Blogger: Mary Keeley
An explosion in ebook technology is imminent. Some say we’ll see major innovations this year. I can sense angst—maybe fear—of the unknown. But anticipating these and doing some advance planning will help to alleviate negative reactions and increase your enthusiasm for this exciting new world. Because chances are, whether you are contracted with a traditional or non-traditional publisher, your book will release as print-plus-ebook or ebook-only. Today, I’ll give you three tips for preparing your content.
With change comes adjustment always, but especially now for authors as you think about the experience your future readers will have as they “turn the pages” of your ebook. I recently read a post from ebooksepubtechnologies here that describes what’s coming. The important question for you is, what will it mean for me and the way I write my books?
Your book will live in an interactive world. Readers and authors will be able to have online conversations. We’re familiar with Goodreads and BookShout, whose app for iPad releases next month, where you can read comments on lots of books. This new technology allows you and the readers to carry on a conversation about your book. For novelists this means you will be able to get instant feedback on what readers like and don’t, at what point they are hooked or put the book down. Comments throughout your nonfiction book will help you see when and if you convinced the reader of your book’s message.
TIP: As you are writing your book, organize your notes in a way you’ll be able to reference them quickly to interact promptly. Include documentation and resources to support your content. Fumbling around for these later when the book releases will delay your response; the reader may get tired of waiting and be gone. These interactions are a great opportunity for readers to get to know you and for you to build your audience. Be prepared for instant conversations.
Your book will be in vivid, living color. No more plain black and white. Do you have a color illustration of your heroine you’d like to add? No problem. Provide sidebars, charts, and diagrams in vibrant color. Choose a color for your text. Yellow your pages a bit to look more like a print book.
TIP: As you search for the right words to use, think “in color.” It may change the way you will tell your story because there will be more involved than just words. They and the color will have to match. We’ve known this wa coming for a while. Share your thoughts on if and how you’ll adjust your descriptive words and phrases.
Videos will be a part of the ebook reading experience.What is the setting for your novel? You will be able to insert a video to show the landscape or history of the region. Videotape live interviews to substantiate your research. Record music to play in the background.
TIP: Plan early for your research and take audio and video recorders with you. For instance, if you visit the actual location of your book’s setting, you may want to record street sounds, or the church bell—whatever is part of your story. The point is to be prepared; a spontaneous inspiration might come to mind, and you won’t want to miss it. Practice with your current WIP. Share with us how, what, where you could make use of audio and video.
What is your reaction to how these technologies will affect your future books—or maybe the one you’re working on now? Some advance mental and physical preparation can make for an exciting, fun entry into this world.
Thanks for the great ideas, Mary. I like the idea of making videos of your setting. My WIP is a contemporary set in a historic building in a beautiful part of a major city so I think that would be a great idea, just for marketing on my website.
Good to see your enthusiasm for making use of these new technologies, Sally. The image you described sounds picturesque.
Wow, all of this at first seems overwhelming…overwhelming but extremely interesting! I’m anxious to see how others do it in order to get ideas for my own stuff, when the time comes for me to publish.
Ahh…you’ll be a pro right from the start, Lindsay. But it isn’t too early to record sounds or videos for a book you’re plotting now. If it turns out they don’t fit when the book is complete, you’ve lost nothing but gained expertise.
I’m hoping to see interactive media workshops begin to show up at writers’ conference and workshops. Also a discussion about DIY or working with professionals. Thanks for this great overview.
Good point, Sidney. I’m sure we will be seeing these workshops pop up at conferences in the near future.
Very interesting post, Mary!
As I read this, I realized that many authors already do some of these things via social media, but I hadn’t thought of how they translate to the context of e-books. For example, I have author friends who keep character or setting images on Pinterest. And others have done video blogs highlighting a location in their book. The idea of including them as PART of the book is just awesome…and it sounds like it may be necessary in the near future.
Sarah,thanks for your example. Your author friends have already entered this world. For them it’s simply transferring their creativity to choose what and where images and videos work best in the e-book.
Can you think of any downsides to use of this technology in the reading experience?
