I have to give Amazon credit for being willing to try new things. They don’t always work (Exhibit A: Kindle Vella), but they keep trying, which is undoubtedly a good thing.
Recently, while going through the publication process for a new title, I saw an option called “Add X-Ray.” I had never seen it before and didn’t know what it was, but a little poking around revealed that it’s a new feature from Amazon that “allows readers to learn more about a character, topic, event, place, or any other term, simply by pressing and holding on the word or phrase that interests them.” If an author decides to turn it on, X-Ray will automatically create entries from various sources, including – among other things – publicly available material, machine learning, and excerpts from the author’s book. Authors can review the entries, decide which ones to make available, and even add their own description/commentary. In essence, it seems like a new version of footnotes, but I can see where it might be helpful.
I’m not sure it’s evident, but there’s a decent amount of research involved in writing – at least for me. And even when I don’t have to research a topic that I’m personally familiar with, there’s always the question of how much my reading audience knows. For instance, in Smoked I make reference to the Mariana Trench – a term I first heard on a TV program when I was a kid; I’ve never forgotten what it was, but I doubt I’ve heard it more than a handful of times in my entire life. (It just doesn’t come up in everyday conversation.) That being the case, I had to think about whether to explain what it was in the book. As is often the case, I used my family as a barometer. My daughters had never heard of the Mariana Trench, but my younger son had and knew what it was. Going with those numbers, I was thinking maybe a third of the general public would know what it was. Pegging that number at a little higher for readers, I took a chance and decided not to offer an explanation in the book.
The point, of course, is that with the new X-Ray feature, I wouldn’t have had to be concerned about the knowledge level of my audience. Readers who knew the term could keep on reading; those who didn’t would have been find out about it without having to make a trip to the internet. It would be kind a of a win-win. (Just to be clear, though, I didn’t add X-Ray to Smoked; like I said, I didn’t know what it was initially, and at the time I was more focused on getting through the publication process.)
In retrospect, this new feature obviously has potential. However, using it will probably take away a certain level of character interaction, like when Mouse is explaining things to Jim in the Kid Sensation books. Bearing that in mind,I’m not sure how often I’ll make use of it, if at all. Still, it’s nice to have the option.
In other news, I’m still working on Kid Sensation #10 (but currently can’t confirm a completion date). That said, I’m trying to get it done as quickly as posisble. In the meantime, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and – as always – thanks for your support!