Lookybooks is pretty much the issuu for picture books. great and pretty widgets to check out picture books that you can embed in your blog or wherever that you can put flash in (90% of everywhere)
The site service is good and nice to visit. the main widget for the picture books and the picture book widgets while ok. they are a flawed. because while get that you want people to just have a look from the widget and then head to the main version of the digital book in the main widget at the main site. the main site lookybook player is quite underwhelming and not even then you can read most of the picturebooks properly. a real shame because they got a selection with 300 of them and the books are really great. i even read 10 of them while i was there. well. more like the ones that were readable.
That is where we get to the problem. i get they are also trying to sell the books. but they are thinking this wrong. right now they have the opportunity to correct this. and while i don`t do this often i will tel them how. this is also a thing i recommend to all widget makers that want to sell something at their site or manage media:
1.-Level up the widgets.
You got the main site done right. now you need to get the widgets right. make it possible to read the widget in the site and in the widget. just imagine how good the widgets would be if you could read them full screen and with controls?. do so. go flex if needed to.
2.-More Info
There is no info in the widget to be had. it should have all the relevant info it could have.
3.-Make it searchable
Hulu has done it and it is great. being able to extend the full reach of your whole catalogue in every widget is the best thing that could be done.
4.-Add High Spread Sharing qualities to it.
Being able to spread the widget to my blog or social network from a widget i found somewhere directly inside the widget gives it way better chances to go viral or simply get mindshare faster.
High Spread is now basic and there are plenty of player that can help to give your widget that.
5.-Monetize them
Another reason to go flex or Silverlight with the widgets is that if you are selling them you could add a extension of your e-commerce system inside the widget so people can start their purchase from the widget itself. and in the case of Lookybook, they got a good chance to have the books they sell sponsored by government programs so a little ad roll at the start of the Picturebook playing would be another way to ensure people can read the books from the widget.
Lets hope that Lookybook can make it happen. the same goes for issuu for that matter.
In the meantime….
Lookybook is very likely to be the best choice to look for picturebooks for your kids, nieces, nephews and so on without having to leave the house.
via Orly Yakuel
“Regrettably, we have come to the last page in our exciting adventure together. It would not have happened without your enthusiasm, support, and patronage.Lookybook is closed simply due to lack of resources. “
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As one of the people behind Lookybook I just wanted to thank you for your very thoughtful and great suggestions. We are treading new ground in the children’s publishing industry (which very slow to change) so although some your ideas are technically feasible, they run up against rights and permissions issues that are out of our hands. Other ideas, such as more info, are no-brainers and probably should have been implemented from the start. It’ll be added (along with the others if possible) to our seemingly neverending to-do list. Thanks again!
@Ron Chan: Thanks Ron. no problem. yeah i am aware of the rights and permissions issues. my suggestions are there to serve as the “best possible scenario” for a widget like this one. the monetization and sponsoring suggestions are also meant to overcome some of those challenges. i am aware of how hard is the picturebook market but i am also aware that as with any industry they are not governed equally. there are some independent, not stringed authors, there are some who have the backing of government programs that would allow for the permissions in exchange of promotion of that particular government program. etc. i also have past in publishing and got friends in that industry. so i know how that works. but i do thanks you for taking the time to let me know someone over at lookybook read this and liked it.
Im am a big fan of the lookybook site and was disappointed when it was no longer available. Has that changed? Has the site moved?
@Diane: Unfortunately, i was too spot on when i wrote this post and since they didn’t had what i pointed out even if at the time didn’t was too crucial. When the Global Recession hit, they could not withstand it and had to shutdown.