eBook Formats

eBooks are read on computer screens. Maybe the screen you regularly work or play on, be it a PC, Macintosh, a desk-top or a laptop. They can also be read on special readers such as the Kindle, Nook, Sony Portable Readers or the iPad. Getting smaller still, they can be read on PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), such as the Palm, IPAQ, Clie, Blackberry and iPhone.

One may prefer to read books on paper, but the market for eBooks is expanding so rapidly that any author wanting an income from writing would be well advised to consider this format. The expanding sales of PDAs in particular is creating a new market for eBooks which will grow and grow.

Types of eBooks

PDF: There are different ways of getting a book onto the screen. The simplest way, with which most of us are familiar, is by using a PDF (Portable Document Format). This faithfully reproduces what is on the page, exactly as it appears. For illustrated books it is by far the best method.

Today’s designer/typographer can create a page in some suitable software, and then “publish” it as a PDF which will look exactly the same on any computer screen. It will also look exactly the same on a PDA, but it will be too small to read.

The larger version Amazon Kindle and the Apple iPad have a screen size roughly 6 by 8 inches (150 by 200 mm) on which it is just about possible to view a pdf of a large format illustrated book sensibly—roughly at two-thirds of the original size. For smaller books the reproduction is possible at roughly full size.

Flowing Text: e-Books are usually written in forms of Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) which is simply a way of recording words so that they can be viewed on electronic devices. HTML is also the code language behind all websites. The most important attribute of this language is that it “flows” onto a screen of any size.

When we see the page of a paper book it is fixed in dimension and content. If those same words are converted into an eBook language the “page” becomes our viewing screen and the size of that screen dictates how many words will appear at once. At one extreme on a large computer screen we may be able to see as many words as took up two pages of the physical book, at the other extreme we may only see part of a sentence on a very small hand-held device.

It follows that all those publishers of heavily illustrated works wanting to get into the eBook market will always be restricted to a screen size which is at the least the size of the iPad or Kindle, but not so with text-based fiction.

The beauty of fiction is that it consists purely and simply of words. The odd illustration may be accommodated, although the size restriction still comes into play, but the commuter on the subway, the lorry driver wanting a break, or the teenager waiting for a bus, can open up their PDA and read a book. Most importantly PDAs are getting cheaper and becoming available all over the world, even amongst quite poor populations.

Formats

Simply put, an eBook is published by converting text into one or more formats and uploading to a website that distributes eBooks. The customer accesses or pays to access the uploaded book and downloads it to read on their particular reader.

Several formats have been developed both by eBook sellers and by hardware manufacturers, each tailored to different screen readers. However, competition has already seen some of these disappear, and it will not be long before we are left with very few indeed.

ePUB: One major format that will survive is ePUB which has been established as an international standard by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) in an effort to standardise eBook formats. Any book formatted in ePUB can be read on any reading device either immediately or after simple translation via a free third party software. Furthermore, with the advent of the Apple iPad, which uses ePUB for its iBook sales, and the commitment of Google books to ePUB, the future of ePUB as the format of choice has been assured.

Mobipocket/Mobi: The best known eBook publisher, Amazon, uses a variation of a format known as Mobipocket for books read on the Kindle. However, Amazon does not want to restrict its market and has thus made it possible to read Amazon eBooks on many other devices including the iPhone and iPad.

ePUB & Mobi reading: While many forms of e-readers currently survive, Adobe Digital Editions is a free download which enables ePub to be read on all Macintosh and Windows enabled computers, and readers such as Libre, EZ, Mento, Nook, Bebook, Cybook, Cool-er, Elonex, Hanlin, Irex, Lbook, Nuut, Onyx and Sony readers.

ePUB books can be read on an Amazon Kindle by converting them using another free download, Calibre.

If you use a Kindle you can download Mobi files and transfer them, or convert ePUB files to Mobi using Calibre. Please have a look at this link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200375630#email

If you are still in any doubt as to how to read an ePUB book, please consult your device's operating manual, and the manufacturer's website.