Making the leap from printed page to digital screen is still an experience in its infancy. Fueled by new apps for the iPhone and propelled by Oprah’s love of the Kindle, more and more people are trading in their paper books for digital versions. But other than a lighter briefcase, the advantages are hard to see and sometimes till tough to sell. A recent New York Times story about a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and a handful of other elopers has a great “value added” idea that may move the idea from the fringe to the mainstream.

The group, with Bradley Inman at the fore, is working to elop video content integrated into e-books that will make them more compelling and more competitive with other forms of online entertainment.

Sara Nelson, the former editor-in-chief of Publishers Weekly, comments in the piece that video would need to be skillfully woven into a story to be truly successful – and I agree. Supplemental material, like video interviews with the author, video shorts, or “extra footage” like that done for the DVD version of a major film, is probably not enough for someone to open their wallet for the reading ice. But what if that material delivered something that the book couldn’t? Is there some visual component to the reading experience that we’ve all been missing? Can a clever jacket, for instance, be only the start of a visual experience that brings something to the story that words alone can’t?

I love the idea that digital books could be something completely new for readers, something beyond their favorite, well thumbed copy of a classic or a clever film adaptation. Finding the right way to do this, though, may prove to be elusive. I suspect there could be a few clumsy attempts, like the awkward moments in the movie version of a Broadway show where characters burst into song for seemingly no reason at all. Done well, however, they could prove to be undiscovered gems. I eagerly await the first test drive or road show….plus, the name the Vook? It’s genius in itself, with the quirky appeal that helped launch products like the Blackberry, the iPod and Google, those that quickly enter the lexicon and stick for good.