Atlanta Entrepreneur Brings Interactivity to eBooks
21st January 2013 · 0 Comments
ePic Adventures, Inc. to integrate games, apps, multimedia and more
Readers of all ages who enjoy electronic books may soon encounter an enormous leap forward in the power, capabilities and sheer fun quotient of this increasingly pervasive medium. John Adcox’s Atlanta-based ePic Adventures, Inc. is working on their manifestation of this next frontier — a line of interactive titles called ePic Books.
Adcox points out that modern electronic books fail to take full advantage of their potential to create interactive, immersive, entertaining experiences. “The rich media capabilities of a smartphone, e-reader, or tablet can turn a gripping story with broad, four-quadrant appeal into a truly immersive experience, with illustrations that come to life and move, a soundtrack with music, addictive games, and even an e-commerce shopping element,” he says. “The failure to use e-reading’s full potential represents a huge missed opportunity in the marketplace — and we’re going to change that through our ePic Books.”
The key to unlocking all this potential lies in ePic Adventures, Inc.’s patentable platform for enabling immersive, media-rich experiences. “Think of ePic Books as ‘eBook 2.0,’” says Adcox. “We can integrate video, music, games, and even e-commerce shopping into the larger context or a literary or educational text.” The platform’s education potential includes the ability to learn through interactive activities that unlock each chapter after the previous chapter’s material has been mastered.
Adcox’s own passion for a good story well told fires his enthusiasm for his new venture. “I have a deep love of storytelling, and I was involved in user experience before the term even existed. The two seem like a natural fit,” he explains.
Early development of the ePic Books platform has been entirely bootstrapped by Adcox and company. “I created a dynamic design and then gathered a ‘dream team’ of developers, business and financial advisors, including the creative designer who won the first-ever Prime Time Emmy Award for interactive television.” He cites money and time as the two principal challenges: “We need the funds to to create rich media assets, market, and protect the IP. Time-wise, we have an amazing opportunity to own this space, but the window of opportunity is by definition a narrow one.” He projects positive cash flow within 18 months of investment.
“Keep believing!” says Adcox to other high-tech hopefuls. “Never stop working. There are ways around every barrier.”
