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I hate reading text with a lot of hyperlinks. The underlining is distracting. I would hate reading text with ads.
Garrison Keillor's Lake Woebegon Days is an excellent example of distraction in storytelling. The footnotes are counterpoint to the text, sometimes overwhelming the text in sheer volume, and it's all meant to be very entertaining. Keillor wrote, about the technique: "It really allows a person freedom of digression that you want in a book." Unfortunately, most readers did not agree, and Keillor abandoned the technique in later books.
I pay extra to buy premium television channels to get away from the ads. If a book is any good, I'll pay for it to avoid ads. Whether it's TV or books, my primary investment is my time, and I'll pay for a premium experience over a wonky one.
If ad-laden, hyperlinked fiction is the future, I can see that I will be one of those cranky old people longing nostalgically for the days when "you just read the damn story!"
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