Enhancing books with extra ‘goodies’
The novel hasn’t changed much in the last few hundred years. When most people buy a novel today, they read the story, and it ends up on their bookshelf. And aside from the story, there’s really not much else to read in a novel. Maybe the author bio at the end. If you’re lucky, you might get a sneak peak at the first chapter of an upcoming novel by the same author.
Then I stumbled across this post from The Elegant Variation. Where Mark Sarvas, the author of Harry, Revised (which I reviewed here) is giving away a brand new paperback of the book (just released). But what really got my attention is the list of "goodies" he’s giving away at his website, which you can find here.
To complement his novel, Mark is letting readers catch a glimpse inside his creative process. You can read an alternate ending, list of possible titles and even the original one page outline. With this kind of material available to the reader, you can really immerse yourself in the novel and how the novel came together.
I realize not everyone will like this idea. Some people like to read books, enjoy them and move on. What Mark is doing is a lot like a magician giving away a few juicy secrets to his magic (not everything, of course). If this isn’t your cup of tea, that’s fine.
I wish more authors would not only do what Mark is doing, but take it one step further. Include the supplemental material in the book. Alternate ending? You bet! Original outline? Of course! And maybe even some notes from the author about specific sections of the book.
A lot of classic novels already do this. When I read Frankenstein for one of my literary theory classes in college, the back of the book was filled with supplemental material, mostly critical essays. But it still made for some interesting reading.
Great for ebooks
The potential for this type of expanded novel with ebooks is amazing and the possibilities are endless. An author could easily include extra material at the end of the novel (as I described above). Or, when one purchases the ebook, they get a 2nd book free with all the goodies.
Another possibility is that the text of the ebook is hyperlinked to extra material. For example, when you come across a new character’s name for the first time, you click on it (or tap, depending on your device) and read the author’s original character sketch.
However, I do think authors and publishers would have to tread carefully with hyperlinking, as reading text full of links is very distracting and annoying.
Would you like to see your favorite novels enhanced like Mark Sarvas is doing with his? Leave a comment below and let us know why or why not!
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