I suppose it may distract from the writing itself. Part of the wonder of reading, at least for me, is my own use of imagination and connecting with an author’s words. Some of that may be lost if I can actually see the descriptions in front of my eyes…instead of just in my own imagination. I suppose this happens sometimes when books are made into films, but I have heard many friends who don’t like seeing movies based on their favorite books because the character didn’t look the way they pictured, etc. Pros and cons either way, I suppose. Interesting discussion!
Yes, Lindsay, I agree that is a concern. It will be important to insert these “extras” thoughtfully. Readers connect with the book as they imagine settings and characters in their own mind, and will want to come back for more. Of course, readers will have the option not to stop and look at a video.
I had the same thought, Lindsay. While the idea of harnessing all of the reading “helps” out there that are currently scattered across author blogs, Pinterest, YouTube, etc. into one interface is fascinating (and might be fun!), I can’t help feeling a little sad at the thought that the developments might also detract from the power of words to cause imaginations to flourish.
Thanks for the exciting information, Mary.
I’ll finally have a use for all those videos and photos I take while doing onsite research. I currently use them in blogposts and on my website, but always hoped I’d find a wider use for them.
A couple of years ago, Harlequin tested a line of interactive ebooks which sounds like what you’re talking about. I remember one of the complaints was that readers couldn’t seem to enjoy the stories because they were distracted by all the links to the extra info like setting, fashion, etc. I’ll check and see if I can find the imprint.
Great start, Anita. I agree with the concern you brought up too. Avoiding overuse of these extras and careful placement within the content will make the difference.
This are fabulous ideas, Mary. I honestly didn’t even consider them, especially the last two. I remember reading a review once where the reader commented that the color of the child’s sneaker on the cover didn’t match the color described in the book. I didn’t consider it important, but she did. We don’t know waht will trigger a reaction in people.
One of the downsides to using this technology is the increase in reader expectations. Before this technology came along, the reader would expect an eye-catching cover, an interesting back cover blurb, and a superb story. Now they might be looking for books with as many bells and whistles as are available. I’m guessing the pressure to deliver is going to be ramped up on everyone in the industry.
Cheryl, you might be right especially with regard to tech-savvy readers. On the other hand, over-use can become a distraction and rob readers of creating their own visuals in their mind. Careful usage will be important.
Good point, Mary. I would find those add-ons distracting. I don’t need an interactive reading experience. It will definitely be interesting to see how this technology develops.
The WSJ wrote an article back in January about enhanced e-books. Anyone who is interested can find it at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204468004577169001135659954.html
This has me wondering. I’ve often heard how writers can’t use lyrics to songs because of copyright issues. However, the artists LOVE when books become movies and their music is used. I can’t help but wonder if there can’t be more of a partnership with Christian Music artists to allow lyrics and cross market for each other. No idea how naive/realistic that is, but with the advent of the new technology, it seems like a road to explore. Don’t ya think?
Connie, I know at least two authors who have had music and lyrics created for their video trailers. I love that idea.
Wow, another future possibility, Connie. You’re ahead of the game. Nothing would surprise me.
Thank you, Mary, for this informative blog. I didn’t realize that so much could be added to an e-book (guess I have a lot of catching up to do!).
One on hand, this is exciting to me. I draw as I write. For example, I am working on a YA fantasy. In order to write it, I had to draw a map my main character’s home (Willowsong Woods) and the four areas nearby. She goes on a journey, so I had to work out how she would get from one place to another. I also have a psychological drama that I am hoping to submit soon to an agent. For that novel, I drew a floor plan for a house that is significant in the story and sketches of the two main characters. It would be wonderful to be able to share these with readers.
On the other hand, while I’m not illiterate when it comes to technology, I’m not adept either. So that part scares me. I definitely would need help.
I love your idea about recording sights and sounds!
Thanks again.
Oops! Sorry about the error. I meant to say “a map of my character’s home.”
Christine, you gave great examples for a good use of images. These would be helpful to the reader, who can still imagine what the house and nearby areas look like and the furnishings in the house.
How the technology will work remains to be seen. We’ll all be learning.
