Story First — Publishing Narrative Long-Form Journalism in Digital Environments

Story First

Maria Lassila-Merisalo, PhDPUCRS

2.10.2014

Maria Lassila-Merisalo ● @Maria_L_M ● www.linkedin.com/in/marialm

The Study

• What happens when a long, narrative story is taken from print into digital and mobile environment?• Materials: The Atavist and Long Play

plus a survey of six practitioners (Finland, Denmark, UK, Italy, US)



The Atavist



audio clip

photo

audio book

music

+ timetables,maps etc.

extras


Double-Edged Sword

• Versatile media elements add to the AUTHENTICITY of the story and can also increase IMMERSION — but only to a certain point!

• “Certainly in the last two years we’ve seen publishers using lots of features at once because they could, rather than because they should...”


”From the first moment, with the snow sweeping across the screen in the header gif, to each interactive element, it has the feel of a feature film -- in that the reader is just totally swept up in the story and it feels less like an article than an experience.”


”…The popularity of Snowfall was mostly responsible.”

Finding the Balance

• John Jeremiah Sullivan: The Ballad of Geeshie and Elvie (The New York Times Magazine, 13.4.2014)

• Multimedia elements (too) must be deliberate and always support the story!


http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/04/13/magazine/blues.html?_r=0



More Important than Video and Audio

• accessibility (mobile technology, universality)• being present where the readers are (social

media)• shareability, recommendability (social media)• interactivity (reader comments)


Revenue Logic

• “-- it's just really hard to grow a big business on things you sell for $2–4 per month, as I think anyone would agree.” (Evan Ratliff, The Atavist)


Additional Revenue Streams

• subscription model (vs. selling individual stories)

• ads (not so much in the story / pop-up windows, but through eg. sponsorships)

• renting the software to customers (Atavist → Creatavist)

• consulting (eg. actors in the third sector, companies…)


http://www.thinreads.com/content/section/108/warby_parker_becomes_first_e-book_single_advertiser_with_sponsorship_of_coronado_high

https://www.creatavist.com/

Additional Revenue Streams

• organizing events (conferences, literature events, Zetland Live etc.)

• content agency (Narratively Creative Group)• residual rights (stories into movies, books, TV

shows etc.)


http://www.zetland.dk/live-2/

http://narrative.ly/creative-group/

Thank you!

• Essay: Story First — Publishing Narrative Long-Form Journalism in Digital Environments

• These slides on SlideShare• LinkedIn:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/marialm• Twitter: @Maria_L_M• [email protected]


http://aejmcmagazine.arizona.edu/Journal/Summer2014/LassilaMerisalo.pdf








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Presentations & Public Speaking

Story First — Publishing Narrative Long-Form Journalism in Digital Environments