NBC Offers Free 'GRIMM' eBook with Season One Recap, Season Two Teaser, and Free Episode Download

The free new enhanced eBook, “GRIMM: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE,” is now available on Apple’s iBookstore in iTunes for iPad; the non-enhanced edition will soon be available on Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble’s Nook Tablet.

NEW YORK - August 8, 2012 - In an innovative collaboration, NBC Publishing and NBC Entertainment will launch “GRIMM: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE” today. This free eBook is an interactive companion to the hit television series kicking off its second season on Monday, August 13 at 10/9c on NBC. NBC Publishing has created a unique eBook that expands the "behind-the-scenes" experience for NBC Entertainment's "Grimm" by providing access to exclusive concept art, 3D renderings, video clips, and the introduction of a terrifying new creature in a sneak preview from the Season Two premiere.

As eBooks continue to grow in popularity, the boundaries of digital publishing have gone beyond its traditional definition. Through this free download, NBC Entertainment’s critically-acclaimed show, “Grimm,” has an opportunity to directly provide its fan base with an entirely new viewer experience. In addition to the interactive features, the eBook includes character and actor biographies, photos, trivia, glossary terms, and a free pilot episode for download from iTunes.

In this collaboration, NBC Publishing takes full advantage of Apple's iBooks Author platform to highlight exclusive illustrations, animations, and video from NBC Entertainment to supplement the text of the “Grimm” universe. Similarly, free of charge, fans are able to fully immerse themselves in the making behind the “Grimm” episodes in anticipation of the Season Two premiere. As viewers become increasingly interested in interacting with shows, stories, and characters, this innovative collaboration presents a unique way to bridge the gap between fan and screen.

Both NBC Entertainment and NBC Publishing are thrilled to help bridge that gap. "NBC Entertainment is excited to explore the new Apple iBook Author, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble publishing platforms to create engaging content that our viewers can access from all of their devices," said Robert Hayes, Executive Vice President Digital, NBC Entertainment.

"We're very pleased to offer this interactive eBook to fans of Grimm," said Michael Fabiano, General Manager and VP of NBC Publishing, "We believe loyal fans will enjoy it and hopefully will prove to be a great way to attract new ones."

The free eBook, “GRIMM: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE,” is available now for iPad at Apple's iBookstore in iTunes. A non-enhanced edition will soon be available for Amazon's Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble's Nook Tablet.

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About NBC Publishing
NBC Publishing is a division of NBCUniversal Media, LLC that focuses on developing digital publishing projects from content created within the NBCUniversal and Comcast family of properties, as well as publishing original works with outside authors and publishing partners.
For more information visit http://www.nbcpublishing.com.

About NBC Entertainment
NBC Entertainment develops and schedules programming for the network’s primetime, late-night, and daytime schedules. NBC’s quality programs and balanced lineup have earned the network critical acclaim, numerous awards, and ratings success. NBC has earned more Emmy Awards than any network in television history.

For more information contact:

Marie Wicht
NBC News
e: marie.wicht@nbcuni.com

Book Expo America 2011: Surprisingly Touching!

Another Book Expo America has come and gone.

This was my twelfth time attending so when comparing this year's show to previous ones, I'd have to say the crowds of publishers, booksellers, librarians, and authors seemed less anxious about all things digital and instead appeared ready to openly embrace the undeniable fact that digital book products are here to stay.

Everyone I ran into wanted to discuss eBooks, Apps, eReaders, tablets, and whatever else might be coming down the pike. They also seemed genuinely interested to learn more and excited in making the various new content formats and sales channels work in their favor.

In addition to these conversations, more evidence was found during Publishers Launch, an all day seminar that dealt with a variety of hot topics and pressing issues surrounding the book industry today. Several who attended these sessions were from international companies facing similar challenges of their own. The conference within a conference was presented by Mike Shatzkin (Video Interview) and Michael Cader and gave the 120 or so in attendance an opportunity to hear industry heavies like Evan Schnittman of Bloomsbury, Tom Turvey of Google Books, Steve Potash of Overdrive, Dominique Raccah of Sourcebooks, Simon Lipskar of Writer's House, Charlie Redmayne of HarperCollins, Cameron Drew of Kobo, and many, many more. Overall it was a very informative series of panel sessions that provided much food for thought and spurred a lot of debate.

Speaking of Kobo: It was this Canadian based company that added to the list of BEA surprises by announcing a new eReader with a Pearl eInk touchscreen, the Kobo Touch. In doing so they attempted to steal some much anticipated thunder from Barnes & Noble who the following day introduced a new Nook eReader featuring (you guessed it) a Pearl eInk touchscreen display. In a previous post I had suggested this type of device would be coming from B&N, but must admit I didn't expect to see one from Kobo as well. So now there are three basic touchscreen eReaders available at affordable prices. The Kobo Touch, Sony's Touch Edition, and the new Nook, a spiffy, sleek device billed as the "simple touch reader."

