From Portland to London: Innovation Outside the Publishing Industry

Portland, OR, June 16, 2012 --(PR.com)-- The first big revolution in publishing involved movable type. Electrons are what move in the current revolution. But what about sales? Many publishers and authors fear that there’s plenty of movement there too. All down.

This week, Portland’s Folded Story and London’s Underground Book Club are showing how old and new can thrive together. Combine two of the 18th century’s better ideas (the novel and the printed periodical), add one of the most durable innovations of the industrial age (the train) and top it off with e-readers, iPads, and smartphones. The result: Innovative storytelling and book promotion meet in the hands of London commuters.

From the Pacific Northwest, there is CK Collins’ literary novel The Godling. Author CK Collins and his editor, Christina Elmore, created the Folded Story Project as a platform for creative publishing. The Godling ties in with a pair of websites — one with extended content about the book (maps, language guides, etc.) and another with songs from the main character’s iPod.

In the UK, there is student entrepreneur Andy Brown and his brainchild, The Underground Book Club — a publication designed to ease the commute of tabloid-weary riders by providing them with excerpts from quality fiction. Free copies at major stops on the tube and an iPad app.

Across eight time zones, the fiction editor and the magazine publisher discovered a shared commitment to distributing quality stories in new, exciting ways. And everyone wins: The Godling gains exposure in London and on iPad screens everywhere. The Underground Book Club obtains an 8,500-word excerpt and runs a two-page spread about the novel’s approach to digital content. And London commuters get a free alternative to news about misbehaving royals and three-headed space monkeys.

Traditionalists in the publishing industry may feel faint at the idea that it all happens with no money changing hands. But readers who like the excerpt can grab the e-book in an instant over at Amazon, and Brown’s advertisers are delighted to pay for the attention of those story-reading commuters. Movement in many directions, a lot of it up.

London commuters can read The Godling excerpt on Monday, June 18th in the second issue of the Underground Book Club, and readers all over the world can download the iPad app.

Folded Story is an independent publishing project in Portland, Oregon. Read more at foldedstory.com.

Underground Book Club is a free magazine for commuters in London. It showcases the first three chapters of three great books. Find out more at undergroundbookclub.co.uk.