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April 1 – April 8, 2010 Edition Hachette, Others to Offer Top Titles on iPad
NEW YORK, N.Y./AUTHORLINK NEWS/April 1, 2010–Grand Central Publishing, a Division of Hachette Book Group, announced last week that they will release an enriched eBook version of #1 bestselling novelist David Baldacci’s forthcoming novel, DELIVER US FROM EVIL, to coincide with the hardcover publication on April 20, 2010.
Signally the future of electronic book publishing, Hachette joins several other publishers in taking advantage of the new features offered on Apple’s iPad. Canongate Books and Enhanced Editions will also offer multimedia versions of The Good Man Jesus and The Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman for £9.99.
In the same way the film industry offers ‘behind-the-scene’ bonus features on movie DVDs, Baldacci’s innovative Writer’s Cut eBook will exploit the latest technology to offer enriched content for readers.
Hachette Book Group CEO David Young said, “For David Baldacci’s fans, this is a chance to see his creative process revealed, and deepen the connection with an author they love to read. This enhanced eBook is the perfect marriage of innovation and great storytelling, and readers will find it fascinating.
The eBook version of DELIVER US FROM EVIL contains extensive audio and visual elements and exclusive material, including research photos taken by the author, deleted scenes from the manuscript, an alternate ending, and other special features.
“It’s time we took full advantage of the available technology to give the reader a true multi-dimensional entertainment experience,” says David Baldacci about this exciting new venture. “Blurring the written and performance arts takes the act of picking up a book to a whole new level. It really creates an entirely new world for readers to enjoy, apart from reading the book.”
“David Baldacci is a digital pioneer, and Hachette Digital is delighted to be able to bring his vision and creativity to the eBook frontier with our technology partners,” says Maja Thomas, SVP of Hachette Digital.
The new enhanced editions will enable users to switch between text and the audiobook and video, and to scroll up and down by tilting the iPad.
Apple has now signed up five of the six largest book publishers to place their iPad capable titles in the iBookstore. Random House is the only one of the six yet to sign. The iPad promises to pose a major competitive challenge to eReaders such as Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s nook.
