Comments on: BookSwim, think Netflix for real books

By: S. Negraval

S. Negraval — Tue, 29 May 2007 17:37:45 +0000

Hey everyone. Thanks for talking up online book rental and for taking a look at BookSwim. Some comments about comments: Adam: 30 days? Not quite! We're targeting avid readers who will optimize their membership. Finish books quickly, and you read more great titles per month! However, you CAN choose to rent the book for as long as you want, or buy the book for a deeply discounted price. JPCarter: Good point, and we here at BookSwim love going to our local library! However, we've also taken into consideration the fact that some people live far from the library, or have work during normal operating hours. Furthermore, they are left unsastisfied by ILL. But pleae note: We're not trying to compete with libraries. Who knows? Maybe someday we'll work WITH local libraries! Thanks again for your interest in BookSwim and we hope you check out our site on some more info. We truly appreciate your feedback. S. Negraval

By: jpcarter

jpcarter — Wed, 16 May 2007 19:55:56 +0000

@Tensenki: Interlibrary Loan? The idea of a Private Library is interesting, though sort of pointless if you're already paying for one w/ your tax dollars.

By: Myke

Myke — Wed, 16 May 2007 05:33:20 +0000

I’m sure there are people out there that can find this useful. Not everyone has a library just around the corner.

By: Tensenki

Tensenki — Wed, 16 May 2007 00:32:32 +0000

I went for my first couple years of college at a private university, in a town without a city library. There was a large city 1 1/2 hour drive away, but I didn’t have money for insurance, and the college library didn’t have any trash literature (I think Stephen King was my thing back then) so this would have saved a good chunk of change on all those books I bought.

By: Adam

Adam — Tue, 15 May 2007 20:35:29 +0000

So effectively, this is for people who take longer than 30 days to read a book, and are also too lazy to get the book re-issued to them?

I don’t know about the US, but in the UK we can re-issue books online so there isn’t even the need to trail to the local library. I think this is another case of an online startup coming up with an idea, and a flashy site design before actually thinking the logic through.