eBook Formats- All about Print Books & E-Books
While there may be different ebook formats, let me recapitulate that Books can be Print Books or E-Books.
Print books are available in physical printed form and may be in paperback (with a soft cover pager) or hardcover. On the other hand e-books or digital books are available in digital format which can be played or viewed on electronic devices like cellphones, tablets, laptops, personal computers, e-readers e.t.c.
E-books may be further of the open type format such as pdf or epub or closed type such as Google Play Books, Kindle e-book by Amazon, etc.
The open type format can be read using a variety of applications that can be downloaded from the internet or by applications that come bundled up with your system. The open type format can sometimes be protected by a password or a license key by its creator.
But, the closed type format can only be read using an application specified by its creator. For example, the Kindle format can be viewed only using the Kindle App. The Kindle app though free is the only option to read Kindle E-books. Kindle e-books are distributed by Amazon. This is not a downside of the closed type format but on a positive note, it prevents piracy and protects the authors’ work. It safeguards the financial interests of the author and the publisher for which they work so hard.
Based on the type of Formatting both print or e-books may be of the following types:
a. Simple Formatting
Such a print book contains text and pictures in a simple design and layout in a single column.
b. Designer Formatting
A designer book features a high level of formatting. They may be single or multi-column with text boxes, designs, backgrounds, and more.
Some Popular E-Books Types
PDF E-Book: It is the most popular document format from Adobe. Books in PDF format can never be reflowable which has both downside and upside. Its text cannot adjust to the screen size and a book with smaller text can end up with poor visibility on devices with small screens; however, the original formatting as in the print book is very well preserved and this fixed formatting makes it a good option for a book with illustrations.
Interactive PDF/ PDF E-BOOK
Interactive PDF is a PDF that contains buttons, hyperlinks, galleries, audios, and videos. Adobe has its own DRM scheme for PDF which is supported by many or all other 3rd Party PDF readers which is a plus point of PDF. As an eBook, the biggest downside of PDFs is that the embedded video is in flash format and requires a flash player that does not come bundled with most PDF readers.
EPUB E-book
It was developed by International Digital Publishing Forum and became official in September 2007. It superseded the Open eBook (OEB) format developed by Softbook Press in 1999. EPUB is used by Google Play Books and Apple Books. It is open-source and based on HTML. DRM can be applied on EPUB but no DRM scheme is particularly allotted by the EPUB specification thereby limiting the readability of a protected EPUB E-Book. EPUB can support sound and video.
MOBI E-Book
It was developed by the French company Mobipocket in 2000. It too formed out of the OEB. Amazon purchased the company in 2005 and used it in its Kindle E-Books during the initial years. In 2016, it discontinued the format.
KINDLE E-Book by Amazon
Kindle eBooks are now based on the AZW and AZW3 format after the release of Kindle Fire in 2011. It can support both sound and video. AZW3 is also known as KF8 or Kindle Format 8. The AZWs are proprietary (by Amazon Global) and cannot be read by other eBook readers.
E-Book Categories
Reflowable Layout: In this type, the page layout is not fixed and changes according to the size of the screen; the contents are thus not flexible and may move to the next or the previous page. The text can be adjusted for size and font for better readability. This is a good option for text-based books with less artwork.
Fixed Width Layout: In this type, the layout of the page remains the same across different screen sizes. The page acts like an image that adjusts to the screen as a whole. This option holds good for books with a large amount of graphics or artwork or when the original layout of the book needs to be preserved.
Comments
Considering the advance in technology, digitalization, ease of distribution, and lower pricing both for authors and readers, E-Books are or have become superior to Print Books. Again, for books with heavy text and simple images, a reflowable layout is better; but when the original settings need to be preserved as in the case of academic books, comics, or books with high graphics and design, a fixed layout is the only option.
In case, the target is sales, among all the E-Book formats, Kindle E-Books whether fixed or reflowable are the best owing to a huge customer base, global market and consistent marketing of its products by Amazon; besides, as the Kindle has a closed platform, there is no chance of piracy.
In case the target is a private distribution, EPUB as it is open source and has reflowable capabilities, is the best option for books with heavy texts and simple images; but, considering the PDF for its DRM option and better capabilities to preserve the original settings, Interactive PDF E-Book is still the best option for E-Books with these requirements; however, as we again move towards the video and audio interactivity section EPUB will prove a better option.
© 2020, Mage Orange Publication.
Copyright reserved with the respective authors, co-authors & contributors. All ‘Publishing Rights’ reserved with ‘Mage Orange Publication & Technologies.’
The above content is an ‘extract’ from the ‘Mage Orange Publishing & Digital Marketing Magazine 2020.’ Any part of this article cannot be published, reproduced, or copied in any form whatsoever, without the permission of the publisher.
