USB Books - So Long and Thanks for All the fish

We love a good read and in our list of favourite books is Douglas Adams fourth book of the Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy. It was first published in 1984 long before digital downloads and long before digital copies were available on products like USB memory sticks.

Today things would be so different. Whilst printed books are making a real fight of things the future is very much digital and by digital it’s not just downloads of e-books but all forms of digital distribution including USB memory sticks.

Ebooks on USB Cards

We’ve long been used to copying company handbooks, manuals, product sheets and marketing material onto the promotions flash drives we sell but recently we’ve seen a bit of an upsurge in the demand for new book launches to be set up on a card style flash drive and for a copy of the book to be pre-loaded onto it. We’re not entirely sure what then happens to these cards but our suspicion is that they are used at Press events or handed over across the tables at PR organised “lunches”.

They’re a great way to selectively distribute copies of a new book (before it’s officially available) without having to worry about doing small print runs or setting up secretive webservers with secure logins to allow a digital download. If you are targeting book reviewers and you can excite or enthuse them by giving them the “book” on something interesting and unusual like a USB book then you’re halfway there in terms of getting their attention- ok, we’re not saying they’re going to guarantee a 5 star review but it should help.

Music Releases On USB Sticks

Of course it’s not just books that we’re seeing released on promotional USB flash drives. We’re also seeing lots of interest from small and large musical artists who are looking to release copies of their work on a well packed and printed USB stick. A great example is Peter Gabriel who commissioned USB sticks and boxes from us for his Back to Front Tour.

Some artists have gone the extra mile and commissioned fully customised versions with a “retro” twist like these USB Cassettes – they look amazing, they’re great fun and of course they generate lots of social media interest, chatter and likes which is half the challenge when you’re a young aspiring artist and you’re trying to use all channels to get your name known.