In the past two decades, everything has gone digital. From entertainment and leisure to the more serious stuff like businesses, there is hardly any aspect of life today that does not involve diverse digital technology. Even something as old-school as reading books has found a new face: ebooks.
Thanks to this format, books can now be read anywhere and everywhere on different devices like your phone, tablet, or computer. The convenience and portability of ebooks made them really good contenders for housing promotional and informative material for businesses of all sizes and gave birth to the unique industry of online ebook writing services.
They have been immensely popular since their introduction. There are now devices completely dedicated to reading and storing hundreds and thousands of ebooks called e-readers. Their portability, just like that of any other digital file, is made possible by them existing in various file formats. While each format has its strengths and weaknesses, it can be tricky to choose the correct one according to your need. Given below are some of the most popular formats and guidance over their best use.
PDF is easily the most popular and common ebook file formats used today. It was developed by Adobe, whose Adobe Acrobat Reader is one of the most commonly used PDF applications. This format can hold various materials within its pages, such as text, images, and outlines.
It also supports editing in various ways such as textboxes, highlights, scribbles, and notes, to name a few. It is highly portable across all smart devices and shows material exactly as it would appear if printed. It is one of the most preferred formats online.
If you want your file to be quickly shared or printed, then PDF should be your first choice. The file will be fully protected, thanks to the features like passwords and device number specifications. The quickest way of making a PDF is through Microsoft Word, or any similar processor, and selecting "Print to PDF" in the Print options in Windows.
EPUB
EPUB is the standard format for digital publications. It is commonly available in e-readers and is the go-to format for publication houses and online ebook writers. It consists of layers of information that decide its layout and text. Some EPUB files also support the functionality of being opened on only specific devices with the necessary rights. This gives them an added advantage of security.
If your target devices for your file are e-readers, then you can't go wrong with EPUB. With the rich layout of your text preserved, it is the first choice for an official publication's digital version.
The most commonly used software to read and edit EPUB files in Calibre, but there are alternatives such as Adobe Digital Editions and Apple Books available as well.
MOBI
MOBI is another popular ebook format whose biggest strength is that it is smoothly supported by Amazon's hugely popular Kindle e-reader devices. It also supports copyright and security features like EPUB and PDF.
Choosing this format is a smart choice if you are planning to read the ebook on your Kindle devices or the file in question has similar characteristics to that mentioned above for EPUB
While there are other applications to open and edit MOBI files, Amazon's Kindle for PC and Calibre are the most popular.
DJVU
While not as commonly used as the abovementioned, DJVU is still a very usable format. It stores scans of all kinds, such as text, images, or illustrations. It focuses on preserving the quality of the scans and maintaining it across different devices.
DJVU is the file format for you if your file is a collection of scans and you don't want to worry about the device used by the reader.
It is processed by dedicated processing software like WinDJView, DjVuLibre.
Ebooks are a versatile and highly convenient format for budding online writers and writing services to utilize for business or creative purposes. With the guide given above, you can now quickly decide your file's format and focus on perfecting the thing that breathes life into your ebooks: your writing.
