What is an eBook?
eBook is short for “electronic book”. An eBook is simply a book that has been formatted so that it can be read on a screen. Until recently, e-books were generally limited to being read on computer screens and larger reading devices. Now, more than ever, e-books are developed exclusively for the screen and not for print. But now, the term eBook is being used as a generic term for any electronic book, be it in PDF or EPUB format. The term “eBook” will remain with us even after the EPUB format becomes the standard for the publishing industry.
Open format versus closed format
You must understand the difference between “open format” and “closed format”. “Open format” means that a wide range of reading devices can display the publication. “Closed format” means that the publication can only be read on the device on which it was downloaded, which means that it is owned by a company. The Amazon Kindle uses a closed format, which means that publications must be downloaded to the Kindle or can only be read on a computer or smartphone if the Kindle application is installed.
What is PDF?
PDF is short for “Portable Document Format”. It is a computer program that formats a document to make it easier for computers to share the documents while preserving the original format (fonts, text, images, etc.), almost like a photocopy of the original document. PDF is the default format for static documents. The PDF document is indifferent to the device it is displayed on or the operating system (Apple / Microsoft) it is used. It is the standard way for people (companies, colleagues, clients, students, etc.) to share electronic documents, and it will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. Until recently, exporting a publication to PDF was the traditional way to create e-books. The problem with e-books created with PDF is that they can be difficult to read on a small screen, such as on a cell phone, because the text and images do not flow gracefully enough to read on a small screen.
What is EPUB?
An EPUB is short for “electronic publication format.” It is a computer program that formats a document to make it easier for computers and small screen devices to display readable text; makes the text fit all screen sizes. You can do this because it is similar to a web page; And an e-book reader is similar to a web browser. EPUB is the default format for documents that can be renewed. The EPUB format is rapidly replacing PDF as the standard for e-books. PDF will remain the standard for sharing documents for MS Word and Excel documents, for example. EPUB is becoming the publishing industry standard because it was designed to make the content of a book “adjustable” regardless of the screen size of the e-book reader, portable / mobile device, or computer screen. The most important point is that EPUB is becoming the standard “open format” for the publishing industry and is fast becoming the standard for most reading devices.
What is MOBI?
The MOBI format is basically Amazon’s proprietary version of the EPUB format. As an author and self-publisher, you don’t need to worry about this. When you upload your .doc file to Amazon, they will automatically convert your book to the appropriate format for the Kindle. There are also other ways to convert your files to the Kindle / MOBI format and then manually upload them to Amazon. But in my experience, Amazon does an excellent job with the conversion.
What does this mean for a self-publisher?
As a small publisher, it is essential that you prepare all your publications for printing and screen printing. You will need to be very familiar with the PDF and EPUB format. But most importantly, Amazon makes it easy to upload and convert your books to include and sell in Kindle format. Fortunately, there is only a small learning curve to become familiar with each format. With a little effort, it shouldn’t be too difficult to learn, understand, and use all the formats. But you must learn them, because PDF is essential to running your publishing business, and EPUB and MOBI (Kindle) are becoming the standard format for e-books within the publishing industry.
