Bookmate: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|A social ebook subscription service}} |
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{{About|an Irish company Bookmate Limited, which operates worldwide except Russia and the [[Commonwealth of Independent States|CIS]]}} |
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{{advert|product|date=January 2016}} |
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{{Infobox website |
{{Infobox website |
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| name = Bookmate |
| name = Bookmate |
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| caption = Icon of Bookmate app |
| caption = Icon of Bookmate app |
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| company_type = [[Private company|Private]] |
| company_type = [[Private company|Private]] |
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| location = |
| location = |
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| CEO = |
| CEO = |
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| MD = |
| MD = |
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| services = Social reading and publishing platform |
| services = Social reading and publishing platform |
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| url = {{ |
| url = {{URL|http://bookmate.com/}} |
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| website_type = [[Social Software]] |
| website_type = [[Social Software]] |
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| language = [[English language|English]], [[Serbian language|Serbian]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Estonian language|Estonian]], [[Turkish language|Turkish]], [[Swedish language|Swedish]], [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]], [[Danish language|Danish]] |
| language = [[English language|English]], [[Serbian language|Serbian]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Estonian language|Estonian]], [[Turkish language|Turkish]], [[Swedish language|Swedish]], [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]], [[Danish language|Danish]] |
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| headquarters = [[Dublin]]<ref name=kommersant>{{cite web|url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5436574|title="Яндекс" купил технологию "Букмейта"|trans-title=Yandex acquired Bookmates’ technology|language=ru|publisher=[[Kommersant]]|last=Lebedeva|first=Valeria|date=June 30, 2022|access-date=February 23, 2023}}</ref> |
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| location_city = |
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| location_country = [[Ireland]] |
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| country_of_origin = |
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| owner = Bookmate Limited |
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| area_served = Worldwide |
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}} |
}} |
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'''Bookmate''' is a social [[ebook]] subscription service, available primarily on mobile,<ref name="thebookseller.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/bookmate-launches-new-subscription-reading-app|title=Bookmate launches new subscription reading app|work=thebookseller.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/rbth/technology/7678289/Online-business-Russo-British-duo-aim-high.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222152003/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/rbth/technology/7678289/Online-business-Russo-British-duo-aim-high.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 February 2015|title=Online business: Russo-British duo aim high|author=Ben Aris, Business New Europe|date=4 May 2010|work=Telegraph.co.uk}}</ref> with catalogues in multiple languages including Bulgarian, English, Danish, Serbian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, and Ukrainian.<ref name="lenta.ru">{{cite web|url=http://lenta.ru/news/2014/10/09/bookmate/|title=В Bookmate появился крупнейший англоязычный каталог|work=lenta.ru}}</ref><ref name="thebookseller.com1">{{cite web |title=Bookmate expands to Indonesia, partners with Indosat |url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/bookmate-expands-indonesia-partners-indosat-309796 |work=thebookseller.com}}</ref> The mobile app is supported on [[iOS]], [[Android (operating system)|Android]], [[Windows Phone]] and [[feature phone]]s, and the service is also available in a web version.<ref name="thebookseller.com"/><ref name="digitalnewsasia.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.digitalnewsasia.com/digital-economy/ebook-service-bookmate-begins-sea-chapter-with-starhub|title=E-book service Bookmate begins SEA chapter with StarHub|work=Digital News Asia}}</ref> |
