New Ebook Genre Backed by Major Names in Publishing, Literature, Music and Technology

NEW YORK, Aug. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Booktrack™, the creator of a new and engaging way to read by matching synchronized music, sound effects and ambient sound to the text of your favorite ebooks, launched today with its technology fully integrated in the new novel, The Power of Six, by Pittacus Lore, published by HarperCollins Children's Books. Working in collaboration with Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Park Road Post, and Full Fathom Five, Booktrack represents a first in the publishing and music industries and a new genre of entertainment: soundtracks for books.  

The company also announced its management team and investors—including Peter Thiel, the co-founder and former CEO of PayPal and a member of Facebook's board of directors who was Facebook's first external investor—as well as best-selling authors who will be collaborating with Booktrack.

Booktrack's synchronized soundtracks represent a new and important milestone in publishing that both increases entertainment value and boosts readers' engagement and imagination.  The company's proprietary technology automatically recognizes an individual's reading speed and paces the soundtrack with the corresponding text.

"It's difficult to imagine a movie with no soundtrack; yet, until today, the technology did not exist to synchronize music and sound within an ebook," said Paul Cameron, Booktrack's co-founder and CEO.  "Consider the reality of tens of millions of commuters around the world listening to a playlist that's disconnected from what they're reading —perhaps a sad song with an upbeat story. Instead, they can now instantly replicate a movie-like sound experience with Booktrack that fundamentally transforms their reading experience."

Readers can access Booktrack editions on many of their favorite devices by going to the Apple App Store and downloading The Power of Six and other ebooks powered by Booktrack on their iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch at http://goo.gl/rcD1r. Booktrack will be coming soon to Android and other devices. A product demo and video is available at http://www.booktrack.com.

In the coming weeks and months, Booktrack will publish a specially-curated compendium of short stories from some of the top authors in the world—every month consecutively for an entire year—starting in September with In the South by Salman Rushdie followed in October with the short story Solace by Jay McInerney. Booktrack will also release editions of many beloved classics, including titles such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Peter Pan, The Three Musketeers, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Romeo and Juliet and more.

The company is working with several of the biggest names in the music industry to produce Booktrack soundtracks including Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Park Road Post Production, whose Academy Award winning credits include The Lord of the Rings. The soundtrack for The Power of Six Booktrack edition, which includes more than 70 originally scored compositions, was produced under the direction of John Neill, the head of sound at Park Road Post. 

"It's always exciting to witness the creation of a new form of media," said Booktrack investor Peter Thiel. "Booktrack's technology promises to captivate readers in a way that will seem intuitive in hindsight, and compelling ever after."

Other initial investors in and advisors to Booktrack include Mark D'Arcy, Director of Global Creative Solutions at Facebook, and Derek Handley, CEO and Co-Founder of The Hyperfactory, who will also serve as Booktrack's Chairman.  The company has also received financial support from the Government of New Zealand's Ministry of Science and Innovation, and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), the government's national economic development agency. Booktrack is headquartered in New York City, with research and development in Auckland, New Zealand.

Along with Co-Founder and CEO Paul Cameron, Booktrack's management team includes Brooke Geahan, the founder of the high-profile author launchpad The Accompanied Literary Society, who will serve as Booktrack's VP of Publishing, and Mark Cameron, a company Co-Founder and inventor.

The company also unveiled a new and equitable business model whereby Booktrack and respective publishers share profits with participating authors, composers, and musicians.

"The technology is strong, and I admire what Booktrack is doing to spark the imagination of readers," said James Frey, founder of Full Fathom Five, the transmedia production company behind the New York Times #1 and international bestseller I Am Number Four. "Fans of Pittacus Lore have a lot to look forward to."

Booktrack also announced the results of research recently commissioned by Booktrack and conducted by Professor of Communications Liel Leibovitz at New York University. The study concluded that Booktrack's innovative technology provides a significant benefit in terms of increased, clarity, focus and retention of information over traditional ereading.

About Booktrack™:

Booktrack™ represents a new chapter in the evolution of storytelling, and an industry "first" in publishing, by creating synchronized soundtracks for ebooks that dramatically boost the reader's imagination and engagement.  The company's proprietary technology combines music, sound effects and ambient sound automatically paced to an individual's reading speed. Funded by investors including Peter Thiel, co-founder and former CEO of PayPal, and member of Facebook's board of directors -- and in partnership with major publishing houses, best-selling authors, and award-winning composers and musicians – Booktrack is already well on its way to creating a new genre of entertainment. Download Booktracks in the Apple App store for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.  

Booktrack™: Soundtracks for Books www.booktrack.com

SOURCE Booktrack