“Stephen King Library” for Smart Speakers Wins the Digital Book World Alexa Skill of the Year for Storytelling

“Stephen King Library,” a smart speaker skill that helps readers and users of smart speaker platforms determine which Stephen King book they should read next, has been awarded the Digital Book World Alexa Skill of the Year Award for Storytelling. News of the award was announced after a January 15 presentation at the 2019 Alexa Conference, held in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

“Stephen King Library,” believed to be the first voice-activated book recommendation tool dedicated to an author’s body of work from a major publisher, 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.

Offering recommendations from among fifty-six of Stephen King’s most beloved books, “Stephen King Library” asks users a series of situational questions and suggests a reading list informed by their responses.  The questions are enhanced with eerie music and sound effects, creating a more immersive and entertaining user experience.  Select titles also include audiobook excerpts and users can access bonus Stephen King content, from additional audio excerpts to fun facts and use wake phrases.

“We are thrilled to have won this honor for ‘Stephen King Library,’” said Liz Perl, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Simon & Schuster, Inc. “As smart speaker platforms and voice interaction explode, we are determined to keep mining and refining this user-friendly technology to connect readers and listeners to books and authors.”

Roz Lippel, Vice President and Associate Publisher of Scribner added “With Stephen King Library we endeavored to make an entertaining, interactive and informative way for dedicated fans and casual readers to find their next Stephen King book. We are grateful to the Alexa Awards for recognizing our efforts to bring the world of Stephen King to smart speaker universe.”

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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, Adams Media, 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.