Choose the Right Format for Your Ebooks


Choosing the right file format for your ebook is an essential step on the road to electronic self-publishing. This article looks at the factors affecting your choice and offers tips to help you make the most of your ebook, whatever format you choose.

The format of an ebook determines the nature of the digital package in which it is distributed. During the short history of the ebook, various new formats have been developed and others may evolve in the future. But, as with any maturing technology, a point will probably be reached where one or two formats dominate, to the exclusion of all others. Fortunately, it is becoming increasingly easy to re-package existing content in alternative formats, so there is now less risk associated with making an early commitment to a particular format, even if it ultimately fails the test of time.

The important considerations when choosing an ebook format are:

• Compatibility with the platform used by the target audience

• Ease of installation and use by your readers

• The ability to support any special features required by the intended content

All common ebook formats now support flexible text formatting and page layout, embedded graphics, hyperlinks and convenient navigation.

The two formats most commonly used by independent ebook authors are PDF and HTML (also known as EXE format). They are favored for their ease of creation and widespread acceptance by the ebook community. Although other formats exist (MS Reader, Adobe ebook and Palm Doc etc), they typically entail more complex compilation procedures and include features more applicable to mass publishing.

The PDF format, developed by Adobe Systems Inc, can be viewed on Windows and Unix systems, as well Macs and even handheld computers. An ebook in PDF format is viewed using the free, downloadable Adobe Reader software.

Although a specific version of the Adobe Reader application is required by each target platform, a single common PDF file format is applicable to all users, regardless of their platform. This cross-platform compatibility is probably the single most important factor in the huge popularity of PDF as a publishing format. Over 500 million computer users are currently equipped to read PDF documents.

A PDF ebook can contain thousands of pages and the inbuilt hierarchical navigation system (known as bookmarks) makes it as easy to find a particular chapter or page as in a printed book. For this and other reasons, the PDF format is generally the professional's choice.

HTML ebooks are created by combining a set of HTML pages (i.e. web pages) into a single file. The resultant ebook can only be viewed on Windows computers, but since the majority of buyers fall in this group, most marketers do not consider this a major limitation. Unlike PDF (and other formats), HTML ebooks do not require any additional pre-installed software to read them. Most variants are dependent on Internet Explorer, but since this is installed automatically with Windows, the issue is of no consequence to most users.

A common feature of many HTML ebooks is the ability to customize certain pre-defined aspects of their content, even after creation and distribution. This is known as re-branding. It is very popular among online marketers, particular those producing promotional ebooks, because it enables the ebook medium to be used as a viral affiliate marketing tool.

On the downside, the need for multiple content files means that HTML ebooks are more cumbersome to create, making the format less well-suited to large authoring projects. Also, since HTML ebooks are directly executable by Windows, they are a potential source of computer viruses. Although there have been few incidents of virus problems originating from the ebook industry, the ever-present threat means that some prospective readers are wary of downloading ebooks in this format.

About The Author

Copyright © Tim Coulter. All rights reserved.

Tim Coulter is a consultant and software developer who helps netpreneurs to harness marketing technologies.


More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More E-Books Information:

Related Articles

7 Secrets to Explode your eBook Sales! Part 4
Secret #4: Creating passionate articles will explodeyour eBook sales!Copyright 2004 Bluedolphin Crow - All Rights Reserved.Aho,All the experts finally agreed on something.
Your First Step to a Digital Publishing Empire
The hardest part of writing is the first sentence. When you look at the whole project, it seems like an impossible task.
Ebook Marketing: 20 Checklist For eBook Creation
If you promote an ebook, please pay attention to these ebook marketing checklist:1. What will be the title of your ebook and will ithave a subtitle?2.
Buying e-Books on eBay
eBay is the world's online marketplace, that enables a diverse and passionate community of individuals and small businesses to trade on a local, national and international basis. Founded in September 1995, eBay provides a platform for the sale of goods and services to more than 135 million registered members from all around the world.
Should You Write A Book?
Why would you want to take on such a task?A book can be an incredible tool for educating your potential customers. Giving them valuable information can help you to build your own credibility, and put you at the top of their mind as an expert who is willing and able to help.
eBooks: With Courage and Patience, We Are Getting There
Just how do we make the "e" in e-books stand for "easier"? Well,how about this? Let's scrap the existing digital rightsmanagement. Instead everybody in charge of administering DRMwould be re-trained overnight as digital priests.
How To Get Your Article or Ebook Started Fast... Time Saving Tips To Get Your Writing Moving..
As we have all heard time and again (and it's very, very true), writing articles for ezines/newsletters and ebooks is a greatway to increase your exposure, brand your name, establishyourself as a Subject Matter Expert (SME), increase your subscriber/optin base and ultimately, increase that so-longedfor amount of cash in your bank account.For some people writing comes easy, others have gone to school and studied how to write.
7 Secrets to Explode your eBook Sales! Part 3
Secret #3: Creating an avalanche of sales with Freeware/Shareware sites:Copyright 2004 Bluedolphin Crow - All Rights Reserved.Aho!Freeware/shareware sites provide a unique opportunityto market your eBooks.
Delivering Your E-book
Much of the attraction of e-books is that they can be purchased and received instantaneously. Within minutes of reading your great sales copy, someone can purchase and download your book? just like that.
Invasion of the Amazons
The last few months have witnessed a bloodbath in tech stocks coupled with a frantic re-definition of the web and of every player in it (as far as content is concerned).This effort is three pronged:Some companies are gambling on content distribution and the possession of the attendant digital infrastructure.
Your e-Book - 7 Best Reasons to Create Your First e-Book
1) Speed to market - One of the biggest problems with regular books in the book store is that you have to get the book in the bookstore (a publisher or distribution house) and then you have to get the book out of the bookstore (people buying your book). This process from conception of idea to sale of your book can take years.
Self Publishing Era: Digital Publishing Tears Down Walls
Since the birth of publishing, authors have been forced to deal with the middlemen of this industry; the publishing houses. Often some of the best authors are turned away at the door because they are not "recognized" enough.
Lets Get One Thing Straight About Being A Published Author
Just for fun, evaluate the following statement:"Most people want to write a book and get it published, but that's simply impossible 99% of the time."Is the above statement true?Not exactly.
E-book Security Anxiety
You are not alone. Tons of people are nervous that their e-book will be stolen and put on the black market (hmm, or the cyber black market, I guess you'd call it).
My Rich Mums Ebook Secrets
As usual, I walked into the Starbucks for my morning coffee.Enjoying my morning coffee in Starbucks has been a routine since a year back.
20 Questions To Ask Before Creating An eBook
1. What will be the title of your ebook and will ithave a subtitle?2.
How To Create Your Own Info Product
In the last article we talked about why informational products are the best type of products to sell online. An informational product can be a digital book (known as an e-book), a digital report or a white paper, a piece of software, audio or video files, a web site, an ezine (electronic magazine), or a newsletter.
Why eBooks Are The Most Overlooked Path To Online Prosperity
The ebook revolution is here! The Internet now makes it possible to come up with an idea, turn it into an ebook, distribute it over the Internet, and start making money - allin 30 days or less. In the offline world, 30 days wouldn't typically even be long enough to start getting rejection lettersback from publishers.
How to Write Your First Ebook
Writing your first ebook may seem like a daunting task. But like many projects, it won't seem so bad when it's broken down into manageable chunks.
Making Money With Information Products
I actually know a few people who are making millions a year through home-based operations (and a few others who have been able to subsidize their incomes from low risk business ideas). In most cases, all it took was some good market research and the get up and go to actually put the information product together.