What is an eBook?

By BigDogStudioX
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14 June 2011
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Digital Books

In this digital age everything is online, so of course eBooks are taking over for more traditional printed media.

As defined by Wikipedia:

“An electronic book (also e-book, ebook, digital book) is a text and image-based publication in digital form produced on, published by, and readable on computers or other digital devices”

It started with converting printed books into eBooks but quickly more then not a lot of books were only released in eBook form.

The rise of the eBook

The popularity of eBooks comes from the fact that it has very low production costs and everyone of course can write on their mastermind subject. No need to have it approved or published by a big company that will in the end take a lot of money for doing it.

Popularised Formats

When you have eBooks of course you must have eReaders and today there are many different types. eReaders resemble tablet computers but dedicated to eBooks they often have better battery life and the screen being optimized for pure text rather than video, games and internet browsing it is less of a strain on your eyes. Today the most popular eReader is Kindle but there are many brands out there like Hanlin, Sony PRS and the Barnes & Noble Nook. Some support wifi, comes with web browsing capabilities and a lot of bell and whistles but in the end they all are made for reading eBooks. The format has not yet been completely standardised but the most seen format is HTML/Plain text as all eReaders can handle this and it’s easy to convert.

Other great formats

eBooks are not limited to just dedicated eReaders, you can also enjoy reading on any smart phone(iPhone, Android, Window mobile) and you can launch your eBook in .pdf format for viewing on a laptop or desktop computer. .pdf is great for launching an eBook on your website, offering it as an incentive during promotion, as a value added service or client introduction.

Deciding on your format

When you release an eBook it is best to promote 1 book and let the reader choose their chosen format with options for .PDF or HTML. Write 1 book in a native format and then once it is finalized have it cross-published in .PDF and HTML formats.

eBook can be Audio too

Quick mention of audio books as well a format that has been around for years first in cassette form then CD and now as audio files online. This option enables those with reading difficulties to take part and enjoy your book. Today a lot of book are released both written, eBook format and in audio so to reach everyone.

Most notably, a few weeks ago The Daily Telegraph reported eBook sales to overtaking print book sales. Proving this is far from being a fad and taking book reading into the digital age.

Question: Have you read an eBook yet?