Senior Vice President of Symtio, Tim Close, answers a few questions:

1) What is Symtio?

Symtio (a division of Zondervan) is a comprehensive digital content and e-commerce platform. Its “retail 2.0″ approach means retailers have minimal inventory expense, and publishers gain deeper access to shelf space with higher margin. Symtio’s unique title cards and POS system integration mean there is a finally a bridge between brick-and-mortar retail and digital media. Perhaps equally important, Symtio has web services integration that allows retailers the first multi-channel approach to digital media.

Symtio also has launched a way for publishers to engage customers on a more direct basis through a white label e-commerce and content delivery platform. Any digital media format – ebooks, audiobooks, music, movies, software – can be delivered in a totally-branded and seamless environment under their own domain.

2) How do you see your role in the evolution of books?

We’re expanding the market for publishers, content providers, and traffic aggregators to enter into digital and engage consumers directly and in an open fashion. There seems to be too much focus on formats and niches right now, and that’s fostering the ability for some retailers to take control of markets and pricing. I believe the focus needs to center on how we can make digital books and digital media as convenient, accessible, and interesting for consumers as possible.

Digital consumers want their files to work on their devices of choice. It’s likely that DRM and closed systems stymie the ease-of-use factor and diminish the overall consumer experience. Moving toward an open system is what’s going to improve adoption and really deliver on the most important factor, which is convenience.

3) Can you download a Symtio book on your mobile phone, and if so, have you seen any growth in this area since you’ve begun?

Mobile is to ebooks what the iPod was the music. Our view is that the iPhone – perhaps even more so than the Kindle – brings ebooks into the mainstream. While it’s not all that likely that teenagers are going to walk around with a Kindle, there are millions who already own iPhones. But mobile as whole facilitates convenience and therefore is important to the growth of the digital book marketplace. Symtio offers several formats for smart phones, including the iPhone.

4) You’ve been in the Christian Bookstores since October 2008. What’s the response been?

It’s been very positive. We’ve sold through more than 75 percent of the catalog, which means consumers are not only shopping the bestsellers, but also browsing through the backlist. We’re expanding the catalog each month and are really encouraged by the velocity and quick consumer adoption within a relatively small marketplace.

5) How long until you role out Symtio in the non-Christian bookstores?

We’re working on some tests now for the mass markets.