Author: Jason Merkoski
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Date: April 9, 2013
About The Author
Jason Merkoski was a development manager, product manager and the first technology evangelist at Amazon. He helped to invent technology used in today's ebooks and was a member of the launch team for each of the first three Kindle devices.
The Future of Reading
This is a comprehensive story about the history of books, the development of ebooks and the future of reading itself. Mr. Merkoski shares his experiences as one of the founding members of Amazon's Kindle team, a small group of people with the goal to make all books downloadable in less than sixty seconds.
Jason Merkoski was at the helm of the ebook revolution. The Amazon Kindle (and other ereaders) has changed the way we live, think and perceive the world around us. The author provides "insider" details about how the first ebooks and ereaders were designed and how they functioned.
This book offers some fascinating thoughts and ideas about the future of reading, writing and publishing. Reading will no longer be a solitary activity. Ereaders provide readers many avenues to share thoughts with authors and other readers on the world-wide web.
The author discusses the use of ebooks with children in great depth. The following quotation is an excerpt from the chapter, "Education: Print or Digital?"
"Children are highly adaptable by nature, and with the exception of the almost blind, I've never met a child of reading age who couldn't get into an ebook. As adults we may prefer to cling like Socrates to the old way. But trust me, we can all "get into" an ebook. There's no barrier in the brain to reading once you're engaged with a book. Children who are brought into ebooks now have the golden opportunity to start fresh without any preconceptions."
Mr. Merkoski states that "fewer people are developing the reading habit every year". What does the future hold for readers, writers and publishers?
My Thoughts
I accepted my first job as a school librarian in 1975. I worked as a librarian for 30 years...my whole life revolved around books. I admit that I was very skeptical when I heard about the first ereaders. I decided to give it a try in 2009 when I downloaded the Kindle for PC application to my laptop computer. I got my first ereader (a Kindle 3) in October, 2010. I received a Kindle Fire HD for a Christmas gift in December, 2012. I am HOOKED on the Kindle!
This book is incredible and should be required reading for educators, librarians, authors, publishers and anyone interested in the future of books and reading. Jason Merkoski has done a great deal of research and writes in a scholarly, understandable and enjoyable manner. Educators and library professionals need to be educated in the latest trends in publishing technology. This book is an excellent place to find valuable and practical information.
The author provides links to share your thoughts about the book on Twitter and Facebook. Get the book and read it today! Let me know what you think in the Comments Section below.
My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5
FYI ~ I received a complimentary digital copy of this book to read and review from the publisher via NetGalley.
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