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Insert laughter/terror here [delete where applicable]…

Monday, September 5th, 2011

Soundtracks in ebooks. Yes you heard me right, a soundtrack as you read.

You may (rightly) infer from that abrupt tone that I’m not convinced by this new concept that I’ve come across in the past week and I’m a pretty strong advocate of digital editions generally. This ‘immersive’ experience, so the blurb goes, will hook the reader more thoroughly into the reading experience. Hmmm.

Putting aside for a moment the not unimportant thought that it will be very annoying to sit next to someone reading one of these books, isn’t there just too much scope for the experience to clash with the reader’s imagination or indeed manipulate the reading experience? For example, the blood-curdling scream I’d hear in my head while reading Sherlock Holmes would probably be a lot more chilling than the rather tepid affair in this preview…

And if there are plans to have a swelling score while you reach a critical moment in Pride and Prejudice, what next – a laughter track while reading PG Wodehouse?

Lesley Crooks, Sales & Digital Manager

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