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Jessica Kingsley Publishers has partnered with Bristol-based tech company RedCards to improve accessibility for reluctant readers and promote healthier reading habits in young people.
The RedCards e-reading platform takes titles and transforms them into “visually engaging” digital cards which users can “scroll through easily”, thereby “helping to remove many of the barriers people experience when it comes to reading on a regular basis". Users can browse hundreds of titles from a broad range of genres across fiction and non-fiction.
Founder, Jon Air, said: “Reading rates in young people are continuing to decline. Although trends such as #BookTok are having a positive impact, books are still having to compete with an unending list of platforms that are vying for reader’s attention. RedCards incorporates elements of gamification into the reading experience which encourages the user to continue reading and rewards them for their efforts.”
As well as developing stronger reading habits, RedCards’ mission is to promote positive mental health in young people. Air said: “Rates of anxiety and depression in Gen Z have rapidly increased in recent years. Studies have shown that even short bursts of reading can have a significant impact on people’s mental health. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Jessica Kingsley Publishers to promote these benefits via a platform which is both rewarding, engaging and makes reading more accessible than it has ever been before.”
Amy Lankester-Owen, editorial director at Jessica Kingsley Publishers, said: “At JKP we are committed to supporting our neurodivergent community of readers in as many ways as we can. Dyslexic and ADHDer readers enjoy reading for self-help and self-discovery, and story, as much as everyone else does… but they need new formats and modes of reading to keep them engaged when traditional texts can represent a barrier to reading. We are thrilled to be partnering with RedCards in this innovative approach to our content.” RedCards has also partnered with a number of independent publishers.