Friday 5 July 2013

Cover stories: Bestselling authors augment book covers with Blippar experiences

New releases from Peter James and Seth Patrick will feature interactive covers unlocked using the Blippar smartphone app

Two new books, including the latest novel from bestselling author Peter James, will feature interactive experiences designed to bring the novels to life for readers and bridge the gap between hard copy and digital experiences. Once ‘blipped’ using the Blippar smartphone application, all copies of Peter James’ Dead Man’s Time begin to play a dramatic animated version of the cover and give the reader access to an exclusive interview with the author, as well as providing in-depth content exposing the Brighton underworld that forms the keystone of the book’s plot.

Peter James commented:
“I love that my readers can now dive into the Brighton underworld and access exciting material about the city and my research, simply by scanning the book. Blippar really brings my books to life for the reader.”

Dead Man’s Time and Reviver by Seth Patrick are among the first ever to be augmented using the unique Blippar technology, which doesn’t require any additional codes or references to be printed onto the book as it simply reads and recognises the whole image or page. The Blippar app, which already has millions of active users unlocking interactive content on items ranging from film posters to bottles of ketchup, is free to download and can be used with any iPhone or Android smartphone.

Jess Butcher, Chief Marketing Officer at Blippar commented:
“The capacity for Blippar to add another dimension to the printed media experience opens up a world of possibility for authors and publishers and these latest examples prove just how powerful a blippable cover can be. Far from simply animating the cover, these books bring the plot to life, offer insight into the research behind the book and bring the authors closer to their readers.”

The cover of Seth Patrick’s urban noir horror, Reviver, features bespoke video that conveys the claustrophobic nature of the plot and helps the debut author to establish an immediate connection with readers of the genre.

Jess Butcher added:
“More than simply loading a video or opening a web page, Blippar is able to interact with the cover content itself and load a broad variety of features from within the app – including social media sharing options.”

“By bringing an exclusive interactive experience to the printed book, authors are able to add value to the hard copy experience – for once, digital technology is not being presented as a replacement for print, but as an opportunity to breathe added life into the experience.”

Sara Lloyd, Digital & Communications Director at Pan Macmillan commented: “Working with Blippar has allowed us to give our readers not only a fun and engaging experience, but also quick and easy access to the wealth of extra content that surrounds our books. Implementing our campaign across book jacket, outdoor, online and press adverts reflects our belief that linking print with digital, online with offline, is a winning combination to drive discovery of our books and authors.”

Blippar is available to download for free from the Apple App Store for iPhone users and the Google Play marketplace for those with an Android smartphone.

Source: Press release

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