The Challenge
Tell us about yourself and the nature of your work
I am the Publications Coordinator at the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID). My work includes managing our bookstore and creating ebooks for publication.
What challenges did you face before using Kotobee?
Since this was my first time creating an ebook, I needed a solution that would combine interactive capabilities, virtual access, and strong protective features in one place. Protecting our content from unauthorized sharing was especially important, and I also didn’t want to compromise on ease of use.
What potential solutions did you explore that didn't work out?
Through a Google search, I came across several ebook platforms, and I briefly considered Kindle and Amazon. However, their fees were too high, and they didn’t offer the combination of features we needed. In the end, it became clear that Kotobee was the only platform worth trying as it perfectly met all our needs, both technically and financially.
“One of the biggest deciding factors was Kotobee’s ability to protect our content. We can now assign secure access to students and limit the number of devices they use, which is essential to prevent widespread sharing.”
The Solution
How did you hear about Kotobee?
I first came across Kotobee while searching on Google for ebook hosting platforms.
What drove you to choose Kotobee?
One of the biggest deciding factors was Kotobee’s ability to protect our content. We can now assign secure access to students and limit the number of devices they use, which is essential to prevent widespread sharing.
We also liked how Kotobee made the entire publishing process straightforward. We could design, store, and host the ebook in one place. We can also choose whether to sell the ebook outright or provide paid, time-limited access, and link everything directly to our Shopify store. This made the distribution process of our ebook much more efficient.
The ability to easily add interactive features is another strong advantage. We can now have our students write and respond to questions directly in the ebook, which helps enrich the learning experience. Also, embedding videos from Vimeo was a quick and straightforward process.
We also valued the ability to fully incorporate our own branding. Using Kotobee’s services, we asked their team to design some elements for us, which was a helpful bonus.
Finally, the customer service was outstanding. Nadeen, in particular, was incredibly responsive and supportive throughout the process.
What specific aspect of your ebook are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of how the ebook brings together integrated interactive features and embedded videos to create a dynamic learning experience. Seeing it grow from a simple Google Doc into a fully interactive, media-rich resource has been truly rewarding.
The Results
What metrics do you use to measure the success of your project? Has Kotobee affected those metrics in any way?
The ebook has not yet been released, but once it launches, we will track analytics from Kotobee to measure sales and engagement. This data will help us evaluate the success of the project and guide our future decisions.
The Future
What are your plans for the future?
We plan to launch the first two ebooks we created this fall through our Shopify store. Based on performance and analytics, we will then decide whether to expand our ebook offerings. The ultimate goal is to revamp our publishing department and make ebooks a key part of our professional development resources for interpreters, educators, and students.
