When you work for a start-up, your company is like your baby. You wish that you could run around telling everyone how beautiful and brilliant and exciting it is. However, etiquette dictates that you keep quiet, hold your baby up to world and hope that everyone else thinks it’s amazing, too.

This week, the world has been singing its praise for our baby.

We started off the week with our 90-Second Fitness Solution Vook promoted on the front page of the iBook store.

Then, the great reviews started rolling in.

Jason Sokol at Marketing Matters wrote about three of our business titles: Gary Vayernchuk’s Crush It, Seth Godin’s Unleashing the SUPER Ideavirus and Tom Peter’s The Little Big Things. He also took note of the work we’ve done to make user experience better than ever:

What excites me the most about Vook is that they are continually innovating. I am incredibly impressed with the amount of progress they have made with their products in such a short amount of time. This is a great company and one you should look at. The Vook is a cool idea and with the success of smart phones and the iPad, they are poised to do quite well. [read full article here.]

In an entirely different sector, school librarian Laura Fleming reviewed Kafka’s Greatest Stories on her blog, EdTech Insight. She wrote that our videos enhanced her understanding of Kafka’s text, and noted that Vook could be a powerful tool in the classroom:

The Vook stands to transform learning in a 21st Century classroom and link together applications in a fluid sytematic way. The possibilites for a Vook are endless in my eyes and I’m looking forward to see what the future has in store for them. [read full review here.]

We’re confident that the future has quite a bit in store for us, and we can’t keep wait to keep showing our Vooks to the world.

Today, Seth Godin announced that his newest Vook, Linchpin, is available as an iPad app, and on sale in the iTunes store. He also noted the challenges of promoting a book in the store when there are so many apps:

There are more than 24,000 apps listed in the iPad store, and yet the front window (equivalent to the window of a bookstore) shows the user six choices. The spotlight coverflow up top shows another sixteen, fairly randomly. Meaning there’s a little worse than a one in a thousand chance that your app will appear in front of someone interacting with the store at the first level.

Seth advocates that authors become the “gatekeeper” of their own content. They can’t rely on iTunes store promotions; it’s their job to reach out to their users. Social media and user engagement will dictate how purchases are made, just as they dictate the content that is consumed on the Web.

There are also apps that help you search for apps, such as Chomp. The Chomp iPhone app serves as a search engine for the iPhone app store that includes user reviews. It blends search, social media and shopping all into one.

There may be problems with iTunes store model, but there are also talented people ready to develop solutions.

Marketing gurus Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk agree that the key elements of a successful enterprise are great ideas and tenacity. If you’re wiling to work 20-hour days and “bleed out your eyes,” Gary V. says anything is possible. Seth asserts that a hundred bad ideas will lead to a good one. The number one thing you need to succeed is determination.

You also need some capital. So tomorrow, Tuesday May 25th, Vook wants to help you save some money for your vision. Unleashing the SUPERIdeavirus and Crush It will both be on sale for just $1.99, for iPad, iPhone and browser. We hope you use the money you save to help boost your business (but if you use it to buy lunch, we understand.)

By now, you’ve probably gotten plenty of emails with the signature, “Sent from my iPad.” The iPad’s obviously here in a big way. Apple sold $150,000,000 in iPads over the weekend — which makes this, according to Seth Godin, “the biggest launch ever.”

So how did they do it? Your instinct might be to assume that Apple has the magic touch, and as a smaller business or individual, you could never pull off a similar feat. Not true, insists Godin. “In fact,” he says, “they work even better for smaller gigs and more focused markets.” In his blog post today, “Secrets of the biggest selling launch ever,” Godin distills the tactics, strategies and commitment employed by Apple that can be applied by everyone.

One of his suggestions was “Build A Platform for Others to Play in.” Godin himself has done some “playing” in the iPad platform with his Unleashing the SUPER Ideavirus iPad app. And even though it’s still “early days,” Godin’s Vook iPad application is climbing the iTunes paid iPad app charts in Books. The momentum is just building for both Vook and the iPad, and we can’t wait to see who else will come play.

When we last left off, we were eagerly counting down the hours to the release of iPad. We weren’t alone. People lined up hours in advance. Apple stores served breakfast. The twitter stream was abuzz with anticipation.

Finally, the doors opened. The release of the iPad this Saturday was not just a red letter moment for Silicon Valley, it marked a turning point for the publishing and film industries, and a great opportunity for those invested in the future of media. The team at Vook has been working hard for months to prepare apps for submission to Apple, and we are ecstatic that 19 of our Vooks are now for sale in the iTunes store as iPad apps.

The iPad has provided us with a platform to make our content even more compelling, dynamic and unique. In many ways, it seems like the iPad was literally made for us. As eBookNewser wrote, “This has got huge potential on the iPad, and Vook’s already off to a strong start.” To share our excitement with you, we’re giving away two titles for free: The Shakespeare “Love, Love, Love” app and The Sherlock Holmes Experience. With bigger screens and higher video quality, our iPad applications show off the expanded functionality of the new device and make for a truly enhanced reading experience.

We’ve gotten a wonderful response from authors, filmmakers and fans. Gary Vaynerchuck, author of Crush It told us he’s thrilled with his Vook, and so are his fans. We’ve also gotten great feedback on Seth Godin’s Unleashing the SUPERIdeavirus as readers recognize the incredible potential for Vooks on the iPad.

