Peter Meyers

Peter Meyers is an author and digital book producer. He writes about and helps companies create reader-friendly digital books. He's the author of "Best iPad Apps" and he's currently writing "Breaking the Page: Transforming Books and the Reading Experience."

Now available: "Breaking the Page" preview edition

The big question: How do we make digital books as satisfying as their print predecessors?

The three chapters in the free preview edition of "Breaking the Page: Transforming Books and the Reading Experience" focus on browsing, searching, and navigating.

Sometimes one screen isn't enough

A look at 10 multi-screen projects and experiments.

Peter Meyers rounds up 10 content projects that span multiple screens. Some involve separate physical displays while others use different virtual windows.

What we could do with really big touchscreens

Ten-inch tablets are just the start of the touchscreen publishing revolution.

If we could combine the touchscreen's ability to signal our layout wishes with the large displays and workspaces that many of us enjoy at our work desks, wouldn't that change the kinds of documents we create?

Links on the side

A simple solution for including hyperlinks without undermining focus.

Digital documents that help readers focus are the ones that we're most likely to remember. Those that send us scampering around the web will be more easily forgotten.

Five ways to improve publishing conferences

Conferences get stuck in ruts because we treat them like conferences.

Keynotes and panel discussions may not be the best way to program conferences. What if organizers instead structured events more like a great curriculum?

Six ways to think about an "infinite canvas"

How would content look, feel and act in an unlimited space?

Imagine a canvas that's elastic and infinite. Now consider the content that could exist in this domain. How would it work? How would you interact with it? Pete Meyers considers these questions and more.

Linking in ebooks: How much is too much?

Ebook hyperlinks don't always lead to a smooth reading experience.

Ebook producers must decide if the destinations behind embedded links are worth the disruptions they might cause.

iPad vs. Kindle Fire: Early impressions and a few predictions

Pete Meyers examines his iPad usage and sees how (and if) the Fire could fit in.

Few have actually held the Kindle Fire, let alone put it through its paces, so Pete Meyers chose a novel analytical approach: Examine his own iPad habits and look for spots where the Fire can find a foothold.

Pictures that propel prose

How illustrations and a clear path can enhance a story.

A clear reading path isn't always a bad thing. Here's an example where imagery advances the narrative and guides the reader along a defined trajectory.

Five digital design ideas from Windows 8

With Metro, it's clear Microsoft has put a lot of thought into touchscreen design.

Microsoft's Metro interface offers plenty for digital book designers to study. The best part? Whether or not Microsoft actually ships something that matches their demo, designers can benefit from the great thinking they've done.