Be Honest... E-Books are Sh*te

The fever around apps and 'enhanced' e-books is becoming unbearable, but most of all unrealistic. No-one has yet really worked out what an app is - a Game? A gimmick? An e-book? A TV show? Of course it isn't any of these. Similarly confusing is an e-book (or 'enhanced' book) - are they simply picture books with moveable elements? Or reading aides (because we all want to be very educational don't we...) It's a little like watching the early TV shows, which comprised of simply putting a camera in front of a theatrical presentation, because that's all anyone knew. Currently we are simply electronically presenting a book - with a couple of whistles and a small bell.

E-Books are sh*te. (sorry to get all Charlie Brooker) Some of them have slightly more pleasing gimmicks than others, but generally they are appalling. Why? Because the euphoria around being able to make a haystack jump in the air or touch a table and hear the word 'table' being read out has completely masked the fundamental job any type of book is meant to achieve... tell a story...

Books are a one on one absorbing experience where a readers imagination takes them right into the story they are being told. (Blah Blah Blah - we've all heard that being spouted... but then again... its true) The effects and world readers imagine are unaffordable in TV and film. Yet Reading takes more effort and commitment to the task of finishing a whole book. TV and Film on the other hand offer spectacular effects to every popcorn guzzling lard-arse who can manage to put a blue-ray disc in and press 'play' - it is also over usually within a couple of hours (unless you are James Cameron who, in my humble opinion, should keep his turgid, over-long, over rated epics to himself)

So... where does that leave the e-book? At the moment, nowhere. I'm sorry for all you courageous folk out there (and here... cos I'm trying too) but no-one has nailed it yet - because we are all chasing rainbows. The ultimate app/electronic 'book' will not be an enhanced book or an interactive animation.. it will be something else that needs to evolve. But its evolution will still need the fundamental of all our media. Character and story. I haven't seen ANY e-books or apps that retain this. I'm sorry Nosey Crow - but your 3 Pigs has no character work and only repetitive touch screen gimmicks all of which are counter to the flow of the story. What it does has is a lovely trick with the 3D environment, but not much beyond. Even the latest Oliver Jeffers app (with such high credentials) has only succeeded in totally annihilating the flow of the story by peppering each screen with needless, time wasting interactive elements.

But here's the thing - I am not a luddite or 'Flat Earth' exponent. I LOVE ipads and the potential they have. I'm really struggling with the current thinking in the products we put on them. The problem seems to come from the camps of Gaming, TV and Publishing not really being able to think outside of their own boxes... A book that moves, has a voice over and music is 'enhanced' a TV product that offers some touch screen fun is 'Interactive' and a story that allows the reader to kill the wolf or sail the boat has 'Gaming Elements' - but lets be honest... none of this really works... The 'Whoooo' button app is more fun, and much more honest.

In my experience part of the limiter here is the legalese. If an enhanced book does too much it becomes an animation - which means it strays into other definitions of rights... we need a new name (which is why suddenly publishers and TV folk are talking about the 'app' version of something... neither side can claim ownership, so ownership needs to be established afresh)

If a pig wants to build a house out of straw because it is quicker - that is because of WHO HE IS - a good story will communicate that - and an enhanced book should communicate that even better... If a visit from the Cat in the Hat encourages anarchy then a good book will communicate that and an enhanced e-book should communicate that even better. We need to stop looking at the elements around the story to enhance, and enhance the key ingredients of the story and characters themselves... then we might start making progress and making something wonderful because right now the technology is way ahead of the creative minds using it.