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the iNovel

The next generation of book was unveiled at the BookExpo by publisher McArthur & Company. Dubbed the iNovel (interactive novel), this new type of book aims to bridge the gap between the printed page and the web. The first book in this endeavour, Hot Springs by Steve Zio, can be read as a stand-alone novel, but when readers access the accompanying website at www.HotSpringsNovel.com, it is intended to add meaning, depth, and color to the story, characters, and settings.

According to the book jacket, the 23 chapters direct you to optional links that include songs, paintings, sketches, a narration, an interactive map, a fictional website, photographs, and other innovative features. These are all intended to heighten your experience of the novel.

Readers can also contribute to the website, making this a truly interactive experience. According to the site writers, artists, photographers, poets, or any other kind of artist can contribute their work electronically. Steve Zio, the author of Hot Springs will judge if "it adds to the overall artistic message or ambience that is Hot Springs". The work will be posted on the site for three months and the artists will be credited but not paid (well, it's still promotion).

What will readers actually do? Will they put down the book after each chapter and go online to view the photographs, hear the music, and look at sketches? Perhaps - this new generation is so hooked into the web that this new hybrid book/web concept just might be the answer to keep them reading.

For me, I know that if I am taking a leisurely Sunday afternoon to read through a novel, I prefer to immerse myself into the pages and not come out until I've finished the book. I definitely don't want to interrupt the narrative and mood to go turn on the computer and surf the net. So will this work for me? Probably not right now. Perhaps in the future as books evolve into a more interactive experience and my own experience evolves as well.

Is this concept one that would suit your next book? Would you have the commitment to keeping a website going for the life of your print run, updating it and keeping it fresh for your readers?

Check out the iNovel concept and see if it might work for you at www.HotSpringsNovel.com

A couple of days after I posted this article, I received a great email from the author of Hot Springs, Steve Zio, who came across it via Google. He kindly agreed to let me post his email (below).

Dear Olena,

Hi. Steve Zio, author of Hot Springs here. I've just finished your article about Hot Springs and the iNovel on the New Mediatrix website and I just wanted to say a big thanks for writing about it. Naturally, as any web-interested and vain author is likely to do, I google myself sometimes and I came across your intriguing site.

I guess I was most interested in your musing and reactions about what readers actually do. Well, so far, I can tell you, the answer is everything. I don't know if you've read Hot Springs or not but I really did try to make a good read first and the weblinks optional - you know, the DVD metaphor, with my novel being the movie and the links the bonus features. But, so far, the feedback I've been getting mirrors the research I did before I started the project. Some people read only the book, some people read the chapter and go to the website, some visit the web after they're done, and some even see the website first. In other words, the gamut.

My only response to this variety of usage styles is simple: I'm thrilled. I'm not into didaticism at all (unless that last statement is didactic...) and I value choice and options as much as anything. I'm not telling readers to go to the website at all - but it's there if they want it. If my iNovel concept is about anything, it's about choice. I did some of my MA research on first language literacy for kids and one of the things I discovered is that personal choice is a hugely important element in getting kids to want to read. In other words, if kids can choose what they read, they're far more likely to. This was a powerful influence on the development of my iNovel idea.

Anyway, I've blathered on far too long. I really just wanted to write and say thanks. I thought you captured the essence of the idea very well and I appreciate your personal take on Hot Springs. I do hope you get to read it if you already haven't.

Thanks again.

Steve

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