Margaret Atwood and the power of creativity
Margaret Atwood has always derived her strength from looking to the future. Just peek at novels such as "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Oryx and Crake." So it's fitting that she is among the authors experimenting with social media as a way to enhance the impact of a book.
The Globe and Mail describes the tour for her new book, "The Year of the Flood," as a theatrical extravaganza, complete with singing, YouTube tie-ins, t-shirts and ring-tones. Sounds more like a tour by a rock band than an author who turns 70 this year.
But if the publishing world is going to adapt to the Digital Age, it will have to reduce its reliance on printed books and capitalize on the celebrity of authors and the social-ness of reading. Book clubs were a first step; blogs such as Read Street are another; events such as CityLit Festival and the Baltimore Book Festival are yet another.
In the same way that Starbucks turned a cup of coffee into an experience, publishers must capitalize on the power of creativity that is bound within a book -- if they are to thrive in the new world.
Comments
A check on Amazon's website shows that a Kindle edition of "The Year of the Flood" hasn't yet been announced. This seems strange, especially given the digital nature of Atwood's publicity campaign. Since the hardcopy will be released on Sept. 22, maybe the publisher will re-think its decision and consider the market forces that Dave mentioned in his comment on the Dan Brown post.
Posted by: Gail Farrelly | September 2, 2009 12:44 PM