eBooks & Apps
We love the printed word, but we're equally enthusiastic about and prepared for the digital opportunities that are transforming publishing. We're working with our clients, publishers, and some of the nation's most innovative developers and designers to create original ebooks, enhanced ebooks, and apps.
We bring a deep background in software and multimedia development to this effort. Before founding Levine Greenberg in 1989, Jim Levine spent the ‘80s running an entrepreneurial division at the Bank Street College of Education that developed 23 commercial software products, including the hugely successful Bank Street Writer, the first word processor for kids. Independently, Jim also developed a business application that was shortlisted for the Software Publishing Association’s Most Innovative Product.
Recent examples of ebooks and apps include:
Salary Tutor: Learn the Salary Negotiation Secrets No One Ever Taught You by Jim Hopkinson
Jim Hopkinson is Marketing Director at Condé Nast Digital, where he oversees the online and social media strategy for Wired.com and publishes a popular podcast, The Hopkinson Report, that covers new media marketing trends. Jim approached us with a completed manuscript for Salary Tutor, the best resource on negotiating a salary that we’d seen. Because of his digital media background and online presence, he had direct access to his readership. Should he self-publish an ebook? After a series of discussions about Jim’s Hopkinson’s goals, we partnered him with Grand Central’s Business Plus imprint (Hachette), which was excited to release its first original ebook – followed five months later by both a paperback and an enhanced ebook. Now we’re working with Jim to figure out the development of a complementary app.
Jewball, a novel by Neal Pollack
Over the years, our author Neal Pollack has published fiction and non-fiction with McSweeney’s, HarperCollins, and Pantheon. He had a great experience with Harper Perennial for his last book, Stretch, and they have signed him up to write another memoir – but as Neal describes quite eloquently in the New York Times Book Review, he decided to self-publish with Amazon.
We’ve been Neal’s partner throughout the entire process. We’re working closely with him on the packaging, selling foreign and other subsidiary rights, and devising publicity and marketing campaigns – both traditional and online.
Zero, a graphic memoir by Jan Egleson, illustrated by Kseniya Galper
When we first saw the printed version of Jan Egleson’s graphic memoir, it knocked our socks off. It was the poignant story of a son coming to understand his deceased father in a new way, after discovering his father’s World War II journals, which included accounts of being attacked by Japanese Kamikaze pilots while aboard the U.S.S. Saratoga. It was accompanied by stunning four-color art and photo montages designed by Kseniya Galper. And it was unsellable to a traditional publisher. Memoir is a tough category, Jan was unknown, and this had to be published with very high production values.
“This should be published as an app for the iPad,” we said. “And we know just how to do it.”
“Great,” said Jan and Kseniya. “That will allow us to use other materials for this project we couldn’t put into a book – animation, photo sequences, and videos, including Super 8 footage of Japanese Zeros attacking the U.S.S. Saratoga.”
The result now is available in the iPad app store.
10 Greatest Card Tricks of All Time by Joshua Jay
Joshua Jay is one of the most charismatic young magicians working today. Every time he comes into the agency, he leaves us amazed by a new magic trick. Workman published Josh’s Magic: The Complete Course with a DVD, so it seemed natural to use some of the existing video assets to create an app. Workman and our agency paired up with Vook for the development of Joshua Jay’s 10 Greatest Card Tricks of All Time, now available in the iPad app Store. You can check out Josh giving a demo of the app here.