Post Two on Interactive Books

This is my second post on interactive books. The first one can be read here:

ToysRus has started selling iPads, a sign that young families with children have accepted the technology of having interactive books in kid’s playrooms.

Interactive digital books are not the eBooks you download on a Kindle. They are entirely different, tied to the actively sensitive touch screen tech of the iPad, iPad Touch, iPhone and the other growing number of smart devices with powerful graphics chips. Readers can even buy them cheaper at iTunes where they sell for 99 cents to $4.97 than Kindle where apps sell for a book price of $2.99 to $9.99.

There is a contest for the best interactive book by “Interact Book” with a deadline of October 15^th 2011. There is a new free software called “InteractBuilder” that illustrators can use to  produce a digital interactive book and submit it. Their aim is to enroll as many creative people as possible in making good interactive books. http://www.illustrationcourse.com/illustration-course/betting-on-books-with-behaviors?goback=%2Egde_890407_.

Lindsay Lane has found a way to make an old out of print book into a new app for the iPhone and iPad on the internet. Check out the blog Cynsations http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2011/08/guest-post-lindsey-lane-on-from-print.html. She explains how “Snuggle Mountain”, illustrated by Melissa Iwai and originally published by Clarion changes into an interactive product. She explains the difference between an app as a digital book and a book you get on an eReader. Also she explains how  she added some text to the illustrations and how the illustrator made mom and dad giant into the folds of the blankets along with others as part of the new interactive app. Her book sells for $1.99 for the iPhone and $2.99 for the iPad.   As she says, “I remember preparing for an airplane ride with my toddler. I would stock up on little toys to keep her occupied on the plane. Now parents can tuck a few book apps on their smart phones or tablets for a trip.”

SCBWI is holding a whole symposium with presentations on all aspects of interactive books in Austin Texas for attendees to “Bring their stories to life” on October 8^th 2011. It’s called Storytelling in the Digital Age: Embrace the Change. Workshop presenters include Lindsay Lane and also the producers of “InteractBuilder”. Some of the workshops are:

 SCBWI and Digital Storytelling with Lin Oliver, SCBWI Executive Director, via Skype

Creating and Maintaining Your Web Persona presented by Erik Kuntz

Standing Out in the E-book Crowd: Storybook Apps, Enhanced Content, and Digital Marketing Extras presented by Deanna Roy

Your Story as Electrons: Breathing Life into Words in the Digital Age presented by P.J.Hoover

There’s an App for That presented by Amanda Williams

 

Those are just a few of the workshops for the full day symposium given by Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators. that day. Wonder what will be presented at the SCBWI conference I’m  attending here in Northern VA on October, 22^nd 2011? Any writer’s conferences coming up for any of you? Next week I’ll be attending the Muse online conference and won’t post on Tuesday and Saturday. When I get back I’ll give you the rundown.If you’d like to subscribe by clicking the follow button on the top left, you’ll get my next article delivered into your email box when I post.

Here is the first post I wrote on this subject: Post One on Interactive Books