It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…and now a word from our sponsor.

Barnes & Noble's nook eReader

It was really only a matter of time. And now, the time has come. Advertisers want to embed their messages into your eBook. As sales of eBook readers from top retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble soar, marketers are eager to sell you other things through ads placed in digital books.

According to an article in the The Wall Street Journal, ad makers are exploring a verity of eBook ad options, including embedding ads in text, graphic, or even video form.

On the upside, these kinds of sponsorships could result in more free books for readers, or at least less expensive ones, but then again, do we really want books to become magazines?

I’ve been slow to embrace the eReader technology, but if advertisements become as ubiquitous as they are online, I’m pretty sure I won’t own an eReader.