Recently, we've picked up on numerous examples of publishers becoming more experimental in their methods (see Starlay, A Clockwork Orange, The Silent History) and A Tale For The Time Being is the latest addition to the list.

Canongate Books have collaborated with creative agency, Big Active to make an interactive front cover to the latest novel from Ruth Ozeki. Blippar technology has been employed to enable users to view the physical book cover through their iPad or smartphone and access an animation and links to extra materials. A Tale For The Time Being will be released as a hardback, paperback, ebook, and audiobook with the same animation and design being used across all formats and advertising platforms to afford the book a strong brand identity.

By incorporating the benefits of digital and online content into a traditional object, A Tale For The Time Being presents itself as a clever way of helping to preserve the good old-fashioned book whilst embracing new technologies and reacting to changes in consumption of the written word.

The book will be available from 11th March.