Dear ePublishers,
Can I point out something? You will never have as much money or as much time as Apple does to develop web based marketing. So can I get you all to download iTunes for free and then take a look at where you should all be going with your websites? In my opinion selling eBooks or Albums is pretty much in the same realm and iTunes new iTunes LP packaging needs to be broken down and emulated by example ASAP. It is not hard to see that author branding is the way to go for future sales. That means artist promotion and packaging online or in this case author focused promotion by an ePublisher will increase recognition and sales of all their eBooks. Just look at Nora Roberts and her very slick back cover photos and go from there.
I say here is the next step and in this day and age you should not just be getting a good Editing Team but should probably put together a damn good Graphic Arts/Web Team. All Apple is doing in this case is using a good basic Graphic Artist with a web background some CSS skills, some HTML 4.01 knowledge and some Java Script programing skills. This is simplicity at it’s finest! No FLASH! Stay away from Adobe when it comes to web based design and presentation they suck HUGE ass and their automated tools are a nightmare.
So let’s break down this iTunes page.
* First, at the Left Top notice the Music > Dance > Tyrese above the title of this guys new single? Those are called Breadcrumbs and you all should be using these like a librarian uses Dewey Decimal for example an ePublisher could simply integrate something like eBooks > Romance > Gay Romance > Josh Lanyon on an authors page. The buyer always knows where they are and by clicking one of the hyper-links in the Breadcrumb trail can go back up the search path and can more easily maneuver around your website.
* Next down is the title of this artists latest work Tyrese Gibson’s MAYHEM! right here on the artist’s webpage which is why most people will be coming here to quickly get an update on what is available and when. That’s an easy sale smack dab on the artists front page with the buy now button right below it. I’m the newest thing buy me!
* Center on the page is a photo of the artist with added artwork from the cover of the latest work integrated to the farthest Left position beside it. Now I like this, no need for a bunch of text in order to make the sale. Just strong graphics and style with only a “blurb” of what the latest work is about on this page right below the photo. Now obviously there is a sub-page for this new product if you were to click on it with further explanation and maybe even a excerpt etc but remember this is the artist’s page not the new works page now the Breadcrumbs if you went to that product page will probably look for an ePublisher like this eBooks > Romance > Gay Romance > Josh Lanyon > Series Title > Book Title.
* Bottom Center of the page from left to right is a display of covers of older works by this artist with obviously sub-pages for each one.
Now if you were going to iTunes and bought Tyrese Gibson’s MAYHEM! we could then carry on a full conversation on what the future content of eBooks might entail and how Apple is looking to change what customers expect before ePublishing even hits adulthood. Go buy it and for $1.99 it will blow your mind. I promise.
Tags: ePublisher, Web Design
Angela James wrote,
On the other hand, I was on iTunes last night, on the movie section. I wanted to rent a comedy, so I wanted to look at only rentals in the comedy genre. I still haven’t figured out if there’s no way to do it or if I’m just too dumb to figure it out, but I will tell you I was cussing iTunes and thinking they need a better layout.
Eye of the beholder and all that ;)
Link | September 19th, 2009 at 9:35 am
TeddyPig wrote,
Well that’s just a search function not a sales presentation and I think Apple’s sales figures are probably pretty dang decent so I would safely say the number of “beholders” in that case runs towards figures most people can only dream of.
I also tend to just use my PS3 and Sony Store for “renting” movies.
Although Sony’s search function is even worse than iTunes they have built their site for renting recently available movies.
I would not be buying eBooks or music from them though since their site is in no way setup and as easy to use as iTunes is.
iTunes is simply a clean well laid out interface and that exemplifies what should be a goal for any web site trying to sell a large selection of products. It’s a good basic design to use for comparison although even I have given hints here on how to tweak it and make it more in line with what an ePublisher would want. There is no single “one & done design” that anyone should create and just plop down and then stay with for years and years since the goal is to always be evolving the site to make it more usable for your customers.
Good web design and implementation and tweaking is an ongoing expense not a one time investment.
Link | September 19th, 2009 at 11:15 am
veinglory wrote,
I, personally, gave up on iTunes for audibooks due to the lack of a real search function. You also can’t search the music for things like country of origin. It looks nice but seems to be geared for customers who want to be told what to buy.
Link | September 21st, 2009 at 7:44 am
TeddyPig wrote,
Emily,
I think as far as country of origin… How many music publishers on Amazon actually include country of origin in their descriptions? I mean publishers tend to have more input on Amazon but I don’t see anything like that. You can’t accuse iTunes or even Amazon of not providing something that the publishers themselves refuse to do.
Apple or Amazon can really only provide store space and try to sell what is provided to them in what looks like a fancy schmancy store front but is actually a database with a nice and clean and attractive interface.
I think by just going over and looking at the publishers own websites you will see how most of the issues you are describing start with the publishers vague or unusable information about the product to begin with.
How many publishers really make the effort to provide a central database API of valid and searchable information on their products for sale?
You know this goes to the whole recent issue of LibraryThing being forced by Amazon to delete competitors links and it is sad because LibraryThing is forced to use Amazon’s API since there is an all around lack of centrally available “up to date” verified product information databases for books on sale right now.
Link | September 21st, 2009 at 8:29 am
veinglory wrote,
As a consumer all I care about is whether an interface works for me. This one doesn’t. I buy my audiobooks of the shelf on CDs and rip them to my iPOD–which is clunky as hell and still better than what iTunes offers.
Link | September 22nd, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Teddypig wrote,
I used to do that till they got rid of the DRM on the music now it’s pretty much my only source for music. I have gone out to look for rare stuff but I don’t even spend that much time anymore. Most of the old stuff I listen to is getting reissued on iTunes.
Link | September 22nd, 2009 at 1:49 pm