THE JULIAN YEAR: A TREEbook FAQ
My novel THE JULIAN YEAR, the world's first TREEbook will be published on Sunday, June 1st by Medallion Press. At least three years of development and writing went into this cutting edge project! But what the hell IS a TREEbook... and what the hell is THE JULIAN YEAR? I've created created this FAQ for the curious and frightened.
1. So...what is TREEbook?
TREEbook stands for Timed Reading Experience E-book. It's a brand new platform for e-books utilizing time triggers and branching technology. It can also be called the first e-book platform using story branching. In other words, the story changes on the reader as he reads it.
2. Oh, like a Choose Your Own Adventure, right?
Wrong! The reader doesn't choose which branch of the TREEbook he reads - the story chooses him. Characters live, die, change, take a lead role, take a supporting role, all based on the reader's individual reading habits.
3. Ah, I see... sort of like Russian Roulette.
Um, okay. That may be an apt description for THE JULIAN YEAR, which is a horror tale on an epic scale, but TREEbook can work in any genre. Mine is the first entry in the line, but by August there may be as many as three.
4. But how does a TREEbook work?
A lot of research and development went into making TREEbook, and it's ongoing. The reader will go to itunes and download the Medallion Media Group Sidekick app for his ipad. When the reader opens this app, he'll have access to the entire Medallion Press library. There may be special giveaways, too. And the reader will find THE JULIAN YEAR by Gregory Lamberson, the very first TREEbook. The reader must purchase THE JULIAN YEAR and future TREEbooks using this MMG Sidekick; they won't be available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or other e-book retailers. It's all in-house. The reader will also use the app as an e-reader for the book on his ipad. The MMG Sidekick measures each reader's individual average reading pace over the course of the first few chapters of the book; every reader's habits are different, and those habits will change if a reader re-reads a TREEbook, resulting in a different reading experience. The author establishes several points in his novel where the story could branch off in a different direction; when a reader changes his reading pace, the novel will branch out at one of those pre-determined points.
5. How much does the Medallion Media Group Sidekick app cost?
It's FREE!
6. Holy cow, that's great! How much will THE JULIAN YEAR cost?
THE JULIAN YEAR can be yours for the low, low price of only $9.99!
7. Wait a minute - my friend sells his e-books for only .99! Are you sure you didn't get the decimal point wrong?
Your friend's e-book is most likely self edited and self published. THE JULIAN YEAR is professionally edited and professionally published. Your friend's novel follows one path, telling one story; if you re-read it, it will follow that same path and tell that exact same story. No matter how many times you try to make it change, it will have the same beginning, middle and ending. The TREEbook is something different: there's never been anything like it before. Its branching technology allows for multiple variations of a story, with drastic changes along the way, and different endings. Even the branches have branches! Every time a reader reads it, he will likely have a different reading experience. Or, once he's completed the novel once, he will be free to skip around the different branches at will. If two people (or three, or four) read it at the same time and compare notes each day, they're going to be baffled. There is so much content in THE JULIAN YEAR that $9.99 is a bargain.
8. Can I read THE JULIAN YEAR and future TREEbooks on my Kindle?
No! TREEbooks are designed for ipads only. They will likely be compatible with Androids down the line, and anything can happen after that, but for now think "ipad."
9. Will there be a print edition of THE JULIAN YEAR?
Again, no! The whole appeal of this cutting edge technology is that the form of its story is fluid, not locked in place. The goal was to make each branch path a satisfying, complete reading experience, and to offer multiple variations of that experience. But a reader who explores multiple branches will see the same characters shaped by radically different experiences - it's a different form of layering. To choose a single branch path would be like making Sophie's Choice.
10. You've been talking about the technology, what about the frigging book?
Thanks for asking! The technology is awesome and serves as a great hook, but the technology has to serve a good story, not the other way around. THE JULIAN YEAR is an ambitious apocalyptic tale about what may turn out to be the last year of mankind as we know it. Every day beginning January 1st, twenty million people become homicidal maniacs on their birthday. The cause appears to be demonic possession. By the end of one year's time, every person on earth should be possessed. Society takes drastic steps just to survive the year, and we follow different characters in different scenarios as they try to carry on. There's action, horror, and suspense; demonic possession has never been depicted on such a large scale. There's also a touch of philosophical drama, ala Nigel Kneale's Quatermass serials or Nevil Shute's ON THE BEACH. I can't wait for reactions from readers who explore the different branches! The characters are among my favorite creations:
Julian Weizak, a frustrated journalist, is an obituary writer who sees a pattern in the sudden mayhem around the world. Because he was born December 31st, he has a full year to live and a front row seat to mankind's last gasp.
Steve Morelli is the equivalent of a beat cop, loyal to his family, neighborhood and badge. He plays by the rules, and looks for sanity within the epidemic wreaking havoc around the globe.
Rachel Konigsberg, Morellis' partner, is shaped by circumstances into an action heroine. She's the biggest bad ass I've written.
Read more about THE JULIAN YEAR at its dedicated website: http://thejulianyear.com/
