1889 Labs Aims to Reinvent Publishing with Interactive, Community-driven Web Site

Feb. 2, 2010 - PRLog -- Victoria, British Columbia – Canadian writer MCM's web site http://1889.ca offers readers more than books. Visitors can participate in livewritten stories, unlock hints about future releases, and chat with the author and other readers. Victoria Times Colonist reporter Adrian Chamberlain wrote, “I have seen the future of books, and it is Victoria’s [MCM].”

At the heart of the 1889 Labs' site is the interactive console. After creating an account, visitors can earn points to uncover clues about upcoming titles, earn badges, receive discounts for the purchase of MCM's books, and order a custom short story. The console integrates with Twitter, through which MCM (@1889ca) and many of his readers correspond. 1889 Labs-related tweets, comments on blog posts, and announcements provide a continuous stream of information on the console.

The console will be an integral part of MCM's upcoming livewriting projects, which are novels written in real-time over two or three days. Two of his 2009 releases, Typhoon and The New Real, were livewritten. MCM posed questions to the readers, who answered via Twitter. The answers became part of the story. The “interactivity of the web makes it so much more interesting to write,” MCM said. “Writing is a dialogue, and the fewer delay mechanisms we have between the author and the audience, the better.”

MCM's 13 books are the foundation of the 1889 Labs' web site. The stories range from the sci-fi thriller The Vector, to the humorous crime noir Fission Chips, to illustrated children's stories like The Pig and the Box. All may be read for free on the site, and versions in a variety of eBook formats may be purchased. Printed editions of The Vector are also available.

For additional information on the 1889 Labs web site, contact MCM or visit http://1889.ca

ABOUT 1889 LABS – 1889 Labs is the brainchild of MCM, writer, programmer, and creator of the animated TV series “RollBots.” He writes and illustrates books for adults and children. MCM's support of open source software and Creative Commons licensing shines through in The Pig and the Box, which free software crusader Richard Stallman praised as an anti-DRM parable.

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1889 Labs is the brainchild of MCM, writer, programmer, and creator of the animated TV series “RollBots.” He writes and illustrates books for adults and children. Twenty titles are available at the 1889 Labs web site, http://1889.ca