Slicebooks Platform Overview

The Slicebooks platform is a feature-packed publishing ecosystem with unique tools for repurposing content, a white label store product and embeddable store widgets called StoreApps. Distributors, publishers, corporations and nonprofit organizations can use the Content Management System (CMS) to chunk (slice) & remix content to create new micro content (i.e. chapters) and custom ebooks.

Summary

Sometimes called “iTunes for eBooks”, Slicebooks offers a variety of tools and services that enable publishers to repurpose content, create custom and micro content, build direct sales channels and target niche audiences:

  1. Slicebooks Content Management System (CMS): A web-based CMS that includes multimedia content slicing and remixing tools, metadata management and a publishing API for automatic upload to the Slicebooks store and White label stores
  2. Slicebooks Store: The first iTunes-style ebook store where customers can purchase an ebook or an individual chapter, or mix-and-match chapters from different books to create their own custom ebook. Perfect for higher ed & custom course packs.
  3. White label Store: The world’s only white label ebook retail platform designed to sell content whole or by the slice, and lets customers curate their own collections.
  4. Slicebooks Micro Stores: Customizable and embeddable web app stores publishers can distribute to partners, bloggers, and influencers.

About EarlyAccess

We founded EarlyAccess, Inc. in October 2010 in Broomfield, Colorado, USA with the aim of developing new & innovative products and services for publishers. In 2013 the company launched Slicebooks.com, a combination of publishing tools and content management system to help publishers repurpose content & sell direct.  In 2013 we launched the Slicebooks Store, a White Label content store platform and “MicroStores”, embeddable web store widgets for targeting niche audiences with sliced content.

See more about EarlyAccess here.

Products & Services

Slicebooks offers a variety of tools and services that enable publishers to repurpose content, create custom and micro content, build direct sales channels and target niche audiences.

  1. Slicebooks Content Management System (CMS): A web-based CMS that includes the ContentSlicer, ContentRemixer, metadata management and a publishing API for automatic upload to white label stores. 
  2. Slicebooks White label Store Platform: The world’s only white label ebook retail platform designed to sell content whole, by the slice, and lets consumers remix their own custom ebooks.
  3. StoreApps Widgets: Customizable & responsive web apps that are fully-featured ecommerce stores publishers can instantly create, brand and embed on affiliate sites to target niche markets.

1. Content Management System (CMS)

The CMS gives publishers a variety of custom publishing tools, including,

    • ContentSlicer: Chunk content to create new, ready-to-publish micro content like chapters & journal articles.
    • ContentRemixer: Mix & match content – including sliced content, whole books and/or multimedia –  from any source to create new custom ebooks
    • Metadata auto-transfer: Automatically disseminate new product metadata from parent files to slices (chapters)
    • Publish API: Automatically publish content from the CMS to white label stores and StoreApps
CMS Dashboard

Ebook Slicer (Chapterizer)

Instantly chunk content to create new ready-to-publish micro content.

When publishers need to chunk files, they often will do it manually in-house using tools not designed for the task. This approach takes much longer than the Slicebooks CMS. Slicebooks can slice and package thousands of files at a rate of approximately one per minute.  Also, a manual approach does not automatically transfer the source metadata to the newly sliced files as the Slicebooks CMS does, which is necessary for creating a product that can be distributed in standard sales channels.

Using the Slicebooks Content Slicer, publishers and any content owner can slice existing books, journals and other files into smaller, ready-to-publish micro-content in minutes.

Slicing Features

  • Users can choose from 3 different slicing levels (sections, chapters, articles etc.)
  • All source file metadata is automatically transferred to each newly created content slice, which means each slice is ready for publishing.
  • Users can customize content slices by selecting what front and back matter to include with each slice, such as copyright pages and other optional content.
  • A new cover is created for each slice with a thumbnail image of the source file.
  • Metadata created for all new slices uses standard publishing formats like ONIX, .csv and MarcXML.
  • Identifiers are automatically created for each slice and tracks back to the source file ISBN so that royalty percentages can be accurately accounted for.
  • ISBNs for each slice can get applied by the publisher with the click of a button.
Alert at completion of content slicing workflow

Ebook Remixer

Mix & match text and multimedia files to create new custom ebook products.

