Margaret Atwood, Michael Chabon, Neil Gaiman, Erica Jong, Mark Jeffrey, Peter Meyers, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Gena Showalter, and Svetlana Chmakova to participate in industry-changing demonstrations of iDoLVine's online virtualized book tour at Book Expo America 2011.

NEW YORK — In an event that will attract interested crowds at Book Expo America, nine bestselling authors will help demonstrate a new technology which virtualizes the book tour online for authors and their readers on May 24 and 25. iDoLVine's patent-pending technology makes possible the only authentic, verifiable, personalized autograph and live face-to-face author/reader experience online, and promises to change the way tours are managed. Readers and authors, without leaving their respective homes, can meet face-to-face on the Internet, and authors can authentically autograph an e-book or memento - as well as a paper book, when iDoLVine LiveSign™ is combined with print-on-demand technologies. 

“We are thrilled that so many authors are helping to demonstrate iDoLVine at BEA,” said Matthew Gibson, President & Co-Founder of iDoLVine Inc. “Our new virtualized book tour and digital autographing platform expands the possibilities for fans, publishers, authors, eTailers and bookstores, large and small, in any location.” Gibson also shared,  “It has been difficult to keep this a secret after it has started to buzz around the publishing community so much.”

iDoLVine virtualizes the book tour and autographing session 

iDoLVine’s technology allows authors to personally autograph e-books and other memorabilia across the Internet. Authors can sign and personalize for their loyal readers in a virtualized event environment and interact with fans onscreen from the security of their homes, greatly reducing the expense and time constraints of physical book tours.

“The ability to reach out to more readers personally while expanding the traditional tour is very appealing to most of the authors I know,” said Margaret Atwood, one of the authors participating in the demonstration at BEA.

“I find it more exciting with each viewing,” agreed Brent Lewis, EVP at Harlequin, a company participating in the demonstration with popular author Gena Showalter.

Authentic remote signing is only one element of a virtual platform that emulates the entire tour, including a pre-event gathering place for readers, author-to-fan meeting via live video on the Internet, and a virtualized stage that makes it truly engaging.

“Virtual events are growing throughout many sectors of the business world, and iDoLVine’s cutting-edge technology now brings these new opportunities directly to authors, publishers, and retailers,” said David "Skip" Prichard, President and CEO of Ingram Content Group Inc. “Ingram Content Group is pleased to host the iDoLVine LiveSign™ demos in our booth at BEA, where our customers and publishing partners can learn more about this innovative platform to reach more readers.”

Nine authors will demonstrate iDoLVine

At the BEA event, authors will join from LA and Toronto, with the remaining authors broadcasting from the iDoLVine booth (#5032) on the BEA show floor in New York. The event is designed to offer a "sneak peek” at the unique platform, with a full launch in the fall of 2011. Authors in live attendance at the show will mingle with fans at the Ingram booth (#4338) after the events. For a schedule of events and authors from many genres, and to view the live web streamed and archived events visit http://idolvine.com.

“This is a brilliant system, it’s the next evolutionary step of the author/fan experience in our digital age. The possibilities here for improving and adding to said experience are mind-blowing--I could show my messy drawing desk to people, I could actually be awake and bushy-tailed instead of travel-worn… So very excited!!”, effused Svetlana Chmakova, bestselling Manga author.

Authors include:

• Neil Gaiman, Harper Collins’ bestselling author of American Gods, Anansi Boys, and Coraline
• Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon, author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) and The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, winner of Hugo, Sidewise and Nebula awards, published by Harper Collins
• Margaret Atwood, celebrated author of many books including The Handmaid’s Tale, The Blind Assassin, and The Year of the Flood signing covers of her forthcoming books In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination, published by McClelland and Stewart Signal Editions (Canada), Nan A. Talese/Doubleday (U.S.) and Virago (U.K.) and Wandering Wenda, published by McArthur & Company
• Harlequin’s New York Times bestselling author, Gena Showalter, author of The Darkest Secret, Lord of the Vampires, Twisted and Dating the Undead
• Harper Collins presents Erica Jong, popular author of 21 books, including Sappho’s Leap and Fear of Flying, signing covers of her new book Sugar in my Bowl
• Bryan Lee O'Malley, of www.radiomaru.com and graphic novelist, New York Times bestseller, and creator of the critically acclaimed Scott Pilgrim series will be signing “Scott Pilgram’s Precious Little Life” published by Oni Press
• Manga author Svetlana Chmakova, recently on the New York Times bestseller list with Nightschool published by Yen Press/Hachette Book Group and currently adapting James Patterson’s bestselling Witch & Wizard
• Technology author Peter Meyers, signing the cover of O’Reilly Media’s Best iPad Apps at  http://oreilly.com/catalog/0636920010944/
• Mark Jeffrey will sign covers of his young adult novel Max Quick: The Pocket and the Pendant published by Harper Collins

Participating Publishers Include:

Random House Canada

Harlequin

McClelland and Stewart Signal Editions (Canada)

Nan A. Talese/Doubleday

Random House (U.S.)

Virago (U.K.)

McArthur & Co.

O’Reilly Media

Harper Collins

iDoLVine provides an authentic, personalized signature

The advanced technology authentically reproduces a live signature on any object or e-object—from DRM-protected e-books to hardcover books—capturing all the unique aspects of handwriting and signatures. For e-books, suppliers can securely add the personalized, authentic signature before forwarding to etailers for delivery to customers.

Readers can also select real pen and ink signatures on paper books or other flat objects such as photos. Whether paper or “e”, the signature creates a one-off,a personalized souvenir, authentic and impossible to reproduce.

Kim McArthur, President & Publisher of McArthur & Company and an early investor in LongPen said, “We are enormously excited at the prospect of Margaret Atwood signing digital covers of her upcoming children's title Wandering Wenda on May 25 in the Ingram booth at BEA and we look forward to seeing booksellers and media there”.

Social Community of iDoLVine

A small social iDoLVine community site is currently available with many categories and “channels” already active. For information and free membership see http://iDoLVine.com.  This site will add channels and capabilities through the summer, with Beta and final testing leading up to a fall launch. Members who join now will be recognized as VIP Beta members, and will enjoy special privileges after the launch. The social environment currently online is not the final launch iteration.

“We wanted a place where early enthusiasts, especially authors, publishers and fans could join, mingle, test, and be part of the development of the final platform,” said Mr. Gibson.