[1]Kobo [2], the eReading service with over 5.6 million users worldwide, has announced the launch of the Kobo 2012 Book Club [3], designed for new owners of the company’s popular Kobo eReader Touch Edition family of E Ink devices. Available to residents of Canada and the United States who activate their Kobo eReader Touch or Kobo Touch with Offers today through March 31, 2012, regardless of where the unit was purchased, the new book club offers a gift of a free book for each month of 2012, to Touch eReader owners who have enrolled in the program.
Made possible through Kobo’s collaborative work with a community of distinguished publishers and writers, the Kobo 2012 Book Club is a great way for readers to expand their digital library, find new publishers and discover new authors. The program also brings value to publishers, allowing them to introduce readers to new authors, great books and provide avenues to promote their publishing house.
The initial list of participating publishers include:
- e-Reads: A trail-blazing reprinter of out-of-print genre and general fiction and nonfiction by leading authors
- F+W Publications Inc.: A major source for special interest consumer hobby and enthusiast subject area books
- Gooseberry Patch: A publisher that offers a rich selection of homestyle, family-friendly cookbooks that are now recognized as national bestsellers
- Harvard Business Review Press: An idea-driven publisher, HBR Press provides books and digital tools enriched with rigorous insights and best practices to help professionals lead themselves and their organizations more effectively
- Kensington Publishing Corp.: An independent U.S. publisher of hardcover, trade and mass market paperback books – plus digital books
- New Word City: Specializing in short-form eBooks on a variety of topics, such as biographies, business, fiction, food, history, sports, and travel
Writers directly participating in the Kobo 2012 Book Club, include:
- Blake Crouch
- J.A. Konrath
- Shayna Krishnasamy
- Phyllis Smallman
Kobo will continue to expand its list of participating publishers and authors in the coming months.
“Kobo has an amazing family of eReaders and with the launch of the 2012 Book Club there’s never been a better time to buy a Kobo Touch eReader,” said Michael Tamblyn, Executive Vice President Content, Sales & Merchandising, Kobo. “Our Kobo Touch eReaders bring the ultimate in eReading value to readers around the world, and this new book club is another example of how we can take that great experience and make it even better for Kobo Touch eReader owners.”
The Kobo 2012 Book Club is available to residents of Canada and the U.S. who activate their new Kobo Touch or Kobo Touch with Special Offers today through March 31, 2012. To participate, users can simply sign-in to their free Kobo account from their new Kobo Touch before March 31, 2012 and ensure that the account is set-up to receive email updates from Kobo.
As a Book Club member, for each month of 2012, Kobo Touch owners will receive an email with Kobo’s Book Club pick for that month and a promo code to get one of the books for free. January 2012’s book club selections include: Pride and Prejudice – The Wild and Wanton Edition; HBR’s 10 Must Reads: On Managing People; and Star Wars Vs. Star Trek.