Exploring Transmedia in Indie Publishing
In the September 2022 issue, I wrote an article about transmedia and how indie authors have the opportunity to capitalize on its facets. Transmedia, at its core, focuses on ways to deepen the relationship you have with your current readers and form new ones. As Jim Wilbourne explains, “Transmedia is taking a core story or core world that your story is built in and then expanding it into different types of media so that different readers or different viewers can experience your world but a different story or experience within that world.”
Imagine my surprise when my brilliant daughter, who edited and polished most of the videos for the recent Author Tech Summit, remarked that hosting the summit, and managing its sister site, indieauthortools.com, was a form of transmedia for us as a magazine.
And she’s right. The magazine is our core work; it’s what we feel is our hub. Each month we publish more than two dozen articles digitally, in print, via e-book, on our apps, and in a podcast.
The Author Tech Summit reached a new audience, and it seemed to have struck a chord. More than three-fourths of the 712 participants were new to us, and nearly all of them were new to Indie Author Tools.
By our metrics, that’s a successful case study of the power of transmedia in action. We expanded our core audience, and we also introduced our existing readership to something else we offer.
It’s always gratifying to see something you’ve written about come to fruition. Now it’s your turn—have you implemented something you’ve read about in IAM? Email me and let me know!
To Your Success,
Chelle
Chelle Honiker, Publisher & Co-Founder
Indie Author Magazine
