A number of Christian publishers have recently launched new initiatives to produce what are being called “interactive e-books” and “multi-media reading experiences.” Zondervan and David C. Cook are among the first to move beyond the usual e-book format into enhanced e-books that offer readers more than the printed word.
“As we saw the future, we began to think about what books we have coming or already have that would be ripe for this new experience,” said Don Gates, v-p of marketing at Zondervan.
Zondervan credits parent HarperCollins for its early understanding of e-book possibilities and released The Purpose Drive Life in enhanced e-book form in January. It includes 42 embedded videos featuring author Rick Warren.
Ryan Dunham, senior v-p of sales and marketing at David C. Cook, said the company’s goal with its first interactive e-book, Crazy Love by Francis Chan, “was to create an experience for consumers captivated by Chan’s message that enables them to fully embrace what he is saying.”
Crazy Love Enhanced Edition, scheduled to be released February 24, features 10 video clips, 9 audio clips, and 53 links to additional resources. It is being marketed with banner advertising on Web sites, social media exposure, a blog campaign, and a national publicity campaign.
“We believe this edition will help readers connect to the content, the author, and to God in a unique, experiential way,” said Alex Field, senior acquisition and development editor at David C. Cook. The company is selling the e-book through NOVO Ink. (See story in the Jan. 26 issue of RBL.)
Zondervan released The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walberg as a multi-media reading experience in December and Unshaken by Dan Woolley on February 21. The enhanced e-book of Unshaken includes video footage of Woolley’s rescue from the rubble after the Haiti earthquake, pictures of the diary he kept while trapped, and audio messages he sent from his iPhone.
Hitler in the Crosshairs: A GI’s Story of Courage and Faith by Maurice Possley and John Woodbridge and The Ambition, Lee Strobel’s first novel, are releasing in May and June respectively. “Over the next year, we will acquire products that are essentially multi-media, with ancillary product as the simple book,” Gates told RBL.
Baker Publishing Group and Thomas Nelson have been experimenting with enhanced e-books for fiction and nonfiction titles but have no imminent releases. Said David Lewis, v-p of sales and marketing for Baker Publishing Group, “We hope to have several created within the next 12 months. We are waiting on the ePub 3.0 update to be finalized.”
