Chain Novels

Random House and Borders Release ‘AirBorne,' A Crowd-Sourced Thriller

Random House and Borders Australia are turning a new page in literary innovation with the introduction of what they’re calling the world’s first ‘chain novel.’ Based on a concept by Pandora which used WEbook to create a community-sourced thriller, the chain novel will combine the stories of 28 contest winners to be part of a 30-chapter book, AirBorne, the first and last of which will be written by a 29th author, James Patterson.

The concept is similar to the game many people played as children where you go around in a circle, taking turns creating the next sentence in a group story.

To add to the novelty of AirBorne, the chain novel will be released one chapter at a time to keep readers in suspense. The first chapter will be released online on March 20.

Chain Novels
Opportunity for publishers to leverage community-sourced content and release content in an innovative way by releasing a chapter at a time.
Crowd-sourcing Collaboration
Opportunity for companies to collaborate with their audience and create innovative products through crowd-sourcing.
Interactive Storytelling
Opportunity for companies to engage their audience through interactive storytelling and keep them engaged through suspenseful releases.

Sectors Adopting This

Publishing
Opportunity for publishers to leverage community-sourced content and release content in an innovative way by releasing a chapter at a time.
Media and Entertainment
Opportunity for media and entertainment companies to create innovative content that engages their audience through interactive storytelling and suspenseful releases.
Technology
Opportunity for technology companies to create platforms that enable crowd-sourced collaborative storytelling.
SCORE
2.7 out of 10
GENDER
50% Men50% Women
MARKETTop markets: North America, Europe
GENERATION
  • Gen Z
  • Gen Alpha
  • Gen X
  • Millennial (primary audience)
POPULARITY
Popularity 19%
Activity 53%
Freshness 8%

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