16.Nov.2010 | Matthew Cavnar
Camelot
Our JFK Vook has been #1 in the Top Paid Book Apps for iPad — and today it climbed to #1 in the Top Grossing Book Apps chart as well. It’s the kind of powerhouse we knew we’d release—but we’re still a little surprised to find we’ve done it. It’s a great app—a testament to the hard work of the people at Perseus and NBC — and a great value: it’s only $6.99 and it’s got reems of footage of JFK that most people have never seen. And the footage’s been polished, restored and assembled into what’s finally a pretty moving title.
We were trying to say something more thoughtful here, but really we’re just pleased. Stephen Elliot, in today’s reliably insightful Daily Rumpus email, had one quote that stuck with us in respect to JFK. He wrote, “All I’ve ever wanted from readers was to be read, but if I printed a thousand books at my own expense and left them lying in cafes that wouldn’t be effective at all. Most readers want to know that someone else was moved enough by the text to invest something of their own.” (Bold mine for emphasis).
He’s talking about publishers, about the work that goes into getting a book made (I think). Everyone came together on JFK and they created something powerful. People can tell. They buy it. And we think that their trust is rewarded. With JFK, you can see that the people who put this application together were moved enough by its potential to invest the time, energy and consideration into it that they have. We think it shows on every page and we think readers get that. So maybe that’s the solution to succeeding: care a lot — and make sure it really really shows.
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