I must say this Nook appears to be a vast improvement over the first model and so far all the reviews have been quite positive. So between this new low-priced option and the critically-acclaimed Nook Color, B&N's share of the eReader market should continue to grow, especially with women readers. At this point, it will be quite disappointing if Amazon's next Kindle doesn't follow suit and include a touchscreen, but most analysts expect such a device will be announced shortly before the holiday season, if not sooner.

But as surprising as the Kobo press conference and the quality of the new Nook was, hands down the biggest eyebrow raising moment occurred just before BEA even began with the astounding announcement that legendary publisher turned literary agent Larry Kirshbaum would head the publishing division of Amazon. I don't believe anyone saw that coming and the implications of what this development means will most likely not be fully evident for months to come. But soon an experienced team of publishing pros selected and overseen by Mr. Kirshbaum will begin releasing works by prominent authors, most exclusively available only through the Kindle store, which will certainly be an interesting development for consumers, authors, and competing publishers alike.

Barnes & Noble has published books for years, but how long will it be before they introduce a full-fledged publishing arm of their own led by another cracker-jack publishing legend?

Perhaps we'll find out at Book Expo America 2012!

The French (Digital) Revolution: My Week in Paris - Part Two

Ah, the wine, the cheese, the croissants, the cognac, the...eBooks??

Sacrebleu! eBooks!!!

Yes, as I mentioned in a previous Blog post, the publishing and bookselling community in France, along with other European countries, is adjusting to the inevitable embrace of eBooks by the masses. But exactly how it will all play out, and at what rate, is still unclear and heavily debated in the cafes of Paris and beyond.

So, how do the French feel about reading digitally so far? Well, reliable sources tell me over the course of 3 months the popular chain store Fnac sold approximately 12,000 of the FnacBook, which is their own eReading device priced at around $270 and meant to fend off Amazon's Kindle. That's a respectable start, but in a country with a population of more than 65 Million they've got a long way to go before changing people's reading habits or their views about eBooks overall.

You see, our group learned a very curious thing during a meeting at Gallimard, one of the top publishers in all of France: The staff explained how independent booksellers currently represent 60% of the overall market, an incredible percentage, and emphasized this by demoing a new online network called 1001 Libraires (a similar concept to Indie Bound in the U.S.). They further explained that although several of these stores are slowly but surely adapting to the idea of selling electronic books, the government doesn't officially recognize eBooks as books at all. That's right, eBooks are not technically considered a legitimate book format. And that's because print books are seen as cultural products while digital books...well, let's just say at the moment...ain't.

This has many in the industry dismayed since it means eBooks are taxed at the higher rate of 19.6%, like movies, music, and clothing, compared to 5.5% for print books. And if things remain status quo it will only continue to make it difficult for publishers and booksellers to win the e-hearts and e-minds of consumers throughout the French Republic simply due to unaffordable pricing.

But here's some good news: Soon there is to be a vote on whether or not this policy should change, and if it does (which I believe it will), a seismic shift in the adoption of e-reading by the French will undoubtedly occur. This, along with the introduction of low-cost eReaders, the expansion of Amazon.fr, Google eBooks, and Apple's iBookstore, plus savvy indies that face their digital future head on, will all contribute to making "les livres numériques" easier to purchase and enjoy through a variety of channels. For example, one can envision all the Starbucks throughout Paris eventually selling eBooks, just as they're planning to do in America.

At first I'm sure such a scenario will be of great concern to a number of booksellers but with the regulated pricing protections in place (mentioned in a previous post), my hope is they will choose to rise up to the occasion and take on the competition with the same pride and dedication they've offered customers for years and years.

As for publishers, well some frustration was evident because France is two or three years behind the United States in regards to eBooks. And though I understand the desire for things to happen at a quicker pace, I also see this as an opportune moment to avoid glaring mistakes a number of American counterparts have made, and continue to make, by rushing digital works into the marketplace that should've received more editorial care and attention.

Instead, I believe the French will undoubtedly take the necessary amount of time needed to approach this growing medium with the passion, creativity, and artistry they've always applied to the best of everything that represents France's culture; like the wine, the cheese, the croissants, the cognac, and soon...the eBooks. Oui! eBooks!

Vive la Revolution!!!

P.S. - Here's an article by Publishers Weekly about this cultural exchange.

Merci Beaucoup :-)