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'''Bookmate''' is a social [[ebook]] subscription service, available primarily on mobile, with catalogues in 9 languages.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoffelder |first=Nate |date=2014-06-01 |title=Bookmate & Scribd: Two very Different Business Models for Subscription eBooks |url=https://the-digital-reader.com/bookmate-scribd-two-very-different-business-models-for-subscription-ebooks/ |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=The Digital Reader |language=en-US}}</ref> The mobile app is supported on [[iOS]], [[Android (operating system)|Android]], [[Windows Phone]] and [[feature phone]]s, and the service is also available in a web version.<ref name="thebookseller.com"/><ref name="digitalnewsasia.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.digitalnewsasia.com/digital-economy/ebook-service-bookmate-begins-sea-chapter-with-starhub|title=E-book service Bookmate begins SEA chapter with StarHub|work=Digital News Asia}}</ref> |
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== History == |
== History == |
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Bookmate was created in 2007 by three former employees of the Russian edition of [[:ru:Look At Me|Look At Me]] - programmers Andrei Zotov and Egor Khmelev and designer Kirill Ten. In its first version, Bookmate was an aggregator and search engine for bookstores, offering the user the best price. In 2009, the creators relaunched it as a book reading app with search as one of its functions. By 2010, Bookmate had a library of classic literature, contracts with publishers for electronic releases of contemporary works, and a paid subscription to a book club with social mechanics.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-09-21 |title=Интервью с создателями Bookmate |url=http://www.lookatme.ru/flow/posts/media-radar/105397-bookmate |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=Look At Me}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bookmate: Как продавать книги, когда вокруг пираты |url=https://www.the-village.ru/business/businessmen/295018-bookmate |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=The Village |language=ru}}</ref> |
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In 2010, Dream Industries (DI), which also included the Russian streaming service [[:ru:Zvooq|Zvooq]] and the educational resource Theories and Practices, became a co-owner of Bookmate. After DI ceased to exist in 2017, Bookmate's head office moved to Ireland.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-10 |title=Что будет с Bookmate в России после признания ее иноагентом и продажи «Яндексу» |url=https://www.forbes.ru/svoi-biznes/480907-cto-budet-s-bookmate-v-rossii-posle-priznania-ee-inoagentom-i-prodazi-andeksu |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=Forbes.ru |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bookmate: Как продавать книги, когда вокруг пираты |url=https://www.the-village.ru/business/businessmen/295018-bookmate |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=The Village |language=ru}}</ref> |
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⚫ | Starting with $500,000 seed funding, Bookmate raised funds in two subsequent funding rounds. In June 2011, the company received $3 million from [[Ulmart]] and Essedel, and in May 2014, it received a further $3 million from Ulmart.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/05/23/ebook-platform-bookmate-secures-3m-to-target-emerging-world/|title=E-Book Platform Bookmate Secures $3M To Target Emerging World|author=Mike Butcher|publisher=AOL|work=TechCrunch}}</ref><ref name="teleread.com">{{cite web|url=http://teleread.com/subscription-services-2/bookmate-raises-3-million-series-funding/|title=Bookmate raises $3 million in Series A funding|work=TeleRead|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823051010/http://www.teleread.com/subscription-services-2/bookmate-raises-3-million-series-funding/|archivedate=2015-08-23}}</ref> |
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As of February 2023, Simon Dunlop was the company's CEO and Andrew Baev served as its managing director. Bookmate was a market leader in Russia and the CIS,<ref name="wired.co.uk">{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-04/09/digital-publishing-winners|title=These startups are disrupting the publishing industry|work=Wired UK}}</ref> and has launched its services in Singapore, Indonesia, Latin America and Scandinavia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://the-digital-reader.com/2015/08/24/bookmate-launches-in-indonesia/|title=Bookmate Launches in Indonesia|work=The Digital Reader}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.developingtelecoms.com/tech/apps-ott-services/5987-indosat-bookmate-launch-e-reading-service-in-indonesia.html|title=Indosat, Bookmate launch e-reading service in Indonesia|author=Gabriella Mulligan|work=Developing Telecoms}}</ref> |
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As of 2013, Bookmate provided access to more than 255,000 books.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/11/19/246177912/russian-app-wants-e-book-piracy-to-end-happily-ever-after|title=Russian App Wants E-Book Piracy To End, Happily Ever After|publisher=[[NPR]]|last=Glynn|first=James|date=November 20, 2013|access-date=February 23, 2023}}</ref> By March 2014, it became the largest distributor of ebooks in Russia, with 1 million registered users.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/digital-publishing-winners|title=These startups are disrupting the publishing industry|last=Clark|first=Liat|website=[[Wired UK]]|date=March 9, 2014|access-date=February 23, 2023}}</ref> |
