[arg_discuss] White Paper: ARGs in Publishing

[Evan Jones]

Hi Michael,

ARG Histories are notoriously contentious - anyone visiting the ARG
Wikipedia revision page will see how challenging this curation has been.

If you wanted to widen it out a little, you might want to toss in some
'non-linear' book concepts like Tristram Shandy, or even allude to the early
days of 'epistolary fiction' like Robinson Crusoe - I've been very
interested to see Adrian Hon's coverage in this area and how it may affect
the trajectory of ARGs in transmedia. My wife and I love the Griffin &
Sabine books as well, but as you can see it's the thin edge of the wedge.
 Pretty soon we're back to definitions again and spinning in circles.

Looking forward to reading about it though!
------------------
Evan Jones
Stitch Media

Halifax:  902.482.2157
Toronto: 647.477.1613
www.stitchmedia.ca


On Tue, Aug 3, 2010 at 9:11 AM, 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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