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Cool idea, the importance of libraries can't be overstated. So it would be great to have an alternative to robust public library infrastructure in developing co

Cool idea, the importance of libraries can't be overstated. So it would be great to have an alternative to robust public library infrastructure in developing countries. With that being say, you really need to hammer out how to create a sustainable business model. Just off the top of my head, the transaction cost is going to kill it before it get off the ground. 1. Who's going to pay for high shipping cost? (especially in developing countries where the infrastructure will cause you problems) 2. Who will pay for content cost? (cost of acquiring books not to mention later on acquiring users) 3. How will you build your margin on top of all that cost? Until you "solve" these problems, I don't know if this is an investable idea.

marco_guate 10y ago
Really good, thank you. Business model: monthly subscription to have access to database. 1. No shipping. Cities are often small, and highly dense. People´s cost of mobilizing (walking) to a meeting point is lower than the shipping cost. 2. I´ll never buy the books, they are owned by the users. They can exchange them, get them back later, or whatever their deal (Yeah, we know they will probably sell them for $ (I mean Q) but that´s not on us) 3. By having thousands of users pay $1 a month to get access to the info of the books of their neighbors, classmates, coworkers, etc who are actually just a few blocks from each other.
xavierwjc 10y ago
After thinking about it, it might be better to go with non-profit route. Get all books donated (ideally from first world where the donation can be apply to tax deduction). Network with church groups where they can pay for the initial shipping cost to your countries. This solves the cost of content acquisition. Once you get hold of the books, add them to your market place and allow anyone to pick up the books for free. If someone else wants to read that book, they make a request on the market place then it's the responsibility of the current book holder to decide whoever is on that waitlist. Ideally someone close by and who has higher needs. This solves the problem of shipping cost since it's up to the users to share them amongst themselves. The market place keep track of the supply/demand and can make suggestions. You can do more complicated interactions when the system has more users. Like if a remote village has need for a list of books and a user is scheduled to pass through that village. The marketplace can facilitate all nearby bookholders who have books on the waitlist for that village to give books to that person travelling. By cutting out "all" of the transaction cost, you can focus on value added services where you can add margin (profit). For example, allow publishers to give out new books in circulation. Newspapers, political ads from politicians, ads flyers from local businesses etc. stuff that readers might want and don't mind sharing. If users don't want the ads/services, they can trash them. Otherwise, pass them on. Interesting way of measuring success of x campaign. Use the money you make from those services to buy more books and expand network or subsidize the network to reach more communities! That would be a nonprofit that I won't mind donate to.
- marco_guate 10y ago
  Couple of issues with that: -Very few developed nations read in Spanish. Donation books in other languages are usually just trashed. -Getting this huge amounts of books would be indeed crazy. -So books will stay at owners homes. Because there are books in developing countries. We´re not necessarily looking into getting more. We just want to have them shared so they can all be read 10-20 times, instead of just 1 or 0 times. Yes, I´ve been evaluating the non-profit way, especially because it could be easier to get donations, but I want it o be sustainable. Seems like everything that gets donation money becomes inefficient.

marco_guate 10y ago

Really good, thank you. Business model: monthly subscription to have access to database. 1. No shipping. Cities are often small, and highly dense. People´s cost of mobilizing (walking) to a meeting point is lower than the shipping cost. 2. I´ll never buy the books, they are owned by the users. They can exchange them, get them back later, or whatever their deal (Yeah, we know they will probably sell them for $ (I mean Q) but that´s not on us) 3. By having thousands of users pay $1 a month to get access to the info of the books of their neighbors, classmates, coworkers, etc who are actually just a few blocks from each other.

xavierwjc 10y ago

After thinking about it, it might be better to go with non-profit route. Get all books donated (ideally from first world where the donation can be apply to tax deduction). Network with church groups where they can pay for the initial shipping cost to your countries. This solves the cost of content acquisition. Once you get hold of the books, add them to your market place and allow anyone to pick up the books for free. If someone else wants to read that book, they make a request on the market place then it's the responsibility of the current book holder to decide whoever is on that waitlist. Ideally someone close by and who has higher needs. This solves the problem of shipping cost since it's up to the users to share them amongst themselves. The market place keep track of the supply/demand and can make suggestions. You can do more complicated interactions when the system has more users. Like if a remote village has need for a list of books and a user is scheduled to pass through that village. The marketplace can facilitate all nearby bookholders who have books on the waitlist for that village to give books to that person travelling. By cutting out "all" of the transaction cost, you can focus on value added services where you can add margin (profit). For example, allow publishers to give out new books in circulation. Newspapers, political ads from politicians, ads flyers from local businesses etc. stuff that readers might want and don't mind sharing. If users don't want the ads/services, they can trash them. Otherwise, pass them on. Interesting way of measuring success of x campaign. Use the money you make from those services to buy more books and expand network or subsidize the network to reach more communities! That would be a nonprofit that I won't mind donate to.

marco_guate 10y ago
Couple of issues with that: -Very few developed nations read in Spanish. Donation books in other languages are usually just trashed. -Getting this huge amounts of books would be indeed crazy. -So books will stay at owners homes. Because there are books in developing countries. We´re not necessarily looking into getting more. We just want to have them shared so they can all be read 10-20 times, instead of just 1 or 0 times. Yes, I´ve been evaluating the non-profit way, especially because it could be easier to get donations, but I want it o be sustainable. Seems like everything that gets donation money becomes inefficient.