YOU GOTTA HAVE HOPE!

So, remember my super top secret plan to transition soaps from television to the Internet in a cost-effective manner?

The one that I talked about here, and here, and in my interview with Daytime Confidential, and in this week's ABC Soaps in Depth (12/12/11 issue). (So maybe secret is a bit of an exaggeration. Would you believe... endlessly talked about?)

Here is an update.

This past September, I released a romance novel of mine, When a Man Loves a Woman (previously published as a paperback original by DELL in 2000) as an enhanced e-book, utilizing the same format of text combined with video/audio that I originally developed for P&G and www.AnotherWorldToday.com.

I was very nervous about how my enhanced e-book would be received, as nothing quite like this has ever been done before, and while I believe in it as the wave of the future, ultimately it's up to the customer to decide. (And the customer is always right!)

Luckily, reviews have started tricking in, and they appear to be positive!

Bibliophilic Book Blog says:

Have you ever fallen in love with your best friend? Can you overcome the biggest hurt and betrayal of your life to trust again? Ms. Adams tackles all of these questions with a deft hand and compelling characters... Well-crafted with people and events which worm their way into your heart, this book is compelling. Add the music from the enhanced e-book and it makes it a rich and multi-layered experience to pick up When a Man Loves a Woman. (Read complete review, here.)

Reading Reality writes:

This was a good friends-into-lovers romance.... I was reminded of a quote from science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein, “There is only one way to console a widow. But remember the risk,".... About the enhanced part of the ebook…This is an interesting idea, and I can see, or rather hear, how this might work in the future.... But it’s a neat concept. (Read the complete review, here.)

So far, so good!

Finally, the review that really gave me hope this morning came from one posted regarding Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama's Greatest Moments Enhanced e-book:

What really makes this worthwhile are the carefully chosen video clips related to the topics. The clips were able to play pretty well on my iphone. I've never seen a Kindle work like this, but I hope I will see more in the future.

Yes! Thank you! I have been banging the drums and preaching the gospel and typing away to anyone who'd listen the possibility that enhanced e-books might be, if not the savior of serialized storytelling, at least an adequate transition point while respective creative minds regroup, recalculate, and reconfigure a way to get us the soaps we love back at a price everyone (producer and consumer) can live with.

Stay tuned for more updates from my brave new, enhanced e-world, and please check out When a Man Loves a Woman: Enhanced Multimedia Edition on either Amazon.com or BN.com and let me know what you think. Could this be a way to transition soaps to the Internet while keeping costs in check and setting up an alternative revenue model, besides?