Have you heard of Smories? No, not s’mores, the campfire treat of roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers. Smories is a website showcasing videos of children reading aloud original stories.
www.smories.com, created by Lisa Swerling and Ralph Lazar, made its debut early this year. As the stories are read, the words appear on the screen. Since there are no illustrations, readers can use their imaginations to create their own pictures in their minds.
The online storytelling is a cute concept. Children are captivated by real-life videos, especially of other children. They enjoy seeing their peers on film. YouTube, a video-sharing website, has captivated audiences of all ages. But Lisa and Ralph decided to provide a better alternative for children.
Embracing Technology
Since technology isn’t going away, I decided to embrace it and be one of the first to get on board and participate in the newest concept in children’s publishing. I chose to submit, “Running Boy,” my only rhyming story, which is fast pace and easy to read.
Rhyming stories are difficult to sell (unless you are a master rhymer), but I could not let this story go to my dormant file because of my passion for running. See http://www.smories.com/watch/running-boy/. My quest is to instill in the hearts of children the love of running.
The Advantages of Smories
Smories is a great place to test your story. With Smories, you can listen to your story being read by children. It’s a lot different than reading it yourself. It opens up your mind to possible changes to your story to make it even better. The other great thing is that you retain all rights. This means you can withdraw your story from the site at any time.
Having your story and byline on the website is a great promotional tool. If readers like your story, they will be more inclined to look you up and see what other stories you have in print. I’ve had people ask me if they can purchase my book. Unfortunately, I don’t have it in print. But if I create enough buzz, perhaps I can create a good fan base for upcoming book deals. Creating buzz is good practice for marketing future projects. It doesn’t hurt to plan ahead. It also doesn’t hurt to try something new.
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| Smories Readers |
Please watch my video story at
http://www.smories.com/watch/running-boy/ and spread the word. Help me instill in the hearts of children the love of running…and reading!
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