The Next Step in Publishing: Augmented Reality

[Approximate Reading Time : 4 mins]

Publishers must produce books according to the way readers consume them. In today’s market readers want digital content. Yet ebook sales dropped about 10 percent in 2017 compared to 2016, according to market research figures provided by the NPD Group.

It is unlikely that readers are losing interest in consuming digital content. The move publishers need to make next is to appeal to readers for whom static words on a digital display isn’t enough. Augmented Reality has entered the book market, and many features of AR make it ideal to entice the reluctant reader. In books enhanced with AR, real and virtual objects are combined in real time to provide an engaging experience. There are many possibilities for AR related to book content:

• Play a game with a character from the story
• View a three-dimensional model of an animal, city or object
• Hear narration of the text
• Take an educational assessment in context

The benefits of using AR technology in publishing are many:

• Increase curiosity and engagement
• Supplement learning through connection-making and lateral thinking
• Enhance retention by using multiple modalities
• Reach a wider audience and therefore increase sales

Augmented Reality is the next step for publishers to take to reach all types of readers. As publishers keep pace with the rate of developing technologies, readers will enjoy a unique and engaging experience.