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The paper book is never going to die out, in fact now it is more alive than ever. This statement is reiterated among international and Colombian publishers who have decided to bring themselves up to speed with the development that the global publishing industry is going through and appropriate new technology in order to survive.
The Brazilian, Erica Casado, who was invited to Colombia by PROCOLOMBIA, held a workshop on " transmedia" , or multiplatform storytelling, for 11 Colombian publishing houses. " The public has changed and it doesn' t just want read content, but also to participate in the stories and even create content," expressed the expert and publisher of Editacuja, a Brazilian company dedicated to creating educational content using transmedia.
Resources for this go from paper to mobile devices, internet games and social networks.
" Thanks to increasingly efficient and easy access to information, readers don' t just want to read, but also want to talk to the author and let others know their opinions about the book, which is why publishers who seek to improve their exports internationally, must create opportunities for participation," explained Maria Claudia Lacouture, PROCOLOMBIA president.
Technology is also allowing greater possibilities for creation. According to Martin Restrepo, founder and manager of Editacuja, a Brazilian publishing house,
" Now there is the possibility for the books' content to come alive books don' t have just one author, but many authors and even the readers can suggest new characters and alternative endings."
There are several options. According to Martin Restrepo, a story can start with a game in which the book' s main characters participate" and, as points are won, the chapters are unblocked. Or you can have one chapter where you give total freedom to the reader to choose the ending, or use social networks so that the readers choose a new character to join the story" .
The development has led Colombian publishers on a process of adaption and of winning new readers. One such example is the publisher, Cultural Internacional, with 20 years in the sector. " We see the need, not just because of what we think, but also because our clients tell us what the market needs. So what students, teachers and parents want is digital content," stated Gustavo Elorza, manager and editor.
That is why the publisher' s books, including stories, English courses, bibles, encyclopedias and dictionaries come accompanied with digital content on CD, DVD and applications for the internet and Android telephones.
The same is happening with Ecoe Ediciones, a publishing house with 25 years working in the academic book market.
" We are working hard on the electronic part. The majority of our catalog, 80%, is in electronic books. We are already working with e-books, and we are very interested in the transmedia part, because we see it as the future," added William Ospina.
Some even see it as a necessity. Marco Antonio Garcia, publisher and manager of Collage Editores, stated,
" If we don' t break into digital media soon, in two years we will be out of the market."
