"XinXii was the first Web 2.0 platform of its kind that combines powerful real-time trading tools for self-publisher in the German-speaking area. Today, XinXii is the leading digital self-publishing platform in Europe", as described on their website. We have with us, XinXii's founder, Dr. Andrea Schober to answer a few questions that talk all about this wonderful website. Catch her interview below:
Andrea, please introduce yourself to E-junkies.
Thank you for this opportunity, it's a pleasure to me! My name is Andrea Schober, I'm the founder and CEO of XinXii, an Berlin-based online-marketplace for self-written texts.
Tell us about your website 'XinXii' and the fascinating concept it uses.
We have started XinXii in 2008 as first mover in Germany with the concept "upload and sell your work on the Web" - regardless of which genre, type or lengths it is: short texts, documents, eBooks or audio books.
Beside the concept itself, the key innovation which everyone appreciates is the fact that XinXii is a real-time and very easy to use platform: You can start uploading and making your work available for download in your own XinXii eStore right now - quickly and easily. No one had done that before. So XinXii empowers anybody to market his work himself online, in real-time, for free and with complete editorial and copyright control.
On the other side, readers have access to a tremendous pool of interesting, useful, practical or entertaining content, which is available for instant download: They can find unknown talents in fiction, guides written by experts, recipes, instruction plans or even excel-forms, exposés, studies and seminar presentations.
How did the idea of forming 'XinXii' strike to you? Do you have any story behind it to share?
The idea of XinXii got its start in my publishing company that is focused on guides for expatriates and business people living abroad. We still receive a lot of manuscripts, but unfortunately we refuse many due to the niche theme or due to a lack of pages. One day, we decided to launch a DIY-platform for all those authors and writers: because they should be able to upload and sell their works on their own - no matter if it's a guidebook, a manual, a novel or a textbook.... so we launched XinXii as an independent platform!
There are so many other platforms available to sell self-written works. What makes 'XinXii' stand out?
There are many platforms in the U.S., where the digital self-publishing is very popular - even if the big player in the eBook and book business have started late: Barnes & Noble launched its PubIt in late 2010, Amazon launched its Kindle Direct Publishing in Germany only recently (and the platform is still in half English, half German), and Kobo has announced a launch for this year.
As I mentioned at the beginning, XinXii is the German pioneer and one of the first movers worldwide. So we can say, that XinXii has, in fact, created that market.
In Europe, the digital self-publishing is getting more and more popular. Here, we are the market leader, we are established. The many years of experience and the fact that we are always strictly focusing on our core business are an asset for us. To name some points which make XinXii stand out: XinXii ultimately is offering a broader choice of features, a broad range of written works to be published and sold, and more convenience than many existing platforms. Last but not least, we really care about our users: We have an personal support and a fantastic community!
According to you, what are the top 3 features/advantages of 'XinXii'?
Beside our concept and the ease-of-use, the main advantages of XinXii are:
- Publishing on XinXii is publishing without obligations
- Publishing on XinXii is publishing in real-time
- XinXii is a multi-lingual, global platform
You've recently launched HTML5 based webapp for smartphones and tablets. Tell us more about it.
Yes! The web-app is our new milestone: We are the first eBook platform worldwide to launch a browser-based solution for digital publishing. On XinXii, it will be possible for the first time to publish and sell, or to buy and download all kinds of digital texts simply and conveniently whilst on the move - with full mobility support. Authors who want to publish, for example, their seminar documents while they are on the move no longer need a laptop - just their iPad, their tablet or their smartphone. Readers have mobile access quickly and simply to more than 12,000 eBooks - anywhere and anytime, online and offline.
Are there any surprises for us in the future? Are you planning on any up-gradations in XinXii services?
Yes, there are some exciting new features to come! We keep on focusing on our way, and we will keep on being better as any (old and new) competitor. Our goal is to become an international leader as a DIY-platform for the digital publication and online sale of own writings.
Share your fondest memory with 'XinXii'.
Definitely the first uploads! I'll never forget that moment, when the first guy has registered and uploaded his eBooks. It was very exciting!
What are the other things that interests you?
Beside my passion for my job, I'm interested in all those things that make my life beautiful: spending time with my family and my friends, art, travelling, good food...
What message do you have for our readers?
It's not a message, but rather an invitation :-) I'd say: Come and visit us! XinXii is a platform for almost anybody :-) If you have a piece of work in your digital drawer, put it on XinXii - or, if you are looking for a specific information, I'm sure you'll find it on XinXii. Here are the links to keep in touch: Website: http://www.xinxii.com/ Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/xinxii_en Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/xinxii.en
Andrea, thanks for enlightening us with Xinxii's concept. It is wonderful and we wish you all the success! It was a pleasure to have you with us.
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