Interactive Reading - Fad or Future?
Do you remember reading "choose your own adventure books"? I do and I loved them. I didn't care what the story was, whether it was fantasy or fairy tale, I loved reading them over and over. Last year, I even wrote about a Jane Austen version for grown-ups, which I very much enjoyed.
Well, the next logical step in non-traditional books has arrived in the form of PERSONAL EFFECTS: DARK ART
by J.C. Hutchins.I first saw this book in the bookstore a few weeks ago, as I was picking out my birthday present (Tanya Huff's THE ENCHANTMENT EMPORIUM
). I desperately wanted it, but I just couldn't afford it at the time. So, last week, I added it to an order I was placing on Barnesandnoble.com and then waited anxiously for it.It's a hardcover, but there's much more to it. Inside, there are "pieces of evidence" that go along with the story, a murder mystery. Psychological reports, ID cards, and other flotsam that might help you solve the mystery are included. But, that is just the beginning.
If you Google characters names, web sites for them come up, as well as profiles on social networking sites such as Facebook. All the phone numbers and web sites mentioned in the book or in the evidence work - you can call the phone numbers and get related information, visit the web sites, send emails to the people in the story, etc..
The author is also offering an audio prequel on his web site and instructions on how to make your own DARK ART party with your friends. There is even a web site where you can "commit yourself' to the psychiatric hospital in the book.
I admit to being very intrigued by this concept of interactive novels. It makes my little researcher heart very happy. However, a part of me wonders just how well this type of book will do once the novelty wears off. Will readers really want to go exploring on the web to find out more about the story they are reading or have read? Do they really care that much? How much of the interest is dependent on the quality of the story, or does that really even matter? It didn't matter when I read the choose your own adventure books, but I was 10 years old at the time.
What do you think? Is this the next wave in books or just a flash in the pan? Would you want to read a book that requires you to work for the information or do you just want to be able to enjoy the story without going to that extent? Tell me what you think in the comments.
Nicole
posted at 1:15 PM
3 Comments:
I love the idea of interactive books. But I also wonder how many readers will want to do the searches and follow all the links.
Sounds like a lot of work for the author and the reader, and really isn't reading fiction about relaxing with a good book and simply enjoying it?
My personal belief is some will buy the book for the novelty aspect but many more won't.
Readers. We're such fickle creatures. :)
CYOA were fun as a kid, but this sounds like Lost with a book...
This is a topic of great interest to me. We released an interactive e-book similar to the old CYOA books, but definitely more adult. It's erotic romance, so definitely more adult. Links are embedded into the ends of chapters to make navigating through the story lines easy. There are something like 9 different ways to read the story.
Some readers have responded very warmly to this book. It was an experiment for us, really, because the format is unusual.
The book is called Megan's Choice, by Ellie Marvel, and you need point-and-click capabilities to make it easy to read. It's on www.eredsage.com. Not trying to pimp, just thought I should cite the work.
Very interested to hear more feedback on these kinds of stories.
Theresa Stevens
Managing Editor
Red Sage Publishing
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