I want to build a software works like Lendle, need your advice

[ForsCream]

I guess many of you must know the eBook lending&borrowing service Lendle.

Amazon killed Lendle by shutting down its API, so if I build such an app, I won't make use of Amazon API.

The disadvantage of not using API is: this app can't scan your Amazon library and list lendable items out accurately and automatically.

This idea is still under planning stage, I need to imitate all the possible difficulties and figure out how to solve them. How to find the lendable books from each user is the most difficult issue at the moment.

My immature plan is:

• This app scans your Kindle's storage and read metadata, all the eBooks sold in Amazon has "ASIN" string in metadata, then I mark this kind of books as "Lendable".
• John searches "Becoming Steve Jobs" in our app, the app shows Jane and Janie both have this book, then John sends a request to Jane, Jane receives the request and manually mark this book as "Lend out" in our app.
• No matter when John returns this book back to Jane, this app marks the books as "Lendable" again after 15 days, because without API, I can't know if a book is already returned.

However, there are many bugs in this process, like the first step, if a book is downloaded from website and contains ASIN, the apps thinks this item is lendable.

My first thought is: this is better, downloaded book is DRM-free, users can just send this book to each other, even needn't to use Amazon's lending feature. But I'm afraid this will lead to piracy issue.

And there are too many manual operations in this process, which causes potential problems and not user-friendly, but without API, I can't figure out a better mechanism to achieve the goal.


So how do you think of this idea? Can you suggest a better process?
I need your advice.
Thank you all in advance

[eschwartz]

The only accurate way to handle it is to ask people to input books by hand. They can check the lendability.
I know at least one other such service scanned Amazon to check for "Lending enabled" in order to figure out what can be lent.

[ForsCream]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

The only accurate way to handle it is to ask people to input books by hand. They can check the lendability.

But that is disaster for user experience.

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I know at least one other such service scanned Amazon to check for "Lending enabled" in order to figure out what can be lent.

Does this service make use of Amazon's API?

[ForsCream]

And are you interested in such a tool?

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by ForsCream

But that is disaster for user experience.

I would like to see how else you propose to get a list of users' books. Without asking for their login details of course.

Does this service make use of Amazon's API?

AFAIK, no. I believe they were just web scraping.
P.S. The website: http://ebookfling.com

Originally Posted by ForsCream

And are you interested in such a tool?

No -- I tried out several of them, 2 or 3 years ago. I was quite unsatisfied, partially over the lack of enabled books, partially because people didn't seem much interested in lending books, partially because the library is so much more convenient in about a dozen ways.

But I wish you better luck. Maybe you'll attract a lot of people and convince me.


That is the most important thing -- having enough people willing to fulfill loans.

[ForsCream]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I would like to see how else you propose to get a list of users' books. Without asking for their login details of course.



AFAIK, no. I believe they were just web scraping.
P.S. The website: http://ebookfling.com



No -- I tried out several of them, 2 or 3 years ago. I was quite unsatisfied, partially over the lack of enabled books, partially because people didn't seem much interested in lending books, partially because the library is so much more convenient in about a dozen ways.

But I wish you better luck. Maybe you'll attract a lot of people and convince me.


That is the most important thing -- having enough people willing to fulfill loans.

I have such a plan because our team already got thousands of paid users, and our product is also ebook related. (For some reason I can't tell the name here). So on the basic of the users number, we want to build something new, and of course, free to use.

[susan_cassidy]

Just because the book has an ASIN doesn't mean that it is lendable. The majority of Kindle books aren't lendable. Your "plan" appears to be as full of holes as a colander.

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by ForsCream

Can you suggest a better process?

People who can afford it buy a license for the eBook under the terms allowed by the copyright holder.

People who cannot afford it obtain the book, after some wait, from a public library. (Or, if visually impaired, through the Daisy program.)

I don't see this system as being broke where I live. It is broke in much of the third world, and especially in countries where there is widespread government censorship, but I don't sense that as your market.

[ForsCream]

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

Just because the book has an ASIN doesn't mean that it is lendable. The majority of Kindle books aren't lendable. Your "plan" appears to be as full of holes as a colander.

Yes I totally know that, that's why I call it an "immature plan". If I can use Amazon's API, then all the problem is solved, but it will definitely become the next Lendle.