I started my internship with The Perseus Books Group last Wednesday, the 13th. Right now I’m working with Google Adwords. I didn’t have much practical experience with Adwords prior, so I’ve been learning a lot as I go.
The most exciting project we’re working to promote right now is the Cathy’s Book application for iPod Touch and iPhone. I’m intensely interested in developing storytelling technology, so I flipped my shit when I found out I would be helping to promote something this cutting edge. For those of you not immersed in the world of alternate reality gaming, the Cathy franchise comes from the brains of Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman of I Love Bees fame. In short, these men are Olympic deities of the alternate reality gaming world. Fans of Bungie’s Halo series, take note.
You all know I’m a new tech evangelist, not a corporate, um, lady of the evening. I don’t plug products just because I’m affiliated with them. I dare you to scan my blog archives and find a single instance of me proclaiming the virtues of something I don’t love and use myself. So I hope you can believe me when I say that this is a sweet app. At only $0.99, I’d say it’s definitely worth purchasing. We’re talking about a full length novel and alternate reality game (albeit one targeted a teen girls) presented in a groundbreaking way.
Now for the personal commentary, which is general and by no means specific criticism of Perseus or Cathy’s Book. So nyeah.
I’m a believer in cross-media ownership for customers. In other words, I think if you buy a CD, you should be able to rip it to your computer’s hard drive and play the MP3s in your car or whatever. If I had to add my two cents, I would say purchasing a physical version of a book should entitle you to download the an app version for free. Granted, these are essentially two different products with different features, and each requires its own creative team. But I firmly believe that offering an app for free to existing and new customers who purchased a similar product in pulp form would be the best way to spread the word. Existing fans of the a franchise are potentially the best evangelists for a new app version. Imagine the already established readership telling their friends that they can get their favorite book in an exciting new form for only a dollar.