Galaus – social grabber and bookmarking

If he can capture the attention of so many teens and tweens on the Internet, what is he doing still publishing books on paper?

“I feel like I am hedging my bets by keeping one foot in the print world and one foot in the online world,” Kinney said. “I think a book still has a special kind of magic.” Plus, as a practical matter, there is no financial incentive for authors to give their stories away for free.

Kinney’s balancing act reflects the broad strategy of children’s publishing today. Publishers are trying to entice kids to read books by offering companion Web sites that are graphic-rich and able to plunge young readers into the story. Along with the tale on the page, kids can dip into online videos and games, win prizes, create Internet identities and get into social networking. It is a tricky gamble for publishers, one requiring a deep commitment of time and money.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/19/AR2010031901574.html