And this is just the beginning! We’ll be adding more titles to our iPad app page all the time, and continuing to explore the many possibilities of this new medium.

What are your feelings about the iPad? Leave us a note in the comments below!

First of all: a big “thank-you” to everyone in the Vook community who has joined us on this exciting journey into the future of publishing. Things are happening fast around here and we’re getting lots of positive media attention. Today, The Huffington Post picked up an article from Tech News Daily about our potential to be a “kindle killer” and we’re getting plenty of mentions as a top app to look for when the iPad comes out.

But the feedback we really want to get is from you. If you have purchased a Vook, we’d love to hear about your experience and how we can make it even better. If you could take a few minutes to fill out this survey, we’d appreciate it. To show our appreciation, we’re offering one randomly chosen survey responder a free $100 iTunes gift card.

Please click HERE now to fill out the survey.

Let us know what worked, what didn’t and what we should be focusing on next. Not only will you impact the future of Vook, but you might even win an iTunes gift card.

We can’t wait to hear from you!

Official Rules Of VOOK Survey Sweepstakes

Below are the official rules for the Survey Sweepstakes for the Vook Community Survey.

No Purchase Necessary to Enter or Win. Void where prohibited.

Eligibility: Open only to legal residents of the District of Columbia and the fifty United States who are 18 years of age or older. This Sweepstakes is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited or restricted.

To Enter:  You (”Entrant”) may enter this Sweepstakes by filling out all required sections and successfully transmitting to Sponsor the online survey. Each Entrant who meets all eligibility requirements will be automatically entered in the Sweepstakes.  Alternate E-Mail Entry:  To enter without filling out the online survey, Entrant may send an email with the words “VOOK SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY” in the Subject Line and your complete name, address, home telephone number, and e-mail address to info@vook.com.  Limit one entry per person and/or email address. Incomplete entries are void and will be disqualified.  Sponsor is not responsible for malfunctions of electronic or telephone equipment, computer hardware, software, malfunctions of Entrant’s email provider or ISP, late, lost, incomplete misdirected entries or entries not received in time for the drawing.  Use of a street address is required and cannot include a PO Box, PMB, AP/FPO or similar address.

Entries as well as answers to the online survey become the property of Sponsor and will not be returned.  Proof of mailing or transmission does not constitute proof of delivery.  Online entries will be deemed to have been submitted by the Entrant utilizing the e-mail address on file with Sponsor. The Sweepstakes begins October 5, 2024 and ends October 7, 2024. Only those entries submitted and received during the aforementioned dates are eligible to win.  In case of a dispute as to the identity of the Entrant using the Internet, the authorized account holder of the email address used to enter the Sweepstakes at the time of entry will be considered the entrant.

Prizes and Timing : Grand Prize: One (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive a $100 iTunes® gift card.  Ten (10) Second Place Winners will receive a $10 iTunes® gift card.  Approximate Value: TOTAL PRIZE VALUE is $200.00.  Approximate retail value (ARV) of prizes is $200.00.  Odds of receiving a prize depend on the number of entries. One winner of the Grand Prize and ten Second Place Winners will be selected by random drawing from all eligible entries received.  To be eligible, entry must comply with these Official Rules and be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on October 7, 2024.  The drawing will be held on or about October 8, 2024. Winner will be notified by email and/or telephone.

Miscellaneous: All federal, state and local taxes, and all income and any other taxes, fees and surcharges will be the sole responsibility of the winner.  No substitution, assignment or transfer of prize is permitted except by Sponsor due to unavailability, in which case a similar prize of equal or greater value will be provided. Sponsor is not responsible or liable for the acts of third parties.  Sponsor will not replace any lost or stolen items.  Only stated prizes will be awarded and prizes have no cash value.  The Sweepstakes is governed by the laws of the State of California, with venue and jurisdiction in San Francisco, California, and all claims must be resolved in the courts of San Francisco, California. By entering, Entrant agrees: (1) to release Sponsor from all liability, loss or damage arising out of his/her participation in the Sweepstakes and with respect to his/her acceptance and use/misuse of the prize; (2) to be bound by these Official Rules; and (3) that the decisions of the judges are final and binding on all matters relating to the Sweepstakes. In the event the Sweepstakes is compromised by a non-authorized human intervention or other causes beyond the control of Sponsor which, in the opinion of Sponsor, corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper play, or if the Sweepstakes cannot be operated, conducted or completed as planned, for any reason, Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to suspend, cancel, modify or terminate the Sweepstakes. Should the Sweepstakes be terminated prior to the stated expiration, notice will be posted at http://vook.com/blog.  Winners List: To receive a list of winners after October 8, 2024, mail a self-addressed stamped envelope to:  VOOK LLC, Attention: VOOK Survey SWEEPSTAKES, 1100 Marina Village Parkway, Ste. 102, Alameda, CA  94501.

Please write info@vook.com for a copy of the official rules. © 2024.  VOOK LLC.  All Rights Reserved.

Sponsor:  VOOK LLC, 1100 Marina Village Parkway, Ste. 102, Alameda, CA  94501.