Carlton Books have published a number of augmented reality (AR) novels for children in recent years which look to enrich the learning experience by leveraging technology. Now, the company has announced they have a new novel on the way which which will offer an immersive adventure for readers aged ten and up later this year titled The Ghostkeeper’s Journal Field Guide.
Written and produced by Carlton’s digital director Japhet Asher, the novel will expand on the companies current AR offering of which they have sold more than four millions copies of titles including Jurassic World, Bugs and Alien. Unlike those the new novel will be the “first ever augmented reality powered novel” as explained by Asher. It is a move away from non-fiction publishing that the company is very excited about.
The Ghostkeeper’s Journal Field Guide will be the first in the Society of the Pursuit of the Reputedly Undead Namely Ghosts (Sprung) series. The novel is over 32,000 words long and is fully illustrated offering a number of AR experiences within. This will enable readers to dive deeper into the mysteries and solve the disappearance of Agamemnon White, head of ghostkeeping. The AR elements of the novel are accessed via a mobile app titled “Ghost-o-Matic” which has been developed by digital agency Scary Beasties.
The company is also looking to approach AR differently with this novel as well, rather than focusing on accurate depictions of creatures they are looking at animation and interactivity. “The quality of the AR is different, to a degree, in that we have focused on the storytelling and experience and a bit less on making the models as sophisticated as we could.” Explains Asher talking to thebookseller: “We’ve optimised these for the storytelling, and we’ve learned how to tie them better to the page.”
The Ghostkeeper’s Journal Field Guide is planned to be released later this year on October 4th, and will be priced at £14.99 (GBP). The company have noted that more than 250,000 copies of the novel have already been pre-sold in the US with more publishing deals being arranged ahead of launch in other locations around the world. VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on the novel and further titles from Carlton Books in the future so make sure to read keeping.
via Mint VR