Insta Novels: Bringing Classic Literature to Instagram Stories

 

Insta Novels

Introducing Insta Novels, a reimagining of Instagram Stories to provide a new platform for iconic stories.

Insta Novels launched today on the Library's Instagram account (@nypl) with Part 1 of a newly digitized version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. The novel is illustrated by well-known designer Magoz (@magoz).

Insta Novels - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

In the coming months, look for two other literary works that will be released on the Library's Instagram account: "The Yellow Wallpaper," a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman illustrated by Buck (@buck_design) and The Metamorphosis, a novella by Franz Kafka illustrated by César Pelizer (@cesarpelizer).

The New York Public Library joined forces with the independent advertising and creative agency, Mother in New York, to create Insta Novels. The program aims to make great stories available even more widely.

How It Works

Insta Novels Highlights

First, go to the Library's Instagram account (@nypl) and tap Part 1 of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in the Highlights section, right under the bio.

Rest your thumb on lower right part of the screen to hold the page, and lift your thumb to turn the page. (The lower right thumb holder is designed to double as a flip book: if you lift your thumb and let the pages flip, you'll see an animation.)

As more stories are added, the NYPL Instagram account's Highlights will turn into a digital bookshelf.

Read More on SimplyE from The New York Public Library

 The three books coming to Insta Novels are also available on SimplyE, The New York Public Library's free e-reader app, available on the App Store or Google Play.

Anyone can browse classic titles, including Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, "The Yellow Wallpaper," and The Metamorphosis in the SimplyE Collection in the app. Those eligible for library cards from The New York Public Library can also access 300,000+ e-books, from bestsellers to classics, by connecting to NYPL in the app.

Other Ways to Read the Stories

There are many ways to read or listen to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, "The Yellow Wallpaper," and The Metamorphosis. Anyone can access the full text of the stories on the Project Gutenberg website. NYPL cardholders can check out the books and audiobooks via the NYPL catalog. Also, you can find the stories by searching the online catalog of NYPL's Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library.

Insta Novels - The Yellow Wallpaper

 

Insta Novels

 

Comments

Patron-generated content represents the views and interpretations of the patron, not necessarily those of The New York Public Library. For more information see NYPL's Website Terms and Conditions.

Hello, I came across your

Hello, I came across your Insta-Stories and I think the idea and implementation is great. Many thanks for that! I'm curious to see how the other books are illustrated. Kind regards from Hamburg / Germany

Can't wait to hear more

Hi! I listen to the podcast and follow you on Instagram, but I missed the new delivery on these Insta books! I'm so glad the podcast mentioned them, I've just started to give them a try. The design is really great. I hope you share more about how they're received/used by the public (I work for a library and love this data.) It's great to see you leading the way on sharing content in new mediums.

Love this so much!!! However

Love this so much!!! However the thumb button in the lower right corner is probably not as accessible for left handed people holding their phone with one hand only.