Karen Foley
Lynn Raye Harris
Ellen Hartman
Diana Holquist
Samantha Hunter
Shirley Jump
Dee Tenorio
Jeannie Watt
Enriched eBooks: A Whole New World
My new Superromance, The Boyfriend's Back, should be hitting stores today. Yay! I’m ignoring the print edition for the moment, though. (I know, Bad Author. Sorry.) I’m too busy obsessing over the eBook edition of this book. Why? Because it’s Enriched.
Yes, folks, that’s right. The eBook edition from eHarlequin includes extra special bonus content not available in stores. If you are one of the first fifty people to buy a copy we’ll throw in a Popeil Pocket Fisherman and a set of Ginsu knives for free. (Please tell me I’m not the only one old enough to remember those products.)
What is an enriched eBook? Think the extras on a DVD. I’ve seen enriched eBooks that included links to websites, historical information, costume photos, maps, character sketches, extra photos from the cover shoot, added scenes, and interviews. The Boyfriend’s Back comes with a 14-page short story that takes place when the main characters, Hailey Maddox and JT McNulty, were in high school, fifteen years before the events in the book. It also includes a sneak peek at my next book, Plan B: Boyfriend which is about Charlie McNulty, JT’s younger brother.
I’m excited about the possibilities for extras and eBooks. I love the idea that I can spend a little more time with characters I’ve grown to love. For example, in Superromance, I mostly stick with just two points of view, the hero and the heroine, but sometimes I wish I could slip off and see what a secondary character sees. That would be perfect as an eBook extra. In The Boyfriend's Back, there’s a strong relationship between JT’s dad and Hailey’s daughter. I’d love to have written the scene where they meet each other for the first time.
For authors, there is also greater flexibility to include content from upcoming books because the production time for an eBook is much shorter. The print copy of The Boyfriend's Back was pretty much set in stone back in early December. I sent the eBook extras in sometime in late March—those extra months meant I had a pretty solid draft of the sequel and could include the excerpt.
So what about you? Have you read any eBook extras? Would you like to? Anything you’d love to see?
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Congrats!
Congrats on your new book being out! That is so exciting. Must run to Target this afternoon.
You know what I'd like to see (and to do)? A writer's commentary. You know, like they do with movies, where the director or actors talk over the action and tell you little side stories. I just did a workshop where I read a scene I wrote out loud with my run-along-commentary. It was an editing workshop, so I got to say stuff like, "Ew, did I really just make my hero say that?" Or, "Yeah, that's a believable bit of dialogue there..."
If you want, I could read The Boyfriend's Back out loud and add my commentary....
Thank you soooo much
Diana--that's a perfect idea. Like Mystery Science Theater 2000 (don't worry, it's a TV show, I don't expect you to understand) for romance novels.
I'd love it if you'd start with my book. I wouldn't know where to begin because I never have a running commentary like that in my head when I read my own work.
Hee.
Why don't you do a little sample here...you can say anything you'd like about the cover. ;-)
you aren't too old
I remember the Ginsu knives too!
I am currently reading the print copy of The Boyfriend's Back. I've yet to be converted to ebooks. So I feel jealous that I can't see these enrichments.
It would be cool to be in a secondary character's POV though. I think Beth Andrews finished one Super about the sister and her follow-up was with the brother and it had a wedding scene in it that took place in both books. I think it was the books and not her online read. I can't remember!! (maybe I am too old since I remember ginsu knives!)
Cable
Marcie--the ginsu knives stuck in my mind because we didn't have cable when I was a kid, but we went to the beach for a week and stayed in a place with cable. I'd never seen commercials like that before.
I just picked up Beth's second book last night. Maybe I'll see the scene you're talking about. Sounds cool. :-)
Thanks for reading!! Hope it's fun!
I finished it!
I finished TBB last night -- I think you did a terrific job! I really loved Charlie, too, so I'm very much anticipating his book. :) You have the best titles. :)
I do remember Ginsu knives -- did you see they have a new cable show, Pitchmen? It's the OxyClean guy and another guy working with people to do the TV pitches for new products. I watched one epi and I can't say it was something I would watch again, but it all reminds me of the Center of Progress Building at the fair, LOL.
I am interested in the Enriched books, and very interested to hear the kinds of things people want to see.
Sam
Phew
Glad you liked it, Sam!! I'm a little in love with Charlie, too. I had a great time with his book so I'm excited to share it with people. Not until December, though.
My neighbor has a company that would be perfect for a ginsu-type commercial and he'd be the perfect spokesperson. I should ask him if he's seen that show. Maybe he can apply to be a featured pitcher.
I think the "extra scenes" and other POV possibilities are what interest me most. I read a review on eHQ from someone who thought the high school story included with the eBook added to her understanding of the characters so that was nice to hear.