Christine, I’ve seen maps of fictional worlds more than once on the inside pages of books. I love it, because it helps me to visualize where everything is. I’m not a huge reader of fantasy novels, so this helps me get a better feel for things.
Good point, Cheryl.
Wow, a lot of food for thought. Reminds me of an article I read: “Your Next Book Should Be An App.” Same idea.
Makes me wonder if the written word will be supplanted by images.
My picture of Gollum was very different before the movies. My mind drew the picture. There’s something wonderful about that. My mind drew the maps, the floor plans, the characters.
My mental image of Jack Reacher is miles away from Tom Cruise…
I think your Tips are right on. Multi-sensory experiences are coming. Even so, I think God designed us to respond to the word written and spoken (“the foolishness of preaching”)… perhaps that will never go away.
Thanks for getting my mind racing.
May it never be! We can’t let written words be supplanted. It and the spoken word, as in preaching, are nourishment for our brains. We’d die a little inside without them.
True, but on the starship Enterprise, they talked to the computer with hardly a written word in sight! 🙂
What do you recommend we do proactively to secure permissions at the time of collecting those video interviews and even photographs of a location or area that might have a store name or a passerby in the photo? It makes me think about asking a girlfriend (non-writer) to accompany me on research trips just to handle those “bookkeeping” issues…and to create a standardized form that gives at least a signature permission to use the photo or interview in a public forum like a book’s interactive features. Hmm.
I’m reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn for our local book club. My copy has occasional ink drawing illustrations (maybe one every forty pages. They’re charming, and I always stop to drink them in. But there’s that word. I STOP to look at the illustration and then have to retrace my steps to get immersed back into the story. So it will be interesting seeing how the best authors and publishers manage to use the material to propel the story and the experience rather than “clob” it up. Clob is my granddaughter’s translation of clog. Our family rarely uses the right word anymore!
It’s interesting from a sociological perspective to see where we’ve come in reading. As toddlers, we wanted all pictures. If a book had too many words on the page and no pictures, we discarded it for another. Then as new readers, we wanted words, but just a few, and in large print. As middle graders, we opted for the chapter books, proud to have graduated from “needing” pictures, but we appreciated opening a book and finding a pen-and-ink map on the inside cover or that infrequent illustration in the interior of the book. Eventually, we grew to expect only words on the page, no photos and only a rare map. But we loved good page design. At what point will we cross the line between deepening the reader experience…as if a great book needs more than exquisite writing, a compelling story, and a reader’s imagination for a beautiful marriage…and reverting to a less “mature” way of reading, even if it is technologically intriguing? I’m speaking from a fiction standpoint…and only asking the question, not answering it. I admit to being enthralled by the idea of exploring further and feeding my insatiable appetite to learn even when thumbing (double-meaning) through a book. 🙂
Cynthia, thanks for bringing up the permissions issue. I’ll post more about that in the future. When photographing and videotaping for use in your book, you’ll also need permission from any people who are visible. It’s important to have permission forms with you so you can catch them on the spot because you’ll probably never see them again.
Eloquently stated history of our age-related reading preferences! As I think about potential overuse or distracting use of these tech add-ins, I begin to wonder if readers will be driven back to print books.
Weighing in on this a bit late, but wanted to say great post! Thought-provoking, innovative ideas to digest.
Thanks, Erin. You said it well: there’s a lot to digest. Hopefully, it will help to plan and be prepared in advance.
I’m adding my two cents late as well, but wanted to say thanks for the information. These are things I’ve never considered, and it makes me glad I kept track of all my internet links when researching my book.
It also gives me ideas of what to put on my blog as I build my platform. It’s hard for us to imagine the social mores of the 1780s, but by educating my (hopefully) future readers I can make the experience richer for them.
Getting my novel written is quite a challenge. These tips ad an interesting element to the reading experience. I’m excited to ponder how your tips will take e-books to another level of entertainment. Question to other authors who have done this – how do you keep your notes handy while working on other projects, in order to readily answer readers’ questions? Thank you, Mary, for some excellent information!