RALEIGH, N.C. and BOISE, Idaho, Nov. 15, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Open publisher Lulu.com today announced it will pledge $30,000 to BookLamp's "The Game of Books" kickstarter campaign, designed to bring the joys of reading to a new generation. The contribution amounts to almost a third of the campaign's fundraising target, and Lulu hopes to encourage others to also support the innovative use of gaming and technology to promote reading.
The public face of the massive Book Genome Project, BookLamp is building The Game of Books as an app, a digital card game, and a way to promote young adult reading in schools and libraries across the country. It combines elements of Foursquare with Xbox Live-style gamer achievements (such as badges) to encourage social reading.
The blend of new tools and timeless thrills is exactly what attracted Lulu, a pioneer in self-publishing since 2002.
"Lulu continues to look for ways to move the publishing industry in new directions," says the company's marketing chief Brian Matthews. "The means of finding new books today is relatively limited: the media, word of mouth and bookstores. The Game of Books and the Book Genome Project add an engaging new element. Gamification becomes a way to discover books you just might love and to connect with a new generation."
Matthews adds that while The Game of Books should spur more reading in the long run, in the short term he hopes book lovers of all kinds -- from corporations to individuals -- will help write a happy, successful ending to the Kickstarter campaign (closing Dec. 17).
For more information, please contact pr@lulu.com.
About Lulu.com
Lulu.com helps all kinds of people and organizations share stories, knowledge, experiences and passions through words and pictures. Since 2002, millions around the world have used Lulu.com's pioneering open publishing tools to create, distribute and often sell quality, customized books, eBooks, photo books, calendars and more. With technology offering more ways than ever to share, Lulu.com continues to innovate with interactive multi-media solutions. Whether it's fiction or photos, unique gifts or personal milestones, memoirs or thought leadership, Lulu.com is the place to tell your story.
About BookLamp
BookLamp is a publishing technology company powered by the Book Genome Project, which uses the DNA of language to explore the world of books. BookLamp uses computer-based modeling to compare books and manuscripts based on their thematic makeup, character prevalence, and language elements. This provides fingerprinting and "place in the universe" information for authors, trend and market targeting for publishers, and the next generation of book discovery for readers. We aim to be the best in the world at applying science to the written word, to share the knowledge we gain from that passion, and to be an ally to publishers in an industry where technology has been a double-edged sword. Connect with us digitally at Facebook.com/BookLamp , Twitter.com/BookLamp, or BookLamp.org.
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