Introduction: Current efforts for the future application buildout. Thursday Books is a social sharing marketing platform for independent authors. By “Social Sharing” marketing across social media platforms, we will also expose authors p author social media profiles in efforts to bring more exposure to their books to readers. We will drive readers to our website, email sign-ups for future book offers and social sharing and provide book affiliate links with Bookshop.org and Amazon. We offer an author/book promotion and a reader magnet promotion.  

 

Author/Book Promotion: We will charge a fee to run ads on our social media sites driving traffic to both our website. We will also social share with the authors profiles on their social media sites. 

Reader Magnet Promotion: We will charge a fee to run ads on our social media sites driving traffic to the authors “free downloadable book” landing page in exchange for the readers email address. Hence, the author will pay for us to social share their landing page for a free book.  

 

Our Team: Jennifer Hunt, owner/Marketing Specialist. Wassim Taher, website engineer/Marketing Specialist

 

Problem: Independent authors are forced to recon with an oversaturated market from the bigger companies owning 99% of the market share of books and eBooks. The problem with these bigger companies is lack of real reader and author connections and engagement. Independent Authors are skilled in delivery of connecting with their readers, but first must exceed at marketing before any revenue is made. We wish to narrow that gap between the author and their potential readers. Readers are forever searching for that next exciting book to read. Reader’s problem awareness is relying on others to tell them which book are best to invest their time and money in. While this is effective, authors spend much of their time trying to catch just one reader to read their book. Additionally, authors must sacrifice their works to “free” or earn pennies for the potential readers and beg for ratings in order to trick the algorithm and have their book uncovered beneath the haystack. Readers want to spend pennies for books nowadays. This has become the norm for independent authors and because of it, independent authors need to conform to lower price point books to gain a reader audience. 

 

Solution: We will rely heavily on Social Media Marketing Ad spend two-fold: Gain readers and gain authors willing to trust Thursday Books in marketing. We will showcase their books through ads on social media platforms, drive readers to profiles of authors, to our website and to links to purchase books. We will market free to low-cost books for readers and readers who are already on Kindle Unlimited.

 

How do we make money: We will make money from our affiliate links to books and eBooks on our website via amazon affiliates and through bookshop affiliate links. We will also charge a fee for marketing services per book per author. We will also offer marketing for free books through bookfunnel for authors to gain emails from readers such they can further gain a reader fan through their own special marketing afterwards. “Social Sharing” and “Reader Magnet” program will cost $350.00. Ads will be targeted per key word research and social media sharing, provided the author has a website, email sign up page and social media profile. We will also send out emails, but the author will also have the opportunity to keep the emails they obtain through the reader magnet promotion. 

 

Competition: BookBub is the largest competitor, however, they rely solely on direct email marketing. Written Word Media is also another competitor using the same format of direct email marketing.

 

How will our company own the market: We will be the first social media marketing company for books. We will leverage our marketing efforts to connect authors to readers by showcasing their books on social media.

 

Traction: Website development and Social Media accounts set up.

 

Projections: The funds obtained will be directly applied towards building a e-reader APP and establish relationships with readers and authors through our social sharing promotions. The ability to expand the business in the short term with our own book social media platform is the overall objective. Our desired start date for the viability of the app is December 2022.

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Thursday Books is seeking funding for building a new eBook reader application. This application designed for support from funding of internal ad spend of independent authors, monthly membership from readers and downloaded eBook sales by users of the application. The app is a membership-based app or a free with ads member app hosted on Google and IOS The membership fees offset google and IOS fees accrued. Please see this for cost projections.

The engagement prophecy is social sharing of authors and readers to enhance exposure of books to readers. The sharing can be in video format or in sharing amongst reading groups, from author to author and finally author to reader. We will protect the privacy of all users and authors. The authors will have control of their pricing in which we will set pricing from free to a minimum of $5.99. The application will earn revenue through ad spend from authors and other promotions outside of the app. Thursday Books will collect a minimum royalty payment of 10% for all purchases directly made on the app from books. If the author decided to place their book for free, the author will be required to submit an ad campaign for usage of the site and its services for exposure of their books.  

Thursday Books expects the app to be profitable within the first 3 months of its inception/launch with marketing on social media and google ad spend. 25% of the funding will be direct marketing of the application to readers and authors. 

Our direct competitor is Goodreads, Wattpad and Kindle, Kindle Vella, Barnes and Noble and Kobo. While Wattpad and Kindle Vella two are direct reading apps based on “coin spending to access the books/chapters”, our platform enhances reader and author relationships through social sharing and direct purchases of books.  

Two people to note are working to make this application viable. 

Wassim Taher, an application engineer and marketing expert.  

Jennifer Hunt, owner of Thursday Books, LLC. 

We will hire additional staff or customer service-based company to support customer service needs for reader and author inquiries from membership issues and eBook uploading issues. 

We will design the website for uploading of eBooks for publication on the application, with a detailed FAQ’s pages and video instructional content developed by an instructional designer. 

Once live, we will direct all marketing efforts to both readers and authors. Provided the authors do not have any objections with Amazon, publishers and other corporation’s terms of agreement, we will accept all memberships and eBooks as outlined by our terms of services and privacy policy. Additionally, we will have a robust privacy and protection monitoring systems and will have the capacity to ban either a reader and/or an author on account of prohibitive practices and code of conduct issues. We reserve the right to protect children under the age of 18 and vulnerable populations. We will monitor for piracy concerns of our authors and take the required action as deemed necessary.