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Book Publicist Asks: Does Your Book Need an iPhone App?

Guest post by: Scott Lorenz

Article Overview: Having an app that corresponds to your book can give readers something to keep busy as well as draw in new readers. The number of iPhone apps that are linked to books is growing at an increasingly rapid rate. The number of books available on the iTunes App Store has far exceeded the number of games available. So what better way to market your book than to hop on the bandwagon and create an app for it!

Book Publicist Asks: Does Your Book Need an iPhone App?

iPhone users are always looking for new apps to download; from amusing games to useful apps worthy of showing friends and colleagues. Having an app that corresponds to your book can give readers something to keep busy as well as draw in new readers. The number of iPhone apps that are linked to books is growing at an increasingly rapid rate. The number of books available on the iTunes App Store has far exceeded the number of games available. So what better way to market your book than to hop on the bandwagon and create an app for it!

There are many ways you can transform your book into an app. Your app can contain anything from an excerpt of your book to a game that corresponds with the characters in your story. Sharing an excerpt can provide readers with a preview of your story and draw them into either purchasing an audio, kindle or paperback version. On the other hand, games can give readers the opportunity to interact with the characters they’ve grown to know and love from your original story. Create a game that mimics your story line in an interactive fashion or a quiz that allows readers to identify quotes from the story and assign them to the appropriate characters. Games can be especially useful for children’s storybooks seeing as how children love interactive scenarios, especially with their favorite characters.

A great example of a book being transformed into an app is one created from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Currently a top seller, the Harry Potter: Spells application allows users to learn the spells that they’ve seen in action throughout the magical series and use them to battle with other iPhone users. Apps such as this help bring the story to life in a new way for readers and will keep your story alive in their minds long after they’ve finished reading.

If your book is non-fiction, there are other ways to translate it into an app. You might be interested in creating an app that emphasizes tips, key points or interesting facts from your book. For example, a popular app, Military Cadences, provides users with the words associated with the various songs and chants used in military settings. Providing this can help readers better understand the concept of your book and provide them with new information on the subject that they find interesting.

The current top selling iPhone App for a book is Dora’s Ballet Adventures. Available for $2.99, users can partake in an interactive storytelling adventure and help Nickelodeon’s Dora prepare for her ballet recital. The app gets 5 star rating reviews from parents and has definitely brought publicity to it. As mentioned before, children’s books can be easily transformed into iPhone apps and are a great way for parents to keep children entertained on errands or in the car.

Another thing to consider when deciding whether or not to create an iPhone app is that an app can be a great way to bring in a little extra revenue. You can charge a small fee for your app or offer it for free. By charging a small fee, you bring a little more money with each purchase/download. If you decide to offer your app for free, more people will download it and will be aware of your story. Regardless of which path you choose, you can expect to see an increase in sales, which is always a good thing.

iPhone apps are a great way to bring your story to life for readers as well as draw in new readers. There are many prestigious and affordable companies that can be of service if you are looking to create an app. Contact me for details if you are interested.

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Article Tags: book marketing, book promotion, book publicity, iphone app for books



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