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In April 2014, Bookmate received the Publishing for Digital Minds Innovation Award at the [[London Book Fair]].<ref name="teleread.com"/> |
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In April 2014, Bookmate received the Publishing for Digital Minds Innovation Award at the [[London Book Fair]].<ref name="teleread.com"/> In October the same year, it launched its [[mobile app]] for Android and iOS users.<ref name="thebookseller.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/bookmate-launches-new-subscription-reading-app|title=Bookmate launches new subscription reading app|last=Carpenter|first=Caroline|website=[[The Bookseller]]|date=October 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418004003/https://www.thebookseller.com/news/bookmate-launches-new-subscription-reading-app|archive-date=April 18, 2015|access-date=February 21, 2023}}</ref> |
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⚫ | In August 2015, Indonesian telco [[Indosat]] has announced a partnership with Bookmate to launch a mass-market mobile reading service under the Bookmate-Cipika Books brand.<ref>{{ |
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⚫ | In August 2015, Indonesian telco [[Indosat]] has announced a partnership with Bookmate to launch a mass-market mobile reading service under the Bookmate-Cipika Books brand.<ref name="thebookseller.com1">{{cite web|title=Bookmate expands to Indonesia, partners with Indosat|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/bookmate-expands-indonesia-partners-indosat-309796|last=Campbell|first=Lisa|website=[[The Bookseller]]|date=August 25, 2015|access-date=February 21, 2023}}</ref> |
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⚫ | A regional office of Bookmate in Mexico City began operating in 2017 and continued to expand from there to countries such as Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, and other Spanish-speaking nations.<ref>{{Cite web |
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⚫ | A regional office of Bookmate in Mexico City began operating in 2017 and continued to expand from there to countries such as [[Argentina]], [[Colombia]], [[Chile]], [[Peru]], and other Spanish-speaking nations.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Por la cuarentena, se leen más ebooks en el país y en América Latina|url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/cultura/por-cuarentena-se-leen-mas-ebooks-pais-nid2389519/|language=es|trans-title=Due to the quarantine, more ebooks are read in the country and in Latin America|last=Gigena|first=Daniel|publisher=[[La Nación]]|date=July 3, 2020|access-date=February 23, 2023}}</ref> |
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⚫ | In August 2022, the Irish company Bookmate Limited gave [[Yandex]] a license to use the technological platform of the service in the CIS and Russia. Bookmate Limited left the Russian market.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ирландские владельцы приложения цифровых книг Bookmate уходят из России |url=https://www.vedomosti.ru/media/articles/2022/08/25/937496-bookmate-perelistnet-rossiyu |access-date= |
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⚫ | In August 2022, the Irish company Bookmate Limited gave [[Yandex]] a license to use the technological platform of the service in the CIS and Russia. Bookmate Limited left the Russian market.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ирландские владельцы приложения цифровых книг Bookmate уходят из России |url=https://www.vedomosti.ru/media/articles/2022/08/25/937496-bookmate-perelistnet-rossiyu |date=August 22, 2022|access-date=February 23, 2023|website=[[Vedomosti]]|language=ru}}</ref> |
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⚫ | In October 2022 the Irish company Bookmate Limited, which owns the Bookmate book service, was included in the Register of [[Russian foreign agent law|Foreign Agents]] in Russia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Russian Justice Ministry declares Bookmate and TV Rain founder foreign agents |url=https://meduza.io/en/news/2022/10/28/justice-ministry-declares-bookmate-owner-and-tv-rain-founder-foreign-agents |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=[[Meduza]] |language=en}}</ref><ref> |
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⚫ | In October 2022 the Irish company Bookmate Limited, which owns the Bookmate book service, was included in the Register of [[Russian foreign agent law|Foreign Agents]] in Russia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Russian Justice Ministry declares Bookmate and TV Rain founder foreign agents |url=https://meduza.io/en/news/2022/10/28/justice-ministry-declares-bookmate-owner-and-tv-rain-founder-foreign-agents |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=[[Meduza]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name=forbes2022 /> The company’s CEO Andrew Baev was also added to the list of “foreign agents”.<ref name=forbes2022 /> Bookmate Limited owned majority stakes in two book publishers, Individuum and Popcorn Books (both profitable), which it had to sell due to political risks.<ref name=forbes2022 /> In an interview with ''[[Meduza]]'', Andrew Baev said that Russia has never been the main market for Bookmate, and the company continues to work in the Balkans, Latin America, and Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Ну и аудиторию жалко" Руководители Bookmate Алексей Докучаев и Андрей Баев выпустили квир-бестселлер "Лето в пионерском галстуке" — и были объявлены "иноагентами". Мы с ними поговорили |url=https://meduza.io/feature/2022/11/04/nu-i-auditoriyu-zhalko |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=Meduza |language=ru}}</ref> |
