Thursday, March 04, 2010

interactive ebooks

I haven't blogged in ages but I was inspired by this article in the Huffington Post. I like the idea of adding bells and whistles to a book - as a maker of books - but I'm not a believer. A book is not about choice; it's about an author taking the reader by the hand and leading you where they want to take you. That gives the reader a sense of security that is the pleasure of reading. Too much choice destroys the willing suspension of disbelief (in the case of fiction) Once a teen reader leaves a book for a game, they won't be coming back. I'm not convinced that more, more choice, is better.

3 comments:

anne rice said...

what about an enhanced book? say one of the characters is listening to a particular song in the story and you have an added option to click to play the song? or if it mentions a piece of art and you can link to see it? etc etc

crash said...

Wondered when you'd return!

This is an interesting related article.

http://craigmod.com/journal/ipad_and_books/

Writer of Fictions. said...

I find it all very disheartening. Books are books for a reason. We are becoming so dependent on technology that we have managed to lose the essence of life has to offer. I don't know if this applies to you, but when I read a book, I enjoy flipping through the pages and holding it feeling myself immersed in the work. This does not happen when you have your book on a screen. And if all your books are placed on a device such as this, what does that mean for the beauty of libraries?

Oh, and found your blog through the Black Dog Books site.