From time to time I come across books and magazines that include some type of interactivity. Typically, these include foldout pages of plans, maps or information. These types of books fascinate me! It is exciting to unfold pages and look at the extra information provided by authors.

Apple iBooks often have interactivty such as videos, images and even audio recordings. However, interactivity in books has existing for hundreds of years.

Back in the age of hand-bound books, it was probably not difficult to insert foldout pages or special items into a book. Many books of the middle ages were lavishly decorated, and books were as much art as writing. Today, though, it can be more challenging because the methods used to print books have changed significantly.

It is easy and inexpensive to print books on Amazon’s CreateSpace or Lulu. Both platforms provide tutorials, setup wizards and sales opportunities. However, the ease and inexpensiveness is due to automation. Everything about traditional book printing is done by machines, from printing the pages to binding the pages (paperback or hardbound).

Books with custom inserts or special pages still require extra effort, but the results are usually worth the price. Below are a few books with foldouts and inserts.

You can sometimes find magazines with foldouts. While browsing at Barnes and Nobles today, I found a knitting magazine with a multi-page foldout pattern, a yoga magazine with postcards pasted in one section and the issue of National Geographic pictured below.

In the next few posts I am going to share some ideas of how to add interactivity into your journals. These ideas will work for any type of journal including pocket notebooks (which you carry all the time, right?), bullet journals, planners and art journals.