I just gave myself the best possible birthday present, announcing the upcoming publication of my second novel, The Perfect Burrito on Facebook and Twitter.
This will be the culmination of years of work on the project, much of it complete, much still to come.
I was halfway through writing the first draft of the novel when the first iPad was released. Because the story was about a food blogger, and I had always intended to create a real blog to complement the written story, I was immediately flooded with ideas about how the iPad could revolutionize the reading experience in general, and my book in particular. I immediately went back to the beginning of the book, and re-thought what it might be like to read it as a multimedia experience.
Unfortunately, my ideas were a little ahead of the New York publishing industry's readiness to accept and embrace e-books. But now the stars have aligned. My splendid book agency, Trident Media Group, recently launched a dedicated e-book division to focus, among other things, on original e-book content by its existing authors. I'll be one of the guinea pigs for the new program. It's a brave new world, but I hope that by being involved with the project from the outset, I'll be able to help guide the development of the marketing, distribution, and promotion of e-books within the existing industry framework -- development which, judging by my assessment of New York's reluctant attitude readjustment regarding e-books, it desperately needs.
More details about how content for the book will be accessible to you, as a reader, is still to come, but I'll be spending the next few months creating what I hope will be some fun features that will take you beyond black-and-white text.
Also, for the technophobes and wordophiles among you, fear not. The novel is written to be completely enjoyable and accessible as a stand-alone, text-based experience, and I'm immensely proud of it "as is." You will, however, need an e-reader (or a computer) to read it... there are currently no plans for ink and paper publication.
Stay tuned for more details, including release dates, final cover art, and sneak peeks! Follow me here, on Twitter at @jesswinfield and @perfect_burrito, or on Facebook for news as it breaks!
