Digital Book World's opening ceremonies: Publishing Innovation Awards winners and photos of Fabio

Digital Book World's official opening cermonies Monday night in New York City included an announcement of the first Publishing Innovation Awards winners and photos of the romance novel cover boy Fabio. There were also cocktails.

Award winners were selected in five categories; three finalists in each had already been named. The work of the finalists that earned them the awards was not described, so many of the 600-plus people in the overfull ballroom at the Sheraton Towers were left wondering what made those ebooks and apps so special.

The winners were:

Fiction: "Dracula: The Official Stoker Family Edition," created by PadWorx Digital Media

Non-Fiction: Logos Bible Software, created by Logos Bible Software Inc.

Children's: "A Story Before Bed,"  created by Jackson Fish Marke

Reference: "Star Walk for iPad," created by Vito Technology Inc.

Comics: "Robot 13," created by Robot Comics

After the awards, which were straightforward and serious, there was an installment of the multiperson presentation series 7x20x21, which has been featured at the two most recent Book Expo America conferences. Each of seven presenters focused on telling a different story about ebooks, using just 20 PowerPoint slides. Sarah Wendell, from the popular romance novel blog Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, described her ideal "digital book boyfriend" as photos of Fabio flashed on the screen. Despite the multiple formats and multiple e-readers, she explained, she just wants to get at "what's under the clothes" -- not Fabio, but the text of the book. Which indeed might include someone who could be imagined as Fabio.

The event wrapped up with a name-that-audiobook game show presented by Audible.com.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Sarah Wendell presents at Digital Book World 2011. Credit: Carolyn Kellogg / Los Angeles Times