Enhanced E-Books: Blowing Up the Book – The Wall Street Journal – Alexandra Alter

The new novel “Chopsticks” tells the story of a troubled young piano prodigy—using family photos, letters, documents, instant messages and YouTube videos. It’s a love story, a mystery and a parable about creativity and madness.

It’s also an experiment, one that could have far-reaching implications for the book industry, as publishers stretch the definition of what constitutes a book. “Chopsticks” straddles the digital divide that is transforming the publishing world—it’s both a novel and a digital app.

My mind is screaming “no!” We already have videos and apps and ads and media bombardment everywhere else. I can see this becoming a useful tool to children, possibly, but not for adults in my opinion. Even with children, there’s still a need for touch – to feel the fuzzy sheep, to touch the rough sandpaper – when they’re reading (or being read to). That’s something an ebook cannot provide. But, to continue…

“The consumer is not asking for this,” said Jane Friedman, CEO of Open Road Media, an e-book publisher that is experimenting with enhanced titles. “It takes it from being a reading experience to something else, and we are publishers.“

Thank you, Friedman! Let’s be friends.