Battle for the Young Reader’s Mind; Can Paper Team Up with Rock to Beat Technology??

An effort to recapture the young mind of the intermediate fiction reader from media distractions is producing “Story Stars”. Like Rock Stars, Story Stars have a passion for their art, a trend setting fashion sense, and a devoted following.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : http://www.prlog.org/10773641-battle-for-the-young-readers-mind-can-paper-team-up-with-rock-to-beat-technology.html

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 02, 2010 – According to recent studies from Indiana’s Ball State University and the federal government, the average American spends more than eight hours a day looking at a media screen- TV, computer, or cell phone, but devotes only about 20 minutes to reading books and other printed material. The old fashioned book, with pages, is being phased out so that even when a work of fiction is in the hands of a young reader it is in the form of an electronic device, like the Kindel or the Nook.

A National Literacy Trust recently revealed that fiddling with phones is the leading leisure activity among British children. A survey from the trust showed that 85.5 percent of students aged seven to 16 have their own cell phones, compared with 72.6 percent who have their own books. The majority of the activity done on these cell phones is not talking, but reading and writing. It would seem the printed page is losing out to the virtual page. While technically total time spent reading maybe up, it is difficult to deepen the brain with the cryptic shorthand that is being consumed and produced over the course of these added hours.

In an effort to recapture the attention of 10-16 year old readers publishers are turning much more creative talent and marketing dollars toward the visual image of the book New young adult fiction from the major publishing houses will have a hot new appeal. Judging a book by its cover just got more fun. "The cover is a huge part of the way a book is marketed. It's almost the entire advertising," says Josh Bank, president, East Coast, of Alloy Entertainment. One of Alloy’s hottest new releases is Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard's .

"Getting it right for teenagers is difficult, and staying ahead of the trends is something we're always trying to do," adds Bank. Finding that perfect central image to the send the right messages takes a huge team effort. "There can be a fine line," he says, "between something that's cool and commercial and something that's so cool that it's narrow and literary." The photo shoots for book covers now involve the hottest looks right out of Teen Vogue.

“The trick is to catch the reader’s media savvy eye. Even the youngest readers aren’t easily impressed. Media has evolved. It is hard for books and magazines to hold their market share in the sea of flashy high style, quick moving images available on the computer, TV, cell phones. Even billboards move!” said Ink & Inspiration Productions Publicist Cynthia Jackson. “Getting people to commit their time to a book is getting more and more difficult so the initial image has got to be a really good one. Authors are developing a following more like musicans to help them keep the attention of their readers.” “Today I hear much about the death of publishing and the eradication of literature - but that's not what I see. I see authors with a chance to create a brand for themselves by becoming valuable and developing a following, “ said Christopher Herz, told the Huffington Post. Herz is the author of the highly acclaim The Last Block In Harlem.

Rising Story Stars like London’s Nikki Garriques (pen name Kia Storm) are setting out with the intent of keeping literature cool. “I want to change the traditional image of the author from the bland brainiac to something much more glamorous, “said Garriques. This UK yarn spinning fashioniesta would like to be an example to her readers, girls 10-16, of how to become smart motivated, chic and successful woman able to tap into their creativity to change the world. “I want to encourage this media suave generation to embrace writing as art, and to unlock it’s deep well of enjoyment. I want to offer a healthy mental escape and entertainment to these kids while encouraging them to develop a love of reading, writing and creative endeavors, “ added Garriques.

In Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life Wendy Mass’ wrote “A wise man once remarked that we can count how many seeds are in the apple, but not how many apples are in the seed.” Likewise the publishing industry can count the number of contracted authors they have, no one will ever know the number of great minds that evolve from the books they are writing. “Hopefully this effort to develop a new glamorous, fashionable image for the art of writing will sustain the passion for the written world with such fantastic distractions available in our technologically evolving world. Hopefully the newest generations will be able to find an escape in their imaginations, as generations before them did,” said Garriques.

# # #

Nikki Garriques is a native London author who has succeeded in in getting twelve short stories published within six months of her writing journey. Garriques intermediate fiction book series, under the name Kia Storm, is in the works currently. Nikki’s book series is a mixture of the classic Sweet Valley Twins (also known as Sweet Valley Twins and Friends) written by Jamie Suzanna , X-men and Buffy for young girls. The fairytale effect of falling in love is heavily influenced throughout the book. "There’s persistence in me that drives me to strive for things that are bigger than myself. I am inspired by those who have stared adversity in the eye, and who say that even though the odds are against me, I was born for a deeper reason. “ – Nikki Garriques

www.facebook.com/kiastormstorystar
www.twitter.com/kiastorm


--- end ---