Making History... Again

On Jan. 20, 2009, Illinois Democrat Barack Obama made history when he was announced as the first African-American president of the United States. The inauguration also represented a beacon of hope for all struggling Americans desperate for a change. To honor that auspicious event, Rick Smolan, bestselling author, and Hewlett-Packard have joined forces to create the first customizable coffee table book celebrating the occasion.

According to its producers, “The Obama Time Capsule: World History in the Making” is “a first of its kind customizable coffee table book showcasing President Barack Obama’s journey to the White House, including his first 100 days in office.” Smolan personally hired 140 of the world’s best professional photographers to get the best photos of the rise to the presidency, many of which have never been seen. Smolan also sorted through approximately 10,000 photos to ensure that the book would be the best it could be. Add to it the unique process by which the books are produced and it is clear that Smolan and HP have hit a home run.

The Impetus

“Rick approached us earlier this year about creating the first New York Times best selling print on demand book,” said Andrew Bolwell, director for corporate venturing unit at HP. “This was a great showcase of how books will look in the future.”

It certainly seems like a marriage made in heaven. Smolan, co-founder of Against All Odds Productions, has plenty of experience in the publishing world. He is a photographer who has worked with Life, National Geographic and Time; has been involved in similar projects before; and is most well-known as the co-creator of the “Day in the Life” series. Smolan’s most recent books, “America at Home” and “UK at Home,” were published in April 2008.

The Obama Time Capsule is an extension of Smolan’s “America 24/7,” in which 1,000 photojournalists and more than 25,000 amateur photographers submitted photos to create the first best seller on The New York Times book list that was tailor-made by its readers. The project is described as being the largest photographic event in U.S. history. As a follow up project, it only seemed natural that Smolan and his partner, Jennifer Erwitt, would take it to the next level.

“From grassroots Facebook campaigns to YouTube videos, the Obama campaign took the presidential race to a new level in terms of personalization,” said Smolan. “By combining our team’s compelling storytelling techniques with HP’s state-of-the-art print-on-demand publishing platform, we’re enabling millions of people to seamlessly merge this moment in history with their own personal experiences.”

Smolan latched onto the idea when he noticed friends taking photos of themselves next to a big screen TV on election night. Apparently, people wanted to record that specific moment in history and Smolan set about to find a way to make it happen.

With the idea in mind, he contacted HP, whose advancements in software and technology made the company the perfect counterpart to such a venture. Smolan contacted Bolwell who has been a big supporter of the book and its use of digital technology.

Bolwell points out that the individualization of the project lends an air of sophistication not available in projects created by traditional methods. “It’s not just a photo book,” he noted. “When you open up the possibilities as to what can be customized, you can just imagine what you can do.”

Reaching the Public

“The Obama Time Capsule: World History in the Making,” released at the end of May, is only available at Amazon.com. In order to promote the project, Against All Odds offered the 200-page book at an introductory price of $34.95.

Thanks to the development of HP’s Print on Demand Web portal, the process of customization is simple. Users simply go to Amazon.com to “The Obama Time Capsule” page. Once purchased, the customization process begins. The entire process takes approximately four minutes, not including the time it takes to choose the photos and artwork you want to include in the book.