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⚫ | As of February 2023, Bookmate has 10 million registered users, and a catalogue of over 1,000,000 books. |
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As of November 2022, Andrew Baev was the company's CEO and Simon Dunlop served as the Executive Chairman of the Board.<ref name=forbes2022>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.ru/svoi-biznes/480907-cto-budet-s-bookmate-v-rossii-posle-priznania-ee-inoagentom-i-prodazi-andeksu|title=Что будет с Bookmate в России после признания ее иноагентом и продажи "Яндексу"|trans-title=What will happen to Bookmate in Russia after being recognized as a foreign agent and sold to Yandex|language=ru|last1=Selizarova|first1=Varvara|last2=Demidkina|first2=Ksenia|publisher=[[Forbes]] Russia|date=November 10, 2022|access-date=February 23, 2023}}</ref> |
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⚫ | Bookmate enables unlimited reading of its catalogue for a fixed monthly fee.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.techinasia.com/bookmate-lets-read-unlimited-books-flat-monthly-fee-launches-singapore/|title=Bookmate, a Spotify for books, launches in Singapore|work=Tech in Asia}}</ref> In the app readers can follow the feeds and bookshelves of friends.<ref |
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⚫ | Bookmate has a built-in recommendation system that consists of two different stages. Primarily, the user is prompted to select the genres of books that they like during the onboarding in the app. The selection of recommended books is furtherly adapted to users’ tastes and preferences based on their reading activity in the app.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Incursionan en bookmate, el Netflix de los amantes de la lectura |url=https://www.razon.com.mx/cultura/incursionan-bookmate-netflix-amantes-lectura-512942 |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=La Razón |language=es}}</ref> |
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⚫ | Bookmate enables unlimited reading of its catalogue for a fixed monthly fee.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.techinasia.com/bookmate-lets-read-unlimited-books-flat-monthly-fee-launches-singapore/|title=Bookmate, a Spotify for books, launches in Singapore|work=Tech in Asia}}</ref> In the app readers can follow the feeds and bookshelves of friends.<ref name=ta2014 /> |
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⚫ | Bookmate has a built-in recommendation system that consists of two different stages. Primarily, the user is prompted to select the genres of books that they like during the onboarding in the app. The selection of recommended books is furtherly adapted to users’ tastes and preferences based on their reading activity in the app.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Incursionan en bookmate, el Netflix de los amantes de la lectura |url=https://www.razon.com.mx/cultura/incursionan-bookmate-netflix-amantes-lectura-512942 |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=[[La Razón (Mexico)]]|language=es}}</ref> |
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== Content == |
== Content == |
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⚫ | As of December 2014, Bookmate offered titles in 9 different languages and had a catalogue of over 500,000 books.<ref name=ta2014>{{cite web|url=https://www.techinasia.com/bookmate-review-singapore|title=All the books you’ll ever need on Bookmate? Not quite (REVIEW)|last=Tay|first=Daniel|website=[[Tech in Asia]]|date=December 26, 2014|access-date=February 21, 2023}}</ref><ref name="thebookseller.com2">{{cite web|url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/bookmate-adds-hc-english-push|title=Bookmate adds HC for English push|work=thebookseller.com}}</ref> |
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⚫ | In Bookmate apps and on the website, a catalog of books, audiobooks and comic books can be browsed or searched for via various parameters, such as name, author, genre etc. The catalog contains both free (public domain) content and the content distributed by subscription. The availability of the content for certain users is determined based on this user’s location and the characteristics of this user’s subscription. |
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⚫ | In Bookmate apps and on the website, a catalog of books, audiobooks and comic books can be browsed or searched for via various parameters, such as name, author, genre etc. The catalog contains both free (public domain) content and the content distributed by subscription. The availability of the content for certain users is determined based on this user’s location and the characteristics of this user’s subscription. |
