M. Night Shyamalan floats book on Amazon

The Amazon Fishbowl isn’t the only streaming action going on at the massive e-tailer (hey, isn’t that word sooooo 1999?). Last night, we stumbled across a short film on the site’s home page by creepy American Express pitchman M. Night Shyamalan in which he reads passages from his first children’s book, Lady in the Water. (The video is no longer on the home page, but you can access it here.) Shyamalan says the book is about “they myth of your backyard” and the mysterious things that might go on back there. As book marketing goes, this is a marvelous idea. It brings a book to life in a way that 15-second TV commercials never could. (And TV is reserved for only a small group of titles anyhow.) In the Shyamalan film, the author’s reading is interspersed with commentary about why he wrote the book, and it often cuts to shots that linger over the book’s illustrations. Rarely do you see books given such loving treatment. It’s sure to boost sales.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

June 14, 2006 | Permalink