I can also recommend enriched content as an excellent procrastination vehicle. It's justifiably work, but it's soooo not actually work. ;-)
Hypertext
Actually, I just had a flashback to my early internet teaching back in the early 90s when this stuff was all new, we were doing what we called "hypertext" -- which is basically what they are calling "enriched" now -- a central text with links to all other kinds of connected texts which link to it, physically and in terms of content. Interesting.
Sam
Hypertext
I did a senior project on and in hypertext back in college when it was a "cutting edge" concept.
Hmm. This blog does seem to have an "Ellen is SUPER old" subtext, doesn't it? It's not even my birthday. :-)
LOL
It's not age it's experience. ;)
Sam
So...
So you're saying the subtext is "Ellen is SUPER experienced?"
Hmmm.
;-)
Super Old
This blog is making this Ellen feel SUPER old too. I remember Ginsu knives but I also remember no TV and no Computers.
BTW I loved TBB and wish I could have access to the extra stuff.
Thanks
Hi Ellen,
I have a note to ask if there's a time at which I can post the extras on my web site. I'm not clear about who has the final say on that point. This was one of the questions I have for myself after this experience. My eBook readership is pretty small, so would more people have a chance to read the stuff if it were on my site?
It's all part of the questions I consider when I should be working. ;-)
I'm really glad you enjoyed the book!
Ellen
Yippee
Hi Ellen,
Happy Release Day. This is the first time that I've heard about eBook extras. I would definitely like to sample one.
Me too
Hi Jane,
Thanks for the felicitations! I actually haven't seen the eBook myself. I need to go buy one to check out what the "experience" is. We get free print copies to hand out but no free e-copies (yet).
Cheers,
Ellen
Fantastic idea
I love the enriched idea, with all the links you're talking about. Readers get SO into the characters and the books...why not give them more? Fantastic!
Anne
www.annecalhoun.com
www.annecalhoun.wordpress.com
Why not?
Hi Anne,
That's kind of how I feel. I know there are readers who don't like extras, but I figure they're easy enough to skip. In fact, there are some extras I'd skip, recipes, for one, and anything having to do with the physical description of the characters. I don't like to cook and I do like to imagine the people myself.
I think the field is wide open, though. There are tons of opportunities for cool content.
I love reading extras! I
I love reading extras! I like the idea of a "prologue" when the protagonists have a past. The extras are a wonderful add on, a bonus. Just because it doesn't fin into the story so to speak, it is still fun to read. It's similar to how I like to watch deleted scenes in movies.
Past
Hi Tucco,
When I started writing The Boyfriend's Back, I included a lot of extraneous detail about the relationship Hailey and JT had in high school. It helped me get to know the characters but it all got edited out because it was weighing down the book with backstory. At that point, it made sense that I should write a story to share with folks since I knew so much about their lives back then.
The opportunity to add it to the eBook came up kind of out of the blue so I thought I'd try it out to see what it was like.
I'm a huge fan of deleted scenes. I always want MORE!
Thanks,
Ellen
Dark ages
I guess I'm still in the dark ages but I haven't joined the e-book world yet. There was a lady on an airplane with me a few weeks ago who told me all about how wonderful they are, but I have this thing for paper. Or audio. I really enjoy audio books.
So while I cannot add to the conversation, I'll just say congrats on your recent published work!
Paper is my favorite
Hi Betty,
I still read almost exclusively on paper. I do some reading on the computer, but not much. I spend so much time in front of it for my day job and my writing that when it's time to relax, I want a change.
I love audio books, too. We have a fantastic family tradition of listening to books during our long car rides. We've shared some really terrific stories. There's a guy who reads for a kids' audio book line who does such a great job--we look for him as a reader and don't always care about the book title because we know it will be good entertainment!
Thanks for the congratulations. I made my kids parade past the display in Borders today for the second time. It's such a huge thrill!
Ellen
I not only remember the
I not only remember the Ginsu--I own one. It came in the mail for reasons unknown and although I never have used my foot as a knife, I have used a Ginsu and it works well.
Ebook extras--what a great idea! I could have done this with the other sister's romance in A Cowboy's Redemption. (Smacking forehead.) The scene I really want to read is the one when Olivia and Jack meet. They are such strong characters, I can only imagine what the meeting was like.
Jeannie
Mail order knives
Jeannie! You own a ginsu? My dad would be so jealous!!
The only thing we ever bought from TV was a massive 6-record set of Elvis Presley music. My brother had been bugging my mom to buy something and she wanted to teach him a lesson about how "that stuff" on TV is never a good value. That Elvis set became one of her treasured possessions. ;-)
Maybe I'll write Jack and Olivia's scene this summer. I would like to see it myself. I can always stick it on my web site. I'm glad you liked them. In my revision letter from my editor, she wrote that she needed more Jack and Olivia in Charlie's book (coming in December). I happily obliged. ;-)
Write some extras, Jeannie! It was tons of fun and excellent procrastination!