We recently contracted with a company to convert the Canadian version of our Teen
book to the ePub format to join its U.S. counterpart in the Apple iBookstore. In an
effort to save us money, the company did the conversion by ignoring the design
layout. “What’s the problem?” they asked. “All the words and pictures are there.”
“Yes, but they’re all in one long, continuous column. It’s boring” I replied.
When we did the book’s original layout we spent months – and thousands of dollars
– testing out different designs to see which one would capture the reader’s interest
and maintain it the longest. The point was not to figure a way to sell more books –
after all, no one would know how well the layout worked until after they had made
their purchase – it was all about engaging the reader. We don’t want readers to go
through the book, then put it down and forget it. We want them to get excited about
taking control of their lives; to stop being ripped off by unscrupulous marketers; to
figure out how to save for college, for a home, for a fun, comfortable retirement.
Whatever they want and need. That’s the point of our books; that’s what we’re both
passionate about. That’s why we do what we do.
I know that the material, especially the “Hero Stories” will captivate most of the
readers because the stories are very powerful. But, we want all readers to be
affected. Most, just isn’t good enough. No one has to be broke. No one has to live
paycheck to paycheck. No one has to stay awake at night worrying about their
finances. It’s not rocket science; in fact it’s relatively easy to start taking control.
In the information era, where there are websites, books, courses and videos
explaining what to do – many of them free – it’s almost inconceivable that people
have money issues. The problem is that content providers have failed to engage the
reader/viewer. That’s why the layout of our Teen series is so important to us,
because we know that it works. It engages the reader. It’s why Yale University and
Jr. Achievement Worldwide are just a few of the organizations that have called our
books the best in their field. And, that’s why the ePub converters were sent back to
the drawing board: it’s all about Engagement.