BY ERIN ALBERT
One of my favorite things to do as a writer is: read. One of my favorite book series to read was Harry Potter. Furthermore, one of the best creative and fascinating entities within the Potter series for me was the local witch and wizard newspaper, The Daily Prophet. Why? Because the newspaper blended flat print media along with video footage where the traditional photos would be placed in a newspaper. It appeared as hard copy print (like a newspaper), with video embedded (a la YouTube).
The Daily Prophet, coupled with the December augmented reality edition of Esquire Magazine (http://www.esquire.com/the-side/augmented-reality) really is the exciting new trend in writing and publishing—that of blending mixed media. Publishers are now hiring movie producers. Movie producers are reading more books. Writers not only need to think about how to write “the book,” but they also need to think about supplementing the book with online materials (such as personalized quizzes, or blogs, or both). Some writers are even utilizing iPhone apps to create daily reminders or thoughts on their area(s) of publishing expertise.
Frankly, this practice should have happened long ago, but as an author, I’m thrilled to watch the convergence of video and print come to life and evolve. Also, this merging of technologies could save newspapers. Literally, the savvy author needs to network not only with his or her publisher moving forward, but he or she also needs to think about networking with a cadre of professionals, who can help their message move forward, in several different methods, and several different media channels.
It is an exciting time for writers!
Dr. Erin Albert currently is a professor, author, pharmacist, entrepreneur, and student. More on her publications can be found at: erinalbert.com.
