London, ON " Book lovers no longer have to pay high prices or endure lengthy library waiting lists to get their hands on best sellers now that RentReadReturn.com has launched their online book rental site. Described as a "Netflix"? for books (an online DVD rental service that has been named one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S.), RentReadReturn.com is not only attracting the interest of avid readers, but also the producers of CBC-TV's Dragons' Den. The new company was selected as one of 300 entrepreneurs (out of 4000 applicants) to pitch the business to the Canadian business moguls for this Fall's program.
"Being on Dragons' Den was definitely nerve-racking and intimidating, yet one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had,"? said Amoreena Meadows, owner of RentReadReturn.com. "I knew that it would be difficult to face the "dragons," but adding the cameras and lights without the benefit of re-takes made it overwhelming. But once the adrenalin kicked in, I was able to go with the flow."?
RentReadReturn.com has an extensive Web catalogue of new releases, best sellers, and classics from a variety of genres including children's books. Members pay a monthly fee depending on volume requested with no contracts, no late fees, and free shipping. Books are delivered to members' doors and returns are dropped in the nearest mailbox using special postage paid packaging.
"Typically, Ontario families spend more than 1.1 billion dollars each year on book purchases, many of which are read only once then stored on shelves or in boxes,"? said Meadows. We're offering the same books at a fraction of the cost " plus the option to buy at reduced prices if they decide they want to keep the book."?
After working for more than a decade under the provincial governments of Ontario and B.C., the book rental concept came to Meadows when she was unable to locate a copy of a best seller to read for her book club. She discovered a similar service in the U.S. and modeled RentReadReturn.com after it when she realized it had rented more than 100,000 books within its first eighteen months and is working toward renting one million copies in 2010.
Stats show that paperback/hardcover books are still very much preferred over their downloadable versions" and library usage is on the decline. In a recent survey by RentReadReturn.com, 100% of respondents preferred traditional reading methods " and RentReadReturn.com is making it easy to obtain affordable material by offering four membership plans depending on usage. Whenever the majority of books are read, they can be returned and then the next selections are delivered, continuing the cycle.
Airing date of the Dragons' Den episode with RentReadReturn.com has not yet been announced but Meadows is looking forward to the national exposure. I can't disclose the outcome...but I'm hoping it will take the business to that next level faster than I ever could have imagined."
For more details about RentReadReturn.com, visit their Web site: www.rentreadreturn.com.
Contact: Amoreena Meadows, RentReadReturn.com 519.872.7323
amoreena.meadows@rentreadreturn.com
Prepared By: Susan Regier, Vantage One Writing 519.471.8726
susan@vantageonewriting.com
