PW contacted a number of children’s divisions and houses and found that many publishers are experimenting with different formats—some are creating heavily educational material (which occasionally doesn’t even link to a specific title), others are investing in games, and still others are looking for more direct ways of adapting existing fiction into an app.
I’ve said before that publishers and authors need to start thinking about e-readers as a separate platform, not just a space to offer a digital version of the same piece of work.
When I started writing my novel, all I thought about was seeing it in printed form. And yet now, I see all kinds of possibilities, including new content that I can develop around the core narrative.
Writing that seems to fit this new way of thinking more than any other is children’s fiction. Imagine what an author and illustrator could do using mobile- and tablet-based apps. I see a time (quite soon) where every book has its own app that allows children to interact with the story, either through games or educational material. Probably both.
I think writers need to stop writing books and start creating, for want of a better word, products. At the heart of the product is the book, for sure, but with a range of digital content that allows readers and users to explore its world further.
That’s the thing with this whole digital revolution that’s taking place in the publishing industry. It’s not different. It’s new. And that’s exciting.