The ContentRemixer lets publishers mix and match slices, whole books and multimedia (audio/video) files together to create a new ebook product. This is a particularly useful tool in Education, where teachers and professors commonly need to create custom coursepacks by combining content from various sources. Due to the time it normally takes to get the necessary permissions from publishers to create such custom collections, the ContentRemixer makes permissions automatic and makes it easy for publishers to create custom collections instantly. In this way the teachers can get just what they want and both the publishers and authors get paid. 

ContentRemixer Features

  • Mix & match sliced content from various sources to create custom ebooks
  • Mix & match whole ebooks to create custom ebook bundles
  • Add multimedia files (audio/video) to remixes
  • Create new multilingual products by mixing & matching slices and/or whole content
  • Edit metadata to make remixes ready-to-publish
  • Create custom covers using our templates or upload images
  • It only takes about a minute to create a new remixed eboo
In 4 steps publishers can mix & match slices & books to create new custom ebooks

Metadata Manager

Auto-transfer metadata from source files to new content chunks and remixed ebooks.

Slicebooks automatically transfers associated metadata from parent files to new sliced content files, which saves time in making slices ready-to-publish files. Metadata is based on both the ONIX standard and MarcXML standard. Also, at any time publishers can edit or create new metadata for any file right within the CMS. For example, for products published to the Slicebooks Store, White Label Stores, or StoreApps, prices, descriptions, identifiers and other data required for publishing can be changed and updated on the associated product page in real time. All metadata files are also available for download via ONIX, MarcXML or .csv.

Add metadata to a new Remix - Step 3 of Remix workflow

Publish API

The Publish API integrates the CMS with associated white label stores and StoreApps. It makes it easy for publishers to upload or update content and metadata from the Slicebooks CMS to targeted stores and StoreApps. In just two steps publishers can create new product pages on all associated stores, update metadata or remove existing content. And as part of the upload process, publishers are also given easy social media tools to promote new content as it is being published.

Step 1 of the Publish Workflow

2. White Label Store Platform

Slicebooks White Label Stores are uniquely feature-full content stores that can be customized and branded for selling any kind of content. Publishers can create their own privately branded store with all the unique features of Slicebooks, including CMS integration, sliced and remixable content, unlimited StoreApps and complete administrative control. 

White Label Store Features:

  • All content is displayed and sold whole or by the slice
  • Embedded ContentRemix widget (a world’s first) lets users create their own custom ebooks by mixing and matching any available content on the store.
  • New consumer-created remixes can be “shared” on the store for purchase so other users can purchase them (perfect for teachers who want to share new remixes with students)
  • Integration with the Slicebooks CMS means publishers can automatically upload new content and metadata updates to the store platform for real-time publishing
  • Standard ecommerce features such as gifting, wish lists, user libraries and more
  • Easy branding template makes it easy to add logo and adjust color pallets
  • Modular development makes custom store creation faster
  • Localize by currency and language
  • Robust admin tools for controlling users & inventory, tracking sales and creating promotions
  • Unique product identifiers let publishers track slices back to parent files for accurate royalty reports
  • Digital Subscription module (optional) can be added so that journal publishers, for example, can sell annual subscriptions to customers and institutions
Sample White Label Store Product Page

3. Micro Stores (Store Apps)

What is it?

The StoreApp is an embeddable and customizable web app that is a fully functioning digital content store. It embeds on any site and is responsively designed, which means it dynamically fits in any site column and is viewable on mobile, tablet and desktop devices.

Target niche markets

The Mobile StoreApp gives publishers an instant path for growing D2C channels. In minutes publishers can create and customize a StoreApp on the CMS, and then paste the store on their own site or any other site they can recruit. Their customers can log-in, browse and checkout all within the app, which means the customer never leaves the site where the app is embedded. And both the embed code and the mobile links can be easily shared, which gives publishers the ability to grow new sales channels and target niche markets by distributing their StoreApps on affiliated sites

Micro Store Use Cases

  • Create individually customized StoreApps for specific book series and authors.
  • Events and conferences can post apps on sites pre and post event to share event docs, presentations, and provide context relevant content to attendees.
  • Share apps with authors to embed on their blogs and websites
  • Include apps in email blasts and newsletters