Ebooks

Ebooks, or electronic book files, were first designed for computers, and later for portable digital assistant devices (aka PDAs) like the Blackberry and the Palm Pilot.  The early adopters of home computers and pocket devices could create, share and load the files onto their devices, and those who used PDAs could take and read their books anywhere; like the MP3 music file format, they allowed users to carry a library's worth of reading content in their pocket.  Soon websites and forums began to appear, dedicated to supporting ebooks, their creators and the growing market.

Eventually ebooks went mainstream with their adoption by major retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble in America, and by other retailers and independents around the world.  Dedicated reading devices like the Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Bookeen and many other brands entered the market, allowing users to pick and choose their preferred brand and ebook formats.  Ebooks can also be read on home computers, tablets and cellphones.  It is estimated that ebooks presently make up about 25% of the American books market.  

As the new book format allowed anyone with a computer to create ebooks, book publishing soon democratized, and amateur authors as well as professionals found themselves competing with each other.  This disruption of the established publishing industry continues to this day, allowing new authors to break through the difficult-to-breach walled gardens of big publishers and market their works to the public... which is where Steven Lyle Jordan comes in.

Steven's first books were released in ebook formats in 1996, to enthusiastic reviews and support from ebook readers.  His contributions and support in the efforts to consolidate ebook formats and establish standards and practices include contributing to a New York Times article about formats in 2009.    Many of Steven's books are available in multiple ebook formats from Books2Read and Smashwords, and will be made available in print formats as well.  Learn more about Steven's books on the Novels page.