Here are four publishing-related ideas I’ve been kicking around:
1. Foursquare for books. I would like an easy way to check in after I’ve read something. Once checked in, my friends would see what I’ve just read. This acts as an advertisement and endorsement. My friends can call me on the phone and ask me if they can borrow the book. But also, maybe checking in opens up a world of commentary about the passage or volume. I think this would be fun.
2. MMBC (Massive Multi-Player Book Club). One reason I don’t read those big hairy classics anymore is because I remember reading them in college. If it weren’t for the brilliant professors at Northwestern I wouldn’t have been able to really navigate some of the cultural and historical references or grasped all the nuance and symbolism. So imagine a book club made up of leading intellectuals, scholars, and all-around entertaining individuals. Now imagine that you can join that bookclub live each week as you read through the classics or download the videos and go at your own pace.
3. Social annotations. iBooks is missing margins. Remember when you would read a used book and the margins were filled with notes and certain passages where highlighted? Imagine if every person who ever read any book was able to scribble all over it and the reader could decide whose notes they want to appear when they read a book. I could see a professor’s notes or Charlie Sheen’s notes or my friend Smitty’s notes.
Three book ideas are enough for one day. Since the day that ______ took the idea above I realized that ideas should be free so enjoy.