IndieBound for iPhone Brings Independent Bookselling Into Mobile Universe

With the launch of the IndieBound app for iPhone on Monday, April 20, independent booksellers are boldly going where they've never gone before: the rapidly growing realm of mobile applications. Apple's App Store is nearing one billion downloads, and now independent booksellers can get in on the action. IndieBound for iPhone spotlights three of IndieBound.org's most popular features: bookseller recommendations, book search, and the Indie Store Finder.

"The IndieBound iPhone app puts independent booksellers' vast handselling knowledge directly into the hands of an enormous audience," noted ABA COO Oren Teicher. "We're tremendously excited to be able to call attention to the expertise of independent booksellers in this new way."

Within minutes of the app's release, a flurry of posts on Twitter announced it to a wide audience. "Developing the app had been a fun side-project of mine for months," said ABA's Matt Supko. "I love my iPhone, and I'm probably the first person who wanted to see an app for indie booksellers there. My goals were to make an app that was fast and fun to use, and to lay the groundwork for future growth."

Here are the app's key features:

• Bookseller Recommendations : Users can discover new books through the Indie Next List, Indie Bestsellers, Kids' Indie Next List, and more. Each book includes a link to buy through an e-commerce-capable bookstore website or to locate a nearby independent bookstore.
  
  
• Book Search: IndieBound for iPhone includes a comprehensive book search of over 3.5 million in-print titles, along with links to buy the books from a nearby store.
  
  
• Indie Store Finder: Also included is a Store Finder that works together with the iPhone's built-in GPS to show the user the closest indie bookstores to them. Detailed information about the store is pulled in from IndieBound.org, including website, phone number, and a link to the store on Google Maps. Users can simply tap the phone number to call the store of their choice. Bookstores are the default, but users can also search for other indie businesses, like coffee shops, record stores, and bicycle dealers.

Future versions of IndieBound for iPhone will include ebook functionality, the ability to set a favorite indie store for repeat purchases, and integration with a user's IndieBound.org Wish List.

IndieBound for iPhone is freely available to any iPhone or iPod Touch owner through Apple's App Store.

Let your customers know about the IndieBound for iPhone app! More information, screenshots, and a link to download are available on IndieBound.org.

Read this week's BTW follow-up on reaction to the new app.