Choosing the Right Format
for Publishing Your Ebook
The
important considerations when choosing an ebook format
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.
He is also the author of "ClickBank - The Definitive Guide" The
Ultimate ClickBank Tutorial & Reference Manual.
http://www.clickbankrevealed.com/
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