NEW YORK, June 12, 2018—Which Stephen King book should I read next?

For longtime fans of the bestselling novelist and for readers discovering Stephen King for the first time, the question can be a daunting one. However, starting today, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant users in the United States and Canada can download the free “Stephen King Library” onto their smart speaker platforms that will recommend Stephen King books, tailored to the users’ reading tastes. “Stephen King Library” is believed to be the first voice-activated book recommendation tool dedicated to an author’s body of work from a major publisher.

Offering recommendations from among fifty-six of Stephen King’s most beloved books, “Stephen King Library” will ask users a series of situational questions and suggest a reading list informed by their responses. For instance, a reader will be asked: “You are on a sinking ship, about to jump onto a life raft and can take only one thing with you. Do you take a telescope, a journal, or a sling shot?” Critically-acclaimed audio book narrator Jeremy Bobb is the voice of “Stephen King Library,” asking the questions that are enhanced with eerie music and sound effects, from the crackle of a campfire to the creak of a swinging door, creating a more immersive and entertaining user experience. Select titles include audio edition excerpts. Users can access bonus Stephen King content, too, from additional audio excerpts to fun facts, through wake phrases like, “Ask Stephen King Library about The Outsider.”  You can watch a demonstration of “Stephen King Library” for Amazon Alexa users here and Google Assistant users here.  

“Stephen King Library” is a joint production of Stephen King’s longtime publisher Scribner, Simon & Schuster, Inc., and Simon & Schuster Audio, and was developed for the publisher by Skilled Creative.

“Simon & Schuster intends to be at the forefront of utilizing Voice Interaction technology to connect books and authors to readers and audiobook listeners,” said Liz Perl, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Simon & Schuster, Inc. “Using A.I. through Stephen King Library is a fun and innovative experience for exploring this master storyteller’s work.”

“Scribner is always seeking new opportunities to introduce Stephen King’s work to readers,” added Roz Lippel, Vice President and Associate Publisher of Scribner. “Stephen King Library offers the growing community of smart speaker users an entertaining and interactive way to find their next Stephen King book.”

While “Stephen King Library” does not allow in-app purchase at this time, consumers can add any of the books recommended by “Stephen King Library” to their platform’s retail store shopping carts. The fifty-six books featured in “Stephen King Library” are publisher agnostic.

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About Simon & Schuster and Scribner

Simon & Schuster, a part of CBS Corporation, is a global leader in general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages, and in all printed, digital and audio formats. Its distinguished roster of authors includes many of the world’s most popular and widely recognized writers, and winners of the most prestigious literary honors and awards. It is home to numerous well-known imprints and divisions such as Simon & Schuster, Scribner, Atria Books, Gallery Books, Pocket Books, Touchstone, Adams Media, Threshold Editions, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and Simon & Schuster Audio and international companies in Australia, Canada, India and the United Kingdom, and proudly brings the works of its authors to readers in more than 200 countries and territories. For more information visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com

About Skilled Creative

Skilled Creative is a creative technology agency building best-in-class Voice Experiences, and other emergent technologies for their partners. With offices in NYC and Miami, the agency solves partners’ creative and business challenges through strategy, emerging technologies, and by providing unmatched innovation agility. Skilled Creative’s team is obsessive about finding the right creative technology solutions for their clients. Skilled Creative Technology services include Voice, Mobile Augmented Reality, Computer Vision, Custom Technology Builds, and beyond. For more information, visit www.skilledcreative.com. Follow Skilled Creative on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

06/12/18

Contact: Brian Belfiglio
V.P., Director of Publicity
Scribner
(212) 632-4945 or brian.belfiglio@simonandschuster.com

or

Jessica Wade Pfeffer
President
JWI PR
(305) 804-8424 or Jessica@JWIpr.com