In 2011, I read a question in a LinkedIn writer’s forum that still merits consideration by any book author. “Is ‘media-added’ actually good for books?” I still feel it can be, when you focus on enhancing your reader’s eBook experience in a way that preserves creativity and nurtures imagination.
Here’s what’s happened since 2011.
The author of the question wrote in his blog that he feared the media trend was turning the book market into a gaming venture and destroying the market for good books that depend only on the word power of their authors. This fear has not materialized. Run a search for eBooks built around gaming and all you’ll find the top search results are books about how to build games or play games. At the time, the fear had some validity. However, there’s a key reason you’ll never see eGames replacing eBooks. A segment of the population still loves to read—even those who love movies as well.
Imagination is enjoyable and media can assist.
Anyone who loves to read knows that the movie never does justice to the book. Hollywood always has to “tweak” the story so it thinks it will have more appeal. If you’ve read the book, the movie is almost always disappointing. For this reason alone, the trend to add media to books would need to stop short of robbing readers of creating their own cinematic visions in their minds.
At the same time, consider Reading Rainbow. This popular PBS children’s program inspires me to envision a whole new reading experience for younger readers. Imagine a book that’s a combination of animation and reading. Audio could be turned on and off. It would be a great experience, with power to create fascination with the reading experience. 
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Adding Media to Non-Fiction Makes Sense.
There is a real place for adding media to non-fiction eBooks, especially how-to books. For years, I’ve had to read cookbooks and decipher what the instructions meant. Even with a Home Economics degree and training in all the different cooking techniques, it has often been difficult to picture what the author is describing. So many times I’ve wished there was a video clip to show me how to make the recipe up.
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Why not use media to complement your writing?
When it is used appropriately, added media is a wonderful enhancement that leverages the qualities eBooks enable. There’s no reason to not harness the combined power of the written word with visual and audio experiences if you can do it in a way that brings more meaning to what you publish.
