Personalized Publishing from Harper Collins

Saw this interesting news bit over at the Knight Agency blog.

After almost 100 years in publishing Harper Collins is introducing a change to their Children’s division which will alter the future of the way our nation’s youth reads. Do you remember reading about your favorite character and wishing you could be right there beside him/her? Well, the day has finally arrived, and for parents and children alike, the wait is over.

HarperCollins Children’s division has recently announced their partnership with Penwizard in an effort to make personalized children’s books available to the masses. This opportunity will allow children to see themselves in an interactive role, right beside the action with their favorite characters.

HarperCollins is very proud to be the first major publisher entering into this new venture which will change the face of “personalized publishing”. Amanda Ridout from HarperCollins said: "As part of our ongoing commitment to expanding the boundaries of traditional publishing we are proud to be first to market with a leap forward in personalized publishing."

In my opinion this is a brilliant marketing move. What better way to not only encourage children to read, but also offer huge marketing potential to a variety of debut and established authors? HC’s research and marketing teams seem to really be putting themselves in the shoes of their intended audience. I know that if I had found my name in a book with a favorite character when I was younger, it would surely encourage me to fly through pages to see what happens at the end to “me” and my new friends!

So holler out everyone, what are your thoughts? Do you see this as a good move for HarperCollins? Would it be something you’d be interested in giving to a child?