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⚫ | As of early 2023, Bookmate has a catalog of 50,000 free books, millions of works available for subscription, and audiobooks in 19 languages.<ref name=":0" / |
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⚫ | In addition, Bookmate Journal is published online in Denmark and Serbia.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 19, 2021|title=Bookmate lancere ny platform uden algoritmer |website=Bogmarkedet |url=https://bogmarkedet.dk/bookmate-lancere-ny-platform-uden-algoritmer/ |access-date=2023-02-16 |language=da-DK}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-25 |title=Dejan Katalina, dobitnik nagrade Zlatni hrast: Kako su nastali "Hitovi poznog kapitalizma"... |url=https://headliner.rs/2023/01/25/dejan-katalina-dobitnik-nagrade-zlatni-hrast-kako-su-nastali-hitovi-poznog-kapitalizma/ |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=Headliner |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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⚫ | In addition, Bookmate Journal is published online in Denmark and Serbia.<ref>{{Cite web | |
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== Partnerships == |
== Partnerships == |
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⚫ | Bookmate partners with mobile operators and original equipment manufacturers such as [[Indosat]] in Indonesia, [[StarHub]] in Singapore,<ref name="digitalnewsasia.com" /> [[Kcell]] in Kazakhstan,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kcell.kz/en/news/3134/400|title=Listen, Watch and Read together with activ|author=Kcell|work=kcell.kz|access-date=2016-02-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223181947/https://www.kcell.kz/en/news/3134/400|archive-date=2016-02-23|url-status=dead}}</ref> Azercell in Azerbaijan and [[Tigo]] in Latin America<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bookbusinessmag.com/article/bookmate-launches-subscription-service-latin-america/|title=Bookmate Launches Its Subscription Service in Latin America|author=Ellen Harvey|work=Book Business}}</ref> for preinstalls and carrier billing on mobile phones and other mobile devices.<ref name="thebookseller.com1" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://roem.ru/06-05-2014/111210/bookmate-i-zvooq-vstroyat-v-ulmart/|title=Bookmate и Zvooq встроят в Ulmart|author=Roem.ru|date=6 May 2014|work=roem.ru}}</ref> |
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⚫ | Bookmate works with a large number of publishers and content aggregators around the world, including [[Egmont Group|Egmont]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adamowski |first=Jaroslaw |date=2020-05-07 |title=Denmark's Saga Egmont on Its Acquisition of Spain's Sonolibro |url=https://publishingperspectives.com/2020/05/denmarks-saga-egmont-on-its-acquisition-of-spains-sonolibro-covid19/ |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=Publishing Perspectives |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]], [[Gardners Books|Gardners]], Bookwire, [[PublishDrive]], [[Gyldendal]], Libranda, [[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]], Findaway, Laguna, Parkstone International and others.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Яндекс" покупает лицензию на использование технологической платформы Bookmate |url=https://www.vedomosti.ru/media/articles/2022/06/30/929253-yandeks-pokupaet-bookmate |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=Ведомости |language=ru}}</ref> |
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⚫ | Bookmate partners with mobile operators and original equipment manufacturers such as [[Indosat]] in Indonesia, [[StarHub]] in Singapore,<ref name="digitalnewsasia.com" /> [[Kcell]] in Kazakhstan,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kcell.kz/en/news/3134/400|title=Listen, Watch and Read together with activ|author=Kcell|work=kcell.kz|access-date=2016-02-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223181947/https://www.kcell.kz/en/news/3134/400|archive-date=2016-02-23|url-status=dead}}</ref> Azercell in Azerbaijan and [[Tigo]] in Latin America<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bookbusinessmag.com/article/bookmate-launches-subscription-service-latin-america/|title=Bookmate Launches Its Subscription Service in Latin America|author=Ellen Harvey|work=Book Business}}</ref> for preinstalls and carrier billing on mobile phones and other mobile devices.<ref name="thebookseller.com1 |
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⚫ | Bookmate works with a large number of publishers and content aggregators around the world, including [[Egmont Group|Egmont]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adamowski |first=Jaroslaw |date=2020-05-07 |title=Denmark's Saga Egmont on Its Acquisition of Spain's Sonolibro |url=https://publishingperspectives.com/2020/05/denmarks-saga-egmont-on-its-acquisition-of-spains-sonolibro-covid19/ |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=Publishing Perspectives |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]], [[Gardners Books|Gardners]], Bookwire, [[PublishDrive]], [[Gyldendal]], Libranda, [[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]], Findaway, Laguna, Parkstone International and others.<ref>{{Cite web |title= |
