Second Life Book Fair • 20 April 2007 • The SnowBlog

Second Life Book Fair

          

Following our recent adventures at the very real London Book Fair, this weekend Snowbooks is a proud participant in the first and very virtual Second Life Book Fair.

Taking place in the Publishers' Village in Wallaby, the inaugural SLBF includes everything you'd expect at a book fair - publishers stands, seminars, events, meetings and perhaps even a few deals.

If you're not an SL user, but are still interested in what we're up to in there, read the article from this week's Bookseller that appears after the jump... From The Bookseller:

Those who were disappointed that LBF 2007 had to close its doors on Wednesday may like to take up an offer from Vision. The publisher is inviting LBF attendees to a virtual online book fair this weekend.

Vision is hosting the Second Life Book Fair (SLBF) on the 3-D website Second Life from 12 p.m. today (20th April) to 9 p.m. on Sunday (22nd April). Forty publishers have signed up, including Bantam Doubleday Dell, Penguin and UK indie Snowbooks.

Second Life is an online, interactive virtual world that has grown to almost 5.5 million users. Vision joined Second Life in January, opening up an office and store. Five weeks ago it built a publishing village, with other publishers including Summersdale and Arcadia becoming members.

Sheena Dewan, Vision m.d., said: "The model of the SLBF is more akin to [France's] Salon du Livre, a public exhibition. But deals will get done." Vision has bought world rights to a guide for Second Life. How To Get a Second Life will be written by "Madddyyy Schnook" and will be published through Vision's Fusion Press imprint in autumn 2007.

Schnook is the avatar of Liverpudlian Andy Sullivan, who gave up a 60,000-a-year sales and marketing job to write and publish e-books exclusively through the site. Since starting in January 2006 he has sold more than 100,000 e-books. Dewan added: "Madddyyy is an established Second
Life brand and we're really excited to bring him into the real world."

Snowbooks has had a Second Life store for about a year. Publisher James Bridle said: "It's an excellent way of marketing to people who are interested in reading but perhaps not all that interested in books."