[arg_discuss] White Paper: ARGs in Publishing

[David Varela]

Hi Michael,

I'm sure they're too modest to jump in here themselves, but you should
probably mention the work of Six to Start with Faber & Faber, Penguin and
Puffin Books.

Specifically, you could talk about 'We Tell Stories' in the ARGs as
Storytelling section - http://sixtostart.com/we-tell-stories/ - and 'Young
Bond: The Shadow War' in the ARGs as Promotions section -
http://sixtostart.com/the-shadow-war/.

Hope that helps,

David

www.davidvarela.com


On Tue, Aug 3, 2010 at 1:11 PM, Michael Andersen <mandersen at argn.com> wrote:


> Hey all,

>

> A while back, Brooke mentioned it might be a good idea for people writing

> sections of the upcoming white paper to post their ideas for feedback and

> suggestions.  That seems like a fairly awesome idea to me, so below is a

> rough sketch of what I intend to be discussing with the section on ARGs in

> Publishing.  I figure we're more likely to provide thorough and (probably

> even more importantly) concise coverage if we're not operating in silos

> with

> this.

>

> *An ARGish History:* this section will serve as a brief look back at a few

> projects that embraced the ARG aesthetic prior to *Cathy's Book*, where the

> ARG term started getting used for it. This isn't intended to be a

> comprehensive history, but I'll refer to Dennis Wheatley's Murder Dossiers

> from back in the '30s and armchair mysteries like Kit Williams'

> *Masquerade* (which

> I didn't read, but saw referenced in the NYTimes article on *We Lost Our

> Gold*).

> *

> *

> *ARGs as Storytelling: *this section will focus on the use of ARGs in the

> publishing world as an integral part of the storytelling experience. I'll

> be

> looking at implementing ARGs in publishing through the use of evidence

> packs

> (as previously mentioned, this idea goes at least back to the Murder

> Dossiers), along with the trend of utilizing paired media with a central

> social platform (Level 26).

>

> I'll also be discussing how the current trend skews for this type of

> storytelling working exceptionally well with children's literature / YA

> materials and as a franchise builder since the audience is a bit more media

> savvy and the transmedia elements help bridge the publication gap between

> books.

>

> *ARGs as Promotion:* I'll also discuss how ARGs have been used as

> promotions

> for the book's release, looking at how ARGs can drive behavior, reward

> existing fans, and introduce the story.

>

> *Concluding Thoughts on Ownership: *this section will briefly describe a

> growing trend I've noticed (and analyzed in a bit more depth elsewhere)

> towards corporate ownership of these ARG/transmedia book projects.

>

> Each section will be discussed in light of particular properties, and I

> plan

> on referencing *Cathy's Book*, *Personal Effects*, *Skeleton Creek*, *Level

> 26*, *Clock Without a Face*, *39 Clues*, *First Among Sequels*, *Therapy*,

> and *The Whisperers*. When possible and as space allows, I plan on

> including

> a brief description of media used and a short walkthrough of how readers

> interact with the book ARG type projects, incorporating statements from the

> people behind the projects (gleaned from past interviews, TED speeches, and

> articles).

>

>

> So...any thoughts? Concerns? Glaring omissions? Praise? Recriminations?

>

> -Michael

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