;)
The Bakersfield Californian has released its second e-book, Louis Amestoy's "Being Basque in Bakersfield."
The book shares a newcomer's observations about connecting with Bakersfield's large and vibrant Basque community. Amestoy, The Californian's digital convergence manager, is of Basque heritage but had little contact with the culture until moving to Bakersfield in January.
Amestoy uses the 40th annual Kern County Basque Festival to not only unpeal many layers of Basque culture and history but to discover deeper personal connections "centered around language,;)
A sample chapter from "Being Basque in Bakersfield." ritual and family."
The iPad version of "Being Basque" features 12 videos and 109 colorful photos, many of them showing Basque sports, dances and games. Editions for Kindle and Nook are coming soon but won't feature all the multimedia. All versions will retail for $4.99.
"Being Basque" comes on the heels of The Californian's first e-book, "March Meet: "Bakersfield's Love Affair With Speed, Nitro & Good Times." Amestoy played a key role in that book as well, leading production and videography, and sharing in the writing and photography. ;)
Among the book's 12 videos is this one capturing traditional Basque singing."
We consider e-books a great way to reach new audiences, and have more releases on a wide variety of topics in the pipeline for the rest of the year. Some will be loaded with multimedia, others taking more traditional approaches to book publishing. Stay tuned for details.