What is an ebook?
It is a book publication that is made in digital form. An ebook consists of text and images that are readable on a computer display or other electronic devices.
What is an ebook device?
Well, ebooks can be read on various digital screens. This includes reading on computers, tablets, iPhones, android devices and e-readers. Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other larger companies create physical e-readers. Kindle Paperwhite or the Kindle Fire (for Amazon ebooks) and the Nook GlowLight or Nook HD Tablet (for Barnes & Noble ebooks) are examples.
There are all-platform apps, which ensure portability. These are software applications that run on a computer or mobile device (phone, tablet, or watch). The all-platform apps present a uniform appearance across devices. For instance, an Amazon digital book can be read on a Kindle Fire in the morning. It can continue to be read during a morning break via the Kindle App, which has been loaded on an android phone.
Let’s talk about leading ebook formats.
The most common formats here in the US are:
- Plain Text (.txt) is a winner if the book simple requires simple, reflowable test.
- Kindle format (.azw and .azw3) is Kindle’s very own format. It supports reflowable and fixed layout books. However, it is only accepted on Kindle devices and through Kindle apps.
- EPUB (electronic publication) (.epub) is widely accepted. Most devices (i.e. phones, tablets, desktop computers) have wide support for EPUB reader applications.
- Portable Document Format (.pdf) is technically not an ebook format. It is a format that many of us are familiar with regarding documents and widely used around the world. However, .pdf is less popular for distributing ebooks.
(For a full comparison of digital book formats with descriptions, check out this Wikipedia article).
Common ebooks are digitized in a reflowable layout or a fixed layout.
- A reflowable layout ebook allows fonts to be resized. The book then reorganizes itself. Whether a font is made bigger or smaller by the user, the page will seamlessly “flow” to the next thing. Whether reading in portrait or landscape, text and images fill up the page as specified by the user. Reflowable digital books work much better on all devices.
Our process for CREATING A REFLOWABLE LAYOUT EBOOK targeting both Kindle and EPUB formats.
- A fixed layout ebook contains pages that are individually defined. Font size cannot be changed, and images stay precisely next to specific text. (Think children’s books — fixed layout is a good solution for picture books.
Our process for CREATING A FIXED FORMAT EBOOK, targeting both Kindle and EPUB formats.