On January 25, 2011 in his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama challenged Americans to “Win the Future.” President of Echelon Press, Karen L. Syed, has accepted the challenge by developing a new program for Quake, a division of Echelon Press designed specifically for young readers. President Obama’s address focused largely on what we, as Americans, can do to improve our country and invest in the future by increasing the levels of education. Ms. Syed is approaching his ideas to focus on science and math from a different angle. No American can go on to excel in either of these areas if they cannot read.
All over, American children are crying out, “I don’t like to read!” Many of them simply cannot read. On March 1, 2011, Echelon Press will launch ‘Electric Shorts‘ for reluctant readers.
Electric Shorts is a pilot program for reluctant readers. Each series contains six short stories presented once per month as electronic downloads (eBooks), much the same as a television series. Geared for kids between the ages of seven and seventeen, each short story will include relevant material to attract and captivate the young and reluctant reader. From historical settings to future fantasy, across all genres, Electric Shorts will strive to satisfy all interests.
“By publishing the Electric Shorts as eBooks we can cut back our contribution of paper waste and perhaps save a few trees while we’re at it,” says Karen Syed. Echelon Press has been offering their titles as eBooks since the company formed in February 2001. “No heavy books to carry, nothing to clutter the shelves, and eBooks really are cool,” Syed says.
A group of authors from America, Canada, and teh UK have signed on to the project. The Electric Shorts will be released every Tuesday, with a new installment of each series appearing once a month. At only $.99 each, the short stories are affordable for all walks of life. Once the pilot program proves successful, Echelon will open to general submissions for the new imprint. Plans to create affiliate programs with schools and other literacy advocates are in the works, including a summer reading program to keep kids on track during vacation.
To obtain a complete listing of authors, concepts, and series please contact Echelon Press.
For advance review copies and requests for interviews and author events for any of the participating authors, contact Karen L. Syed at Echelon Press echelonpress@gmail.com.
Echelon Press Publishing 
Reading was so important to me as a child. Anything that introduces the written word to the next generation is good in my book 🙂
And one writer from the uk 🙂
Holy cow! Color me embarrased. This is an international project. We authors from the US, Canada, and the UK. I just got so carried away I didn’t pay attention.
The good news is, this program has the potential to reach readers in ANY country!
We all know how passionate you are about this project. I’m just glad to be involved.
Reading and writing both offered me a major escape from life at a young age, I cherish them greatly.
I was an avid reader in my youth. We didn’t have internet or video games and TV was mostly for adults except for Saturday morning. Being an only child and a latch key kid left me to my own devices for entertainment. The public library became my playground and teachers and librarians pointed me in the direction of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. I read all of the Hardy Boy Series. When comic books came out with Superman and Batman, I developed a new hobby of collecting and reading commics. Reading helped me learn about the world around me outside of a small Texas town and taught me many things. Now that I discovered I can write, I have a whole new hobby which also makes me want to read even more. Great project Karen. Keep reading, encourage others, save the planet. Reggie Ridgway Author of In the Midnight Hour, soon to be published by Echelon Press as an ebook.