VidLit [insert TradeMark symbol here, if you've got one handy; I don't] first came to my attention with its promotional animation for YIDDISH WITH DICK AND JANE; the book has been (I’ll say, without any actual data in hand–perhaps someone else can help?) a terrific success, and it sounds like significant credit for this success goes to the VidLit promotion–and to Little, Brown’s marketing department, for its out-of-the-box thinking.

More recently MJ Rose brought to our attention two new VidLit creations: one for a business-y book called HOUSE OF LIES (Warner Business Books)–which has the wonderful subtitle “How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and then Tell You the Time”–and another for Bertice Berry’s novel WHEN LOVE CALLS YOU BETTER ANSWER (Broadway Books) (a comedy, I take it, from the animation), both of which are totally engaging.

There’s more to be said about VidLit–preferably by people who actually know something about it/them; and nobody’s saying this is right for every book–

[Though I confess the thought of what they might come up with for Kathryn Harrison's THE KISS does give me a perverse thrill]

–but THIS STUFF IS COOL! FUNNY! CREATIVE! CHECK IT OUT!

ALL YOU PUBLISHING MO-FOs ESPECIALLY–THIS STUFF IS GOOD! CHECK IT OUT! (And if you’re NOT a publishing mo-fo, but know someone who is, please forward this along. It’s easy: at the bottom of this post there’s the universal “email-a-friend” back-of-an-envelope logo. Click on that icon, and go from there.)

DISCLAIMER
Now: when I say “the future is VidLit,” I don’t necessarily mean VidLit per se, and/or VidLit exclusively. The proprietors of VidLit may, for all I know, be corrupt, foul-mouthed exploiters of Third World labor; and/or producers of what Judith Regan refers to as “smart sex” (otherwise known as “pornography”); and/or played some scurrilous role in the “Swift Boat Vets for Bush” campaign (in which case they’d know Carl Rove’s secret handshake)… So we’re not necessarily giving them any humanitarian awards at this point in time–we’re just saying we like their stuff.

Furthermore, VidLit may be but one of several deserving wearers of the “the future is” mantle: surely there others out there doing similarly original and exciting work–like JibJab, perhaps? creators of “This Land,” the most singularly, and hilariously, nonpartisan skewering of our two most recent political candidates–

Hey, JibJab–you given any thought to book promotions? Don’t forget–publishers are cheap sons-a-bitches…

Well: there’s good stuff going on out there; whether it costs a fortune or not I don’t know; but everybody should CHECK IT OUT!

P.S. The VidLit fine-print says these demos won’t perform properly on dial-up; they worked OK from my dial-up line, they were just a little slow to load. Be patient; it’s worth it.