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== References == |
== References == |
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[[Category:Ebook suppliers]] |
[[Category:Ebook suppliers]] |
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[[Category:Technology companies based in London]] |
[[Category:Technology companies based in London]] |
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[[Category:Internet properties established in 2010]] |
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[[Category:Online companies of Ireland]] |
Latest revision as of 00:02, 13 June 2024
Type of business | Private |
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Type of site | Social Software |
Available in | English, Serbian, Spanish, Russian, Estonian, Turkish, Swedish, Ukrainian, Danish |
Headquarters | Dublin[1], |
Area served | Worldwide |
Owner | Bookmate Limited |
Services | Social reading and publishing platform |
URL | bookmate |
Bookmate is a social ebook subscription service, available primarily on mobile, with catalogues in 9 languages.[2] The mobile app is supported on iOS, Android, Windows Phone and feature phones, and the service is also available in a web version.[3][4]
History
[edit]Bookmate was created in 2007 by three former employees of the Russian edition of Look At Me - programmers Andrei Zotov and Egor Khmelev and designer Kirill Ten. In its first version, Bookmate was an aggregator and search engine for bookstores, offering the user the best price. In 2009, the creators relaunched it as a book reading app with search as one of its functions. By 2010, Bookmate had a library of classic literature, contracts with publishers for electronic releases of contemporary works, and a paid subscription to a book club with social mechanics.[5][6]
In 2010, Dream Industries (DI), which also included the Russian streaming service Zvooq and the educational resource Theories and Practices, became a co-owner of Bookmate. After DI ceased to exist in 2017, Bookmate's head office moved to Ireland.[7][8]
Starting with $500,000 seed funding, Bookmate raised funds in two subsequent funding rounds. In June 2011, the company received $3 million from Ulmart and Essedel, and in May 2014, it received a further $3 million from Ulmart.[9][10]
As of 2013, Bookmate provided access to more than 255,000 books.[11] By March 2014, it became the largest distributor of ebooks in Russia, with 1 million registered users.[12]
In April 2014, Bookmate received the Publishing for Digital Minds Innovation Award at the London Book Fair.[10] In October the same year, it launched its mobile app for Android and iOS users.[3]
In August 2015, Indonesian telco Indosat has announced a partnership with Bookmate to launch a mass-market mobile reading service under the Bookmate-Cipika Books brand.[13]
A regional office of Bookmate in Mexico City began operating in 2017 and continued to expand from there to countries such as Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, and other Spanish-speaking nations.[14]
In August 2022, the Irish company Bookmate Limited gave Yandex a license to use the technological platform of the service in the CIS and Russia. Bookmate Limited left the Russian market.[15]
In October 2022 the Irish company Bookmate Limited, which owns the Bookmate book service, was included in the Register of Foreign Agents in Russia.[16][17] The company’s CEO Andrew Baev was also added to the list of “foreign agents”.[17] Bookmate Limited owned majority stakes in two book publishers, Individuum and Popcorn Books (both profitable), which it had to sell due to political risks.[17] In an interview with Meduza, Andrew Baev said that Russia has never been the main market for Bookmate, and the company continues to work in the Balkans, Latin America, and Europe.[18]
As of November 2022, Andrew Baev was the company's CEO and Simon Dunlop served as the Executive Chairman of the Board.[17]
As of February 2023, Bookmate has 10 million registered users, and a catalogue of over 1,000,000 books.[19]
Features
[edit]Bookmate enables unlimited reading of its catalogue for a fixed monthly fee.[20] In the app readers can follow the feeds and bookshelves of friends.[21]
Bookmate has a built-in recommendation system that consists of two different stages. Primarily, the user is prompted to select the genres of books that they like during the onboarding in the app. The selection of recommended books is furtherly adapted to users’ tastes and preferences based on their reading activity in the app.[22]
Content
[edit]As of December 2014, Bookmate offered titles in 9 different languages and had a catalogue of over 500,000 books.[21][23]
In Bookmate apps and on the website, a catalog of books, audiobooks and comic books can be browsed or searched for via various parameters, such as name, author, genre etc. The catalog contains both free (public domain) content and the content distributed by subscription. The availability of the content for certain users is determined based on this user’s location and the characteristics of this user’s subscription.
