the blog

As ebooks garner more and more attention it’s no surprise that some publishers are expanding the format to offer more to their readers. Random House Group recently announced their new site Book and Beyond where you can buy “enhanced ebooks”. According to the site:

Created in collaboration with authors, these ebook extras include audio and video shorts, interviews, and games, all of which complement the books.

Nice! We are especially excited to see games mentioned. One of the things we’re eager to promote is the use of web games as positive viral marketing tools. Web games are a great way to introduce and market products, especially books. Rather than the typical, one-directional form of advertising (we show you a picture and hope it makes you want what we’re selling), this is two-directional (we’ll give you a fun game to play, that’s all, and if it piques your interest in this book or series, wonderful!). Instead of hanging a hook with a fat worm, you prepare a meal and invite them to dinner. Fun for everyone.

Games are also a wonderful reward to fans that can lead to huge follow-up sales. If someone has already read and enjoyed a book, a game can market other books they might like. Amazon’s “People who bought this also bought…” system is huge. It’s pure genius. People will always want more of a good thing, so why hide those good things from them? Create a Fantasy portal site, a Sci-Fi site, a Mystery site, etc. And on each site provide games and community tools for fans to share recommendations. Then sit back and watch your business grow and your fans get happier.