“The Hills”‘ Lauren Conrad — TV reality star, author of a new novel for teens and a Kindle user — says her BlackBerry “lives” in the palm of her hand.

It’s the reason she thinks technology that links books like hers to mobile devices is “a really cool idea.”

“Most people my age kind of live on their phones,” says Conrad, 23.

Publishers, engaged in the oldest of the old media, are turning to mobile technology and online social networks as a way to reach young readers. Three programs begin this week:

2D bar codes: To promote “L.A. Candy,” Conrad’s young-adult novel about a teen who becomes a reality TV star, HarperCollins is using 2D bar codes, a new technology that links the worlds of print and mobile.

The codes, on the back of book jackets, can be scanned by cameras on mobile devices and let users connect directly to supplementary Internet content, including interviews with the authors.

“Mobile marketing efforts may be the 21st-century way to market to consumers, and teens are a logical first place to try things out. They are so eager to receive information and resend it to friends and talk about it,” says HarperCollins’ Carolyn Pittis.

Source: news-leader.com