Dutch publisher introduces “scratch e-book”: the next generation of e-books is made of paper

Writers and book publishers in The Netherlands are finding their own way into the new digital era. Yesterday in Amsterdam, a new kind of e-book was launched: the scratch e-book. Interestingly, this e-book is an ‘old-fashioned’ paper product.

American research recently showed that the perceived value of a physical product is greater than the perceived value of a digital product, because the latter is not tangible. This conclusion appeals to me personally: when it’s your girlfriend's birthday, it's just nicer to give her something to unwrap than to say: "With this e-mail you can download a very cool PDF-file."

But, nowadays physical products are turning into electronic services. A trend that is supported by many consumers but is regarded with suspicion by many authors. Some writers recently expressed their concern in The Guardian. The market for purely digital products would provide insufficient potential to make a living as an industry. Besides, it's easy to copy digital books or to download them illegally, according to the said authors. 

The Dutch publisher PixelPerfect has understood these two developments and tried to link them. Customers want a physical product and they like e-books. Combining these two aspects may very well be the best marketing strategy for digital products.

Exactly that is now done with the "scratch e-book” that will soon reach bookstores. On March 31 PixelPerfect introduces this new hybrid e-book. The scratch e-book is the cover of a regular book, printed on heavy paper, with a blurb tekst and a code that is hidden underneath a thin layer of paint that you can easily rub off. The customer buys the book in the store and, by rubbing off the paint, has a code that allows him go online and download the e-book at home. In addition to the advantage of having an e-book, a customer does not have to pay on the Internet and he can give the e-book away as a present. The bookstore and the publisher will complete the transaction if the scratch code is redeemed.

The first scratch e-book in The Netherlands was presented during the e-Book Ball, yesterday at music venue Paradiso, Amsterdam. The motto of this ball was "On the way to success in e-book times." Lydia Rood, the author of the first physical e-book, scratched the first code and downloaded her e-book. To promote this action, approximately 300 bookstores in Holland will give away this e-book to customers that purchase an e-reader, audiobook or e-book.

References: Nieuwsbank, e-readers.nl, Platform Innovative Publishing (Inct), University of Chicago Press