Readers’ insights can now be revealed by a code called candy.js, a javascript code that determines how readers actually read. The technology is embedded on an e-book, developed by a startup called Jellybooks. The company focuses on “discoverability and reader analytics.”
“Penguin Random House UK was among our earliest partners in a pilot program of the technology, and the insights we gathered were fascinating,” said Jellybooks founder Andrew Rhomberg.
“It’s not simply about verifying or disproving notions about how people read, but rather understanding the diversity of readers and audiences out there, and how we in the publishing industry can best cater to their interests and needs,” he added.
He stressed that candy.js merely aims at identifying different types of readers and their preferred books. “Technology does not tell us if a book is good or bad,” he noted.
To make the most of this technology, Rhomberg has launched a monthly column called “Audience+Insight.” The new column will further look into how the collected data can reshape “book acquiring, editing, positioning, promoting, and marketing.”
Authors and publishers can sign up on Jellybooks’ official website to have access to its “Google Analytics for Ebooks.” The service assists in creating prepublication focus groups and collecting reading data using third-party reading apps.
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