as titles from Ingram’s ebook distribution service CoreSource Plus. Blloon launched the platform in beta format before Frankfurt Book Fair and is planning to launch the platform in Germany and US markets. As previously reported in Books+Publishing, the Txtr app was launched in Australia and New Zealand in May 2013.
Category: International news
