LeapFrog for Adults...

I’m probably not the smartest person in the room, unless I’m alone and even then it’s questionable. And I hope I’m rarely the dumbest, though, if you handed me a calculator with anything other than the four basic math functions, I’m in serious trouble. But what I do have is a drive to gather just enough information to be dangerous. And… I’m a really good faker.

So, in my pursuit of being a ‘real’ author, I decided to get dangerous and subscribed to an online newsletter about publishing. I figured I might as well learn the ‘language’ in case I’m ever called upon to fake it. Some articles are interesting, some require in-depth industry knowledge, and some are downright dry. But the other day I saw one that made me pause (a feat considering this is generally not in my vocabulary). It was an article about the new “Enhanced eBook.”

Now, I admit I haven’t really embraced the eBook revelation… yet. Heck, I just got my first iPod a year-ago and I’m scared to even touch my friends’ iPhones. But eBooks? No, I don’t have anything against them; I mean they are fairly environmentally friendly. But I still find magic in turning a page, frantically searching previous chapters for a clue I missed and, to my husband’s dismay, sometimes skipping to the end. So a regular ol’ eBook seems rather ‘enhanced’ from what I’m used to.

Anyway, I had no idea what an “Enhanced eBook” was so I emailed a friend in the industry. She told me it’s basically a new gadget that provides additional things, like video clips and interactive applications.

Yeah, I guess it would be fun to watch author interviews and see pictures of the world they’re painting. And if a publishing company approached me saying they wanted to distribute Providence in “Enhanced eBook” form, I wouldn’t turn them away. In fact, I most likely would squeal with delight.

But is an “Enhanced eBook” just LeapFrog for adults? And isn’t my imagination the most interactive application I have?

Maybe I should be more open minded, and maybe someday I’ll regret posting this because I made a writing career in selling “Enhanced eBook” stories. But for now, I’m going to log off my computer, climb into bed, and snuggle up with my 10th Nancy Drew mystery of the summer… excited to turn every single page.

Tawn