As of early 2023, Bookmate has a catalog of 50,000 free books, millions of works available for subscription, and audiobooks in 19 languages.[22]
The company produces original content in Latin America, and in the Balkans under the Bookmate Originals brand.[22]
In addition, Bookmate Journal is published online in Denmark and Serbia.[24][25]
Partnerships
[edit]Bookmate partners with mobile operators and original equipment manufacturers such as Indosat in Indonesia, StarHub in Singapore,[4] Kcell in Kazakhstan,[26] Azercell in Azerbaijan and Tigo in Latin America[27] for preinstalls and carrier billing on mobile phones and other mobile devices.[13][28]
Bookmate works with a large number of publishers and content aggregators around the world, including Egmont,[29] Macmillan, Gardners, Bookwire, PublishDrive, Gyldendal, Libranda, Bloomsbury, Findaway, Laguna, Parkstone International and others.[30]
References
[edit]- ^ Lebedeva, Valeria (June 30, 2022). ""Яндекс" купил технологию "Букмейта"" [Yandex acquired Bookmates’ technology] (in Russian). Kommersant. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ Hoffelder, Nate (2014-06-01). "Bookmate & Scribd: Two very Different Business Models for Subscription eBooks". The Digital Reader. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ^ a b Carpenter, Caroline (October 2, 2014). "Bookmate launches new subscription reading app". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on April 18, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "E-book service Bookmate begins SEA chapter with StarHub". Digital News Asia.
- ^ "Интервью с создателями Bookmate". Look At Me. 2010-09-21. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ^ "Bookmate: Как продавать книги, когда вокруг пираты". The Village (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ^ "Что будет с Bookmate в России после признания ее иноагентом и продажи «Яндексу»". Forbes.ru (in Russian). 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ^ "Bookmate: Как продавать книги, когда вокруг пираты". The Village (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ^ Mike Butcher. "E-Book Platform Bookmate Secures $3M To Target Emerging World". TechCrunch. AOL.
- ^ a b "Bookmate raises $3 million in Series A funding". TeleRead. Archived from the original on 2015-08-23.
- ^ Glynn, James (November 20, 2013). "Russian App Wants E-Book Piracy To End, Happily Ever After". NPR. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ Clark, Liat (March 9, 2014). "These startups are disrupting the publishing industry". Wired UK. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ a b Campbell, Lisa (August 25, 2015). "Bookmate expands to Indonesia, partners with Indosat". The Bookseller. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Gigena, Daniel (July 3, 2020). "Por la cuarentena, se leen más ebooks en el país y en América Latina" [Due to the quarantine, more ebooks are read in the country and in Latin America] (in Spanish). La Nación. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ "Ирландские владельцы приложения цифровых книг Bookmate уходят из России". Vedomosti (in Russian). August 22, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ "Russian Justice Ministry declares Bookmate and TV Rain founder foreign agents". Meduza. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
- ^ a b c d Selizarova, Varvara; Demidkina, Ksenia (November 10, 2022). "Что будет с Bookmate в России после признания ее иноагентом и продажи "Яндексу"" [What will happen to Bookmate in Russia after being recognized as a foreign agent and sold to Yandex] (in Russian). Forbes Russia. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ ""Ну и аудиторию жалко" Руководители Bookmate Алексей Докучаев и Андрей Баев выпустили квир-бестселлер "Лето в пионерском галстуке" — и были объявлены "иноагентами". Мы с ними поговорили". Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-02-16.
- ^ ""Яндекс" купил технологию "Букмейта"". www.kommersant.ru (in Russian). 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
- ^ "Bookmate, a Spotify for books, launches in Singapore". Tech in Asia.
- ^ a b Tay, Daniel (December 26, 2014). "All the books you'll ever need on Bookmate? Not quite (REVIEW)". Tech in Asia. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Incursionan en bookmate, el Netflix de los amantes de la lectura". La Razón (Mexico) (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-02-16.
- ^ "Bookmate adds HC for English push". thebookseller.com.
- ^ "Bookmate lancere ny platform uden algoritmer". Bogmarkedet (in Danish). April 19, 2021. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
- ^ "Dejan Katalina, dobitnik nagrade Zlatni hrast: Kako su nastali "Hitovi poznog kapitalizma"..." Headliner. 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
- ^ Kcell. "Listen, Watch and Read together with activ". kcell.kz. Archived from the original on 2016-02-23. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
- ^ Ellen Harvey. "Bookmate Launches Its Subscription Service in Latin America". Book Business.
- ^ Roem.ru (6 May 2014). "Bookmate и Zvooq встроят в Ulmart". roem.ru.
- ^ Adamowski, Jaroslaw (2020-05-07). "Denmark's Saga Egmont on Its Acquisition of Spain's Sonolibro". Publishing Perspectives. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
- ^ ""Яндекс" покупает лицензию на использование технологической платформы Bookmate". Ведомости (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-02-16.