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

Gothic Fiction for Halloween picked by Greenmetroplis.com

There's a ghostly gothic revival afoot! Yes, it seems we like nothing more than a good old-fashioned scary story, with family curses, gloomy manor houses and ghostly goings on, so grab your nightgown and prepare to hide under the covers as we embark on a tour of our favourite spooky stories, set in an age when superstition and seances were forces to be reckoned with.
 

The Drowning Pool by Syd Moore
A stunning reinvention of the classic ghost story and an exploration of a 19th-century Essex witch hunt. Relocated to a coastal town, widowed teacher Sarah Grey is slowly rebuilding her life, along with her young son Alfie. But after an inadvertent seance one drunken night, her world is shaken when she starts to experience frightening visions and soon comes to realise that she is the victim of a terrifying haunting by her 19th century namesake ...

The Small Hand by Susan Hill
From the bestselling author of THE WOMAN IN BLACK comes an exceptional chilling tale! Late one summers evening, antiquarian bookseller Adam Snow is returning from a client visit when he takes a wrong turn. He stumbles across a derelict Edwardian house, and compelled by curiosity, approaches the door. Standing before the entrance, he feels the unmistakable sensation of a small cold hand creeping into his own ...

 
 

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver
A true ghost story which will chill, terrify and haunt you and a perfect read for the dark cold nights! 1937 and 28-year-old Londoner Jack gets the chance to join an expedition to the Norwegian Arctic. The expedition arrives in the uninhabited wilderness, but as the Arctic night falls and the sun sets for winter, Jack feels a creeping unease. One by one, his companions are forced to leave. He faces a stark choice. Go or stay alone - but he's not alone, as something walks in the dark ...

 
 

The Greatcoat by Helen Dunmore
In the winter of 1952, Isabel Carey moves to the East Riding of Yorkshire with her GP husband Philip. With Philip spending long hours on call, Isabel finds herself isolated and lonely. Woken by intense cold one night, she discovers an old RA greatcoat hidden in the back of a cupboard. Sleeping under it for warmth, she starts to dream, and not long afterwards, she's startled by a knock at her window ...

 

 

Girl on the Landing by Paul Torday
A ghost story, a psychological thriller and a tale of love rediscovered, from the author of SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN. Michael and Elizabeth have been married for ten uneventful years. But when they visit a friends country house, Michael is drawn to a painting on the landing, where in the background he sees the figure of a girl, but the next morning, the girl is not there. A truly astonishing take on what appears on the surface to be the onset of mental illness but turns out to be something far darker ...

 

The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
From the bestselling author of THE SHADOW OF THE WIND, comes a haunting story of a ghostly ship and an age-old curse. 1943 and war sweeps across Europe, Max Carver's father moves his family away from the city, to an old wooden house on the coast. But as soon as they arrive, strange things begin to happen. As Max delves into the past, he encounters the terrifying story of the Prince of Mist, a sinister shadow who emerges from the night to settle old scores, then disappears with the first mists of dawn ...

 

Affinity by Sarah Waters
Sarah Waters' eerie and utterly compelling ghost story set in a smog-bound Victorian London. Margaret Prior decides to become a Lady Visitor at Millbank prison, intent on pursuing 'good work' deeds by helping the less fortunate, but she soon becomes ensnared by the spiritualist prisoner Selina Dawes, and finds herself dabbling in a twilight world of seances, shadows, unruly spirits and unseemly passions. A ghost story with a twist in the tale ...

 

Sweet Heart by Peter James
When Charley and her husband Tom decide to buy Elmwood Mill, a dilapidated 15th-century mill house in Sussex, they think they've found their ideal home. But Charley has a strange sense of deja vu, and when strange things start happening she begins to doubt her sanity. Haunted by memories which become increasingly vivid and terrifying, Charley becomes desperate and is persuaded to undergo hypnosis - but in searching deep into her past, she unwitting opens a Pandora's box of evil, and now the terror is free ...


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