Indigo Books & Music is almost set to launch the “Kindle Killer” Shortcovers by the end of February. We first wrote about them during CES this year and can be found here.
For those not familiar with Shortcovers, it’s app will be available free on iPhone, Blackberry and Android devices and basically turns your phone into a mobile bookstore. Users will be able to sample the first chapter for free, then have the option to purchase additional chapters for $0.99 if they want to continue reading.
With relationships with all major publishers the aim is to take on Amazon’s Kindle by coming in at a lower price point. CTO Michael Serbinis of Chapters Indigo said Shortcovers “won’t cost you $359 to start experiencing just how convenient it is to find your next great read”. Seems like they will also have to take on Google as they have recently announced the availability of over 1.5 million out-of-copyright books.
Serbinis appeared on CBC The National and spoke about how Shortcovers is part of the growing e-book business that is estimated to be a $1 billion business a few years.
Update: Shortcovers has now put out a semi-tutorial of their upcoming product:
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