Company description
What if every conversation about a book could take place inside the book itself? BookGlutton is a web-based reading platform and social network that enables conversations inside books using chat and annotations. Social reading is immediate: click any paragraph and attach a comment (to which others can respond); chat inside any chapter with other readers. It's an entirely new way to read, to match the way we live.
Team
Travis Alber
Founder, President Travis Alber has fourteen years of on-line experience and a penchant for big ideas. She's worked in web design, advertising, online training and education and has a Masters Degree in Interactive Multimedia. Her project roles run the gamut, from interactive designer and information architect to project manager and creative director. Her client history includes: Cisco, Sprint, Playstation, Wells Fargo, Macys, Midway Games and Dodge. In addition, Travis had won a number of awards for her interactive art, and has been recognized by Drunken Boat, The Flash Forward Film Festival, and the Electronic Literature Organization. Her work as a digital artist focuses on experimental narrative forms, photography, time, and the search for a sense of place. Travis is a Book Glutton co-founder; her most important role has been as Chief Creative Officer, creating the look and feel for the web site and the Reader, and managing marketing and communications.
Aaron Miller
Founder, CTO Aaron Miller is a writer and web developer with more than fourteen years experience online, and that’s not even counting his 1986 BBS endeavors. His first love has always been writing, but the designer and typographer in him have always led him toward the more technical aspects of screen presentation. Professionally he’s worked on both the creative and technical sides of projects—working at times as a writer and designer and at others a developer in San Francisco and LA. His clients include Wells Fargo, Organic, and Driving Media. In addition, Aaron has a Master's Degree in Interactive Multimedia and an MFA in Creative Writing from UC Irvine. Aaron’s a Book Glutton co-founder; his most important role has been as CTO, managing the architecture and development of the entire project.
Business model
The business model has three parts. First, a metered API for partners who want to offer our social reading technology to their readers. Second, in addition to our freemium model, a pro-account with additional reading features. And third, a publisher-revenue split with content sales.
Competitive advantage
BookGlutton is the only social reading experience on the market today. Moreover, BookGlutton is web-based, so it integrates well with web technology and isn't tied to a particular device. Finally, it is feature-based, with a focus on EPUB, so it's built for the future, not the past.