Greater Access to Books: Browse Inside

HarperCollins Publishers has upgraded its Browse Inside application to give readers unprecedented access to its books online. More than can be had at online book retailers, more than most people would sample in a bookstore to determine if it’s a book they want to own. This is a really big deal: Finally, there’s an overarching reason to visit a book publisher’s site!

HarperCollins.com's guidelines are as follows:

1. Book has 100 pages or fewer – 20% of interior pages available plus front and back matter.
2. Books of more than 100 pages:

• Fiction– front and back matter and sequential pages available up to 20% of book.

• Nonfiction– First three pages of each chapter available up to 20% of book, plus front and back matter.

For example, let’s take Run by Ann Patchett and compare the publisher’s site to the access granted by the two big online booksellers. On HarperCollins.com’s Browse Inside I was able to read up to page 53 of the 304 pages, plus eight additional pages of front and back matter.

Amazon’s Search Inside provided the first 6 pages of chapter one and another six “Surprise Me” pages from inside the book, plus front and back matter.

With an account (e-mail and password only required) Barnes & Noble.com's See Inside enabled me to see up to 33 sequential pages, plus front and back matter.

Any one of the above would be enough for me to make a decision about this book, but for those who need more, it's good to know that the greatest access could be had at HarperCollins.com.

The User Experience

The best thing a Web site can offer is information that cannot be found elsewhere as well as related content to round out the site visitor’s experience. My own experience with Browse Inside is a good example. Granted, I was testing the aforesaid guidelines against randomly selected books to make sure the Browse Inside application was working properly.

An Uncertain Inheritance by Nell Casey was chosen from HC’s New Releases web page, and whether it was fiction or nonfiction was not clear at a glance. I started reading and was drawn in by the Foreword written by Frank McCourt. I realized that An Uncertain Inheritance was the book I had sought in vain some 14 years ago when my mother was dying.

I clicked on Nell Casey’s name and on the author’s biography page an event was posted. There would be a reading and discussion of An Uncertain Inheritance the next day at Teachers College in NYC which I was able to attend. I met Nell and Frank, Andrew Solomon and Abigail Holstein, two of the contributors to this anthology of personal stories written on the topic of caring for and being cared for by family members through serious illness. Because I was so deeply moved by my own journey, I knew for certain that I would read this book in its entirety. To be in the company of these accomplished authors was a benefit I would not have imagined when I began work the day before.

I was lucky... an important book of personal significance, a nearby event, and everything coming together at the right time. That's the kind of user experience I'm talking about!

The Challenge

How to tell the world that this kindof deep access to books is available? Currently in BETA, it is throughout the site on every page where the book has been digitized (an ongoing initiative). This logo indicates that it is available:

If you have ideas about Browse Inside, please share. I welcome your input.