'Threshold for reading down '

utrecht - Holland's largest online department store in the footsteps of Spotify and Netflix. Bol.com has launched a subscription service that can read unlimited for a fixed monthly fee. 'We see it as a discovery service,' said Bol.com director Daniel Ropers.

Subscribers pay € 9.99 per month for the service, which was set up in collaboration with e-reader maker Kobo. Kobo Plus includes in the first instance more than 40 000 books, including 16 000 Dutch titles. 'And I'm talking about books by authors such as Ronald Giphart, Kluun and Herman Koch,' said Ropers. 'The publishers decide ultimately what is in it, but we are aware that we need to have a wide and good range to appeal to readers. '

Globe with Kobo spent about two and a half years with the service. 'Besides offering is another important point that it is so easy to be able to find books to download,' said Ropers. He refers to the current service of the library, which offers its own subscribers a digital lending service. These files must be downloaded and transferred via a computer on an e-reader. 'On a Kobo reader that you can find and download books directly. 'Moreover, both services also offer the ability to read through an app for your smartphone or tablet.

But sitting readers have to wait for such a service? Roper: 'Customer research shows that readers find that e-books- rightly or wrongly- are too expensive. It remains for many people an odd idea to pay more than ten Euros for a file instead of a paper book, despite the pressure and material costs of a book really only a fraction of the total cost. So we looked at what these people or find a reasonable price. '

Yet almost ten euros per month is more than the € 75 which consumers spend on books on average per year. Roper: 'The reason many people do not spend more, is that there is a book, a fixed amount- an average of around € 17- approaches. But they want just like to read more, and can with such a service it. If you want to start on a new book, you just do it. '

He continues: 'Look, a book is a big time investment. And if you then spend € 15 and the book turns out to be fun, it suggests that not only revulsion against the book, but also the direction of reading per se. Then grab your soon to Netflix to pass the time. I believe sincerely that people with such a subscription to read more because you make the threshold to grab a new book low. '

Kobo Plus continues to work with an algorithm that recommends new books based on what the subscriber already like. These are not included only read books, but also the service looks at how far and how fast the customer goes through the books. Executive vice president Pieter Swinkels Kobo: 'All these data are included in finding the right book. They are really personal recommendations. '

Finally Kobo Plus is also open to people who cast their own books. Both Kobo and Bol are able to add their books to the subscription service their own system for this and both sets of authors.