Penguin and Starz Amp Up ‘The Pillars of the Earth’

Penguin and Starz launched the Amplified Edition of Ken Follett’s international bestselling novel “The Pillars of the Earth.” The Amplified Edition of “The Pillars of the Earth” showcases striking video clips, beautiful art and original music from the upcoming, critically acclaimed Starz Originals 8-hour epic television event based on the book.

This visually stunning Amplified Edition of “The Pillars of the Earth” offers a rich and immersive way to read, watch and listen to Ken Follett’s beloved story. The Amplified Edition showcases exclusive videos with the author about his research and the process of bringing his book to the screen, and an innovative Character Tree that provides a remarkable aid to keeping the story’s myriad characters straight, yet prevents plot spoilers.

Available today for $12.99, this Amplified Edition of “The Pillars of the Earth” gives iPad users the opportunity to read the novel and watch key scenes and images from the event series in tandem over the course of Starz’ U.S. broadcast of the star-filled program.

Updates will occur repeatedly while the TV series airs so that consumers who purchase the Amplified Edition will have a dynamic user experience that complements the story and the viewing experience of the 8-part series.

The Amplified Edition of “The Pillars of the Earth,” optimized for the iPhone and iPod Touch, will also be available later this week.

Unique and exclusive features and content to “The Pillars of the Earth” amplified electronic book include:

  --  An interactive Character Tree, housed in a virtual stained glass
      window, grows as characters are introduced in the book, allowing the
      reader to learn more about the selected characters and their
      corresponding relationships. As the story progresses, the stained
      glass window becomes more intricate and reveals more and more about
      the characters.
  --  Contextual video footage and still images are carefully blended into
      the eBook from the corresponding section of the Starz series, so
      readers can choose to watch beautiful clips of cathedrals, horses and
      men in shining armor while inside the eBook. Or if they prefer, they
      can watch clips as well as longer scenes in another section of the
      Amplified Edition.
  --  Ken Follett's Multimedia Diary, which is the author's on-set
      impressions of the process of bringing "The Pillars of the Earth" from
      page to screen.
  --  Behind-the-scenes insights into the making of the event series,
      looking at how the filmmakers captured Follett's vision and created
      the medieval world of "The Pillars of the Earth," including interviews
      with the actors, director and producers.
  --  A Listening Lounge features music - including hymns, soundtrack
      themes, and battlefield scene scores - from the Starz Originals
      series.
  --  A sneak preview of Ken Follett's next book coming this fall.

“Starz approached Penguin with the idea of leveraging Starz Digital Media division’s capabilities and jointly developing an iPad application that would both highlight the upcoming epic original with a terrific new business opportunity for selling more books electronically,” Ferrell McDonald, senior vice president, marketing for Starz Entertainment said. “We believe that this application will be a model for such cross-media partnerships and is a terrific showcase for the more than 3 million iPad users in the marketplace.”

“The Amplified Edition is the next step in Penguin Group (USA)’s ongoing efforts to take advantage of new technology to bring writers to readers in ways they have never experienced before,” Molly Barton, Director, Business Development, Penguin Group (USA), commented. “We are delighted to bring fans this thoughtful and exciting blend of imagery and artistry inspired by master storyteller Ken Follett.”