Several years ago, my partners and I produced an online multimedia reading experience called a Quillr®. It combined text with sound and visual effects, including videos, music, sound effects and photographs.
At the time, many scoffed at and berated us for ruining ‘reading’.
We thought it was the coolest sensory experience reading had ever offered.
We still do.
And now, Booktrack is catching on by adding music to ebooks.
Welcome to the party, Booktrack.
Recently, I was fortunate enough to listen to an excellent free webinar, offered by Enhanced E-Book University, on enhanced e-books.
Three interesting guests:
The trio offered excellent information and advice.
UnnaturalStates: John & Harry Battling
It was so cool to learn that others are embracing the multimedia enhanced book platform. Though different from our UnnaturalStates Quillr® concept, they were all hip to offering stories and information in a whole new way.
Text alone storytelling and reading is just so five minutes ago!
Read more and see some video of the webinar here.
A few weeks ago, I high-fived the digi-novel concept, which tells stories by combining book, movie and website.
Well, our multimedia storytelling plot continues to thicken with the new Vook, a video-enhanced read, which the NY Times nicknamed a hybrid book. Publishers Simon & Schuster are teaming up with the creators of Vook.com to produce four vooks (two fiction and two non-fiction); all will be available online and as an Apple iPhone application.
We at Team Quillr® applaud Vook and Simon & Schuster for diving into multimedia storytelling. Since it’s similar to something we tackled over a year ago with our mashup of text, video, music, sound effects and photographs (see unnaturalstates.com), we know how much thought, work, money and heart goes into creating something like this.
It amazes me that their detractors (yeah, they exist) just don’t get it. Like some didn’t get our Quillr® concept.
It’s dead simple, folks.
It’s NOT a book.
It’s something different: a new multimedia storytelling platform that enhances one’s reading experience.
Sure, the video production values could be stronger, sure the interface could be smoother, sure yadda sure yadda sure yadda.
That’s not the freakin’ point. That techie stuff will evolve and improve, just like any new concept.
The freakin’ point is that some people have a different vision of storytelling and they’re willing to put themselves in the line of fire to bring it to life.
So…if you’re not interested in experiencing a Quillr® or a Vook, step aside. There’s a whole new generation that’s going to devour this innovative wave of storytelling and it’s just the beginning.
Once again, welcome Vook. Bring it on!
A reviewer at Coffee Time Romance recently gave our Quillr a three cup (good read) review. Calling our multimedia platform an interesting idea, she also said that the music is wonderfully done, and really builds on the suspense and emotion of the characters and that the plot is very well done with the many twists and turns it takes to hold the reader captive to the story.
It’s great that she enjoyed the story and considers our experiment in multimedia publishing to be interesting, but the best news is that she loved and commented on the music. It’s about time! Our composer, Glynne Turner, created some amazing original songs, including Sinners Who Weep and Unnatural State. The songs, plus her carefully crafted music and sound effect atmospheres, add hugely to the overall UnnaturalStates.com experience.
Click here to watch our music video, starrring John the Apostle, singing Unnatural State: Unnatural State video
You may read the entire Coffee Time Romance review here coffee time romance review unnaturalstates.
We’re not alone in thinking “books” can be more, much more, in this digital age.
Our QUILLR® concept merges text, video, music, photos and sound effects, letting the reader experience the story.
Now Anthony Zuiker, the creator of the CSI TV franchise, is getting in on the multimedia storytelling action by combining book, movie and website in a “digi-novel” format, described here
Digi-movie concept.
As Zuiker says, The future of business in terms of entertainment will have to be the convergence of different mediums. So we did that – publishing, movies and a website.
I’m looking forward to following his brave new effort.
In the meantime, why not give our own multimedia event a shot?
UnnaturalStates.com
John & Harry Battling
It’s been a roller coaster few days. After receiving a negative review about our QUILLR®, UnnaturalStates, I was pretty down but kept repeating something my sister often quotes from Maeterlinck,
At every crossway on the road that leads to the future, each PROGRESSIVE SPIRIT is OPPOSED by a thousand men appointed to guard the past.
