The hope is that ereading will receive some attention and more people will give it a try.
Kobo has just announced the creation of game that uses augmented reality in order to promote ereading, which is an appropriate theme considering that this is the central purpose of the device.
The game is the first of its kind for the device and is meant to specifically promote an upcoming book.
The augmented reality mobile gaming experience is called The Descent. The inspiration for the experience is from Dante’s Inferno, as well as from additional authors. This includes Dan Brown and his upcoming book release which will be entitled Inferno, as well as J.F. Penn, and the self-published works of that author. The books that have been created by Penn were themed on a basis of the nine circles of hell and Dante’s Inferno.
This unique augmented reality promotion is meant to draw attention to the books and ereading as a whole.
The promotion that is complimented by the augmented reality game is meant to encourage readers to download two of Penn’s ebooks, for free, so that they can read their digital copies. These two books are Kobo exclusives and are entitled Sins of Violence and Sins of Temptation.
The books must be read in order to obtain clues for the online augmented reality game, so it is not only meant to encourage the download of the books, but it is also meant to have readers actually read the ebook versions on their Kobo ereaders.
This augmented reality marketing promotion is meant to be an advertising campaign for Penn, as well, who could stand to benefit from it if the books turn out to be popular. While the first two books are free, there will be a third book in the series that will be released in September. That book will be called Sins of Treachery.
Moreover, readers have even more encouragement to play the augmented reality game and read the books in order to arrive at the end, as the first player to make it as far as the game’s final step will receive a $5,000 award, in addition to an ereader device that has been autographed by Dan Brown.
The promotion with the augmented reality game will be a short one, as it is running only through May 14th, at which time the Dan Brown book will be available for sale.
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