This past weekend, I decided it was time--time to take on the white grout in the white bathroom. After almost 15 years, the grout wasn’t quite as bright as it had once been. As I scrubbed, I thought, “There has got to be a blog post in here somewhere…”

The connection I made was that I started working with SAS Press (then Books by Users) at about the same time those tiles were laid. Since that time, the style of tile has changed. Tiles are bigger, which means less grout. Grout is often tinted, which means that it won’t be so noticeable when the grout is no longer bright white. And, the materials have moved more toward natural stone, tumbled tiles, and mix and match styles.

SAS Press has also changed quite a bit during that time. Over 100 new titles have been published. We’ve broadened the topics available to include not only programming and statistics topics, but also industry-specific topics, business concepts, and more about JMP. What we’ve learned is that you prefer examples, the more, the better. What we’ve also learned is that although you prefer print, you also like to have access to the content online. So, we’ve made PDFs available through a variety of channels like Safari, Mobi, Kindle, Books24x7, and netLibrary.

What’s next? Currently, we are working on:

• Making SAS Press content available in ePub format. This may be a new term to some of you. This format is a version of XML and makes the content more portable to a variety of devices (smart phones, iPads, etc.) and available through more channels like CourseSmart.
• Enhancing the content by adding simulations and video where it would be most helpful.
• Looking at ways to make the content more modular so that it is more accessible on various devices.
• Adding even more topics to the library! By SAS Global Forum in April, we will publish 10 new titles for you this year. Watch support.sas.com/publishing for announcements or visit support.sas.com/upcoming and sign up to be notified when the books you’re most interested in are published.

What do YOU think should be next? SAS Press titles have become the favorites of SAS users. They’re written by SAS users for SAS users. Many of them have been developed because you asked for them.

So, tell me:

• What topics could SAS Press provide that would help you most?
• How do you want to access that content? On your PC? From your phone? On a dedicated reader like a Kindle?

Leave your feedback here in comments or email me so that we make sure we keep SAS Press shining as bright as ever for you!