Then, something terrific: we received a fab review on MyShelf.com. Here’s an excerpt:
Nicola Furlong has stepped full-bodied into the twenty-first century with the release of Unnatural States, a multimedia internet venture based on her novel Thy Will Be Done. This is a very bold concept for an author.
Internet renderings have been around for awhile that combine stills and live action. But these are, for the most part, independent film shorts—I used to review them and other independent films for an indie film site. But Nicola Furlong's concept is quite unique. Not only are there stills and live action, but she has blocks of text like an eBook AND she also has a lot of music, written specifically for her novel...
...In Unnatural States, Nicola Furlong presents the story in short blocks of text that are often broken up with photographs of key characters. On some pages, a video widget appears, and you can click and watch a short scene between the actors. Music often plays on each page as you read, and sometimes songs are highlighted in special video segments. There are two full-length song segments, from John's upcoming concert...
... Quillr™, which is what Furlong is calling this blend of media, is touted for letting readers experience novels instead of just reading them or watching them as movies. I did enjoy the whole experience...
To read the full review, please visit: MyShelf Review of UnnaturalStates.
And to heck with those thousand men!
This is so cool. After sixteen months, quite some confusion and anxiety and a small whack of dough, we have a trade mark in Canada for the word we created to represent our interactive online multimedia stories: QUILLR.
Now, we may use the registered symbol ®, as in QUILLR®.
Getting this on our own was no small feat, let me tell you.
The initial application process was lengthy, costly and most confusing. And then months later, we had to revise our application, cross our fingers and wait mucho more. But now, after dropping another chunk of change, the process is finally complete and we’re trade markies!
logo for QUILLR®
Well, it’s been an interesting couple of days. I’ve just started my marketing efforts and email pitched our new multimedia Quillr(tm), UnnaturalStates.com to a number of publishing gurus.
Lo and behold, we received a few positive comments/responses along with a couple of slap downs. Funny, the sting of the slaps lasts longer than the zing of joy. Go figure.
Anyway, I’m pleased to report that UnnaturalStates has been posited as possibly “The Shape of Things to Come” by Irish writer, Mick Rooney on his terrific blog POD, Self-Publishing and Independent Publishing ; check out
mickrooney-shape-of-things-to-come.
Also, Paul Biba kindly gave us a mention on two excellent sites: Teleread.org and E-bookvine’s Kindle Digest; click on
teleread-unnaturalstates-multimedia-novel.
Our sincere thanks to both gentlemen.
And now the Quillr(tm) marketing beat goes on. I’m going to find some scifi and horror readers who might be keen to sink their teeth into our multimedia experience…and live to tell about it!
Okay, so now unnaturalstates.com is up and the work is over, right?
I wish.
After writing the novel, creating the multimedia enhancements and waiting for our tech guru to design and upload the QUILLR(tm) interactive storytelling platform, much more work looms ahead marketing our innovative idea.
So, how do you showcase an online interactive multimedia story? Well, it’s quite a challenge, given that the product is neither a book nor an ebook; it’s something original. That makes it totally cool but also formidable to promote as the QUILLR doesn’t fit into any standard “sales” category and the story is a mélange of genres (paranormal/religious/sci-fi/suspense).
Oh well, I’m going to turn these challenges into opportunities. After all, they represent different audiences. All I’ve got to do is find them. And I’ve made a start: pitching the site to a bunch of sci-fi book reviewers today.
That ought to pierce a few black holes. Wish me luck…
Man, I’ve been waiting to write this blog for months. The Q-Team is thrilled to announce the relaunch of our first QUILLR (TM): unnaturalstates.com.
Cover pic:
World's first QUILLR
So, what’s a QUILLR? It’s an exciting new platform for multimedia storytelling combining text, video, music, sound effects and photos. With QUILLRS, stories will no longer be read; they’ll be experienced.
The whole process, which I will write about in the next weeks, was fun, frenetic and frustrating…but mostly FUN! Armed with my suspense thriller manuscript, an iMac, a Fuji FinePix, a dozen actors, a set of Canadian Tire work lights, the Q-Team created this unique online multimedia ride. And you may experience it for FREE.
Check it out! unnaturalstates.com.
For an immediate taste:
UnnaturalStates - World's First QUILLR
Bad Behavior has blocked 251 access attempts in the last 7 days.
