"CSI" Creator Sees Future in "Digi-Novels"

The traditional publishing industry might be on the decline but Anthony E. Zuiker, creator of the popular “CSI” television franchise, sees a future in integrating books, video and the Internet into a new genre that he’s dubbed “digi-novels”.

Zuiker on Tuesday launched a novel for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch that is like an
e-book interspersed with five-minute videos. The novel, called “Level 26” and sold as an iPhone application for $12.95, is about a serial killer who is so terrifying that his existence is kept from the public. Actors including Michael Ironside, who was in “Top Gun” and “Smallville,” and Daniel Buren, who has appeared in “CSI: New York,” appear in the videos.

The story cuts away every so often to a short video that expands the storyline in some way. Called “cyber-bridges” by Zuiker, the videos are optional and the story is written so readers don’t have to access the multimedia features if they don’t want to. After reading the story, people can access an active social community site online, which is updated with regular blog entries by Zuiker as well as celebrity guests and behind-the-scenes features. People can also participate in story contests, where the winning entry could be incorporated into future novels. Zuiker launched the iPhone app after releasing the book under the same name in September. The book, however, requires readers to switch to a computer to view the video. There’s also a $12.99 iTunes extra version for a computer-based experience.
Zuiker spoke to the Wall Street Journal about why he came up with the idea for “digi-novels” and his future plans for the form.

What is your ultimate vision for digi-novels? The vision is that books four, five and six would be taken over by the community and readers will contribute the storyline. Philosophically, it’s inevitable that the publishing industry will have to reach out and accept a level of interactivity with consumers and technology. It’s only a matter of time that people are going to want a little more than just flipping through pages. Some people have said it’s too early for a digi-novel. That’s quite possible.

Do you have plans to create other digi-novel stories? Most certainly. A team of five and a crew of 30 got together and launched a major literary work in about a year. The lesson I’ve learned from directing these videos is that Hollywood is still an intrinsically wasteful business. We had one camera and one crew, but it looks like we put $40 million into it. You can do things inexpensively. Over the course of time, we’ll sync up all the best of what the device has to offer like in-app purchasing. It’ll take some time and a lot of coordination.

Date：2009-11-28　【Return】