Since the introduction to the new series we have received a number of questions about the process -most will be covered over the coming weeks but since this was in one of the comments I decided to do a post.
http://sweetyshinde.wordpress.com/ Dr. Sweety Shinde asked this question this morning and since it is a question that comes up quite frequently David has put together an overview.
I am still old school of thought – preferring the paperback version to Kindle. However, I do doff my hat at evolution. Could you clarify the difference between ePub and pdf version? Are they really different? Goodreads asks for ebook in ePub version, while excerpts can be in pdf version.
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Although both Epub and PDF formats can be read by most Ebook readers they are completely different formats and each delivers the content in a completely different way.
PDF is a format originally developed for printed documents. One of its most important characteristics is that it maintains the layout, formatting, fonts, page size, margins, etc. exactly as the designer intended regardless of the viewing device. The Fonts to be used are Embedded in the PDF file so that the appearance remains exactly as the designer intended.
If the screen is Zoomed in the fonts and images will appear bigger but it is the same as looking at printed text through a magnifying glass, the part outside the zoomed area disappears off the edge of the screen and you have to drag the document around to see all the page.
EPUB
The EPUB format was introduced in 2007 as a format to enable viewing of electronic documents in a completely different way.
Simply put, the Ebook is a ‘packaged’ website, and an E-reader is a hand-held web browser.
The Ebook contains a series of connected web pages which can be displayed using a browser. The pages are stored inside a “Package” or “Container”. For EPUB this has the .epub file extension.
What is very different with Ebooks is that they are designed to be “Reflowable”. The text size and fonts do not come from the EPUB file itself but, just like on a computer, the available fonts are stored on the E-reader and the user can choose the default font type, font size, page margins etc.
When a user zooms in the text reflows to fill the screen by changing the display font. The layout is not fixed and is in the control of the viewer.
An Epub file is not normally intended for printing and would give very strange results if printing is attempted as it is written in HTML and all the code would print.
Comparing
- You can produce a PDF from many different programs as the specification has been around for many years and is very well known.
- Producing an EPUB is a rather different story as the file has to be formatted in very specific ways so that it can be displayed on any one of the possible display device available today.
- An EPUB is a lot friendlier than PDF for viewing on a variety of devices with different screen sizes: phones, E-readers, tablets, PCs and MACS because it can be set to fill the screen with text at a comfortable size and it is easy to flick through pages.
- If you have ever tried to read a PDF on a phone you will know that navigation is a nightmare.
- EPUBS are great for narrative text (Mainly fiction) and are friendly to use. But currently they are no good for complex books that have lots of formatting, images, equations etc. (Mainly Non-fiction).
PDFs are great for complex layouts as it is a static format and nothing changes. The layout is designed to communicate the content effectively. To achieve the same in an EPUB is currently very difficult mainly because there are so many different devices all configured differently and each producing its own unique display.
- One big disadvantage of PDFs is that you cannot distribute them via Amazon. They want everything in their own proprietary Kindle format (Reflowable like EPUB) so all files have to be converted to suit. Unfortunately this is not always easy as a complex PDF will not usually convert into a coherent Ebook.
- The EPUB format is probably the most common of all the new Ebook formats and is widely supported across all platforms. Most E-readers like Apple’s iBooks, Barnes & Noble’s Nook, Kobo, Adobe Digital Editions, Aldiko on Android among others (nearly 300) support .EPUB files.
Many E-book retailers have “Look Inside” available and since this is normally available on a computer screen it generally uses “snapshots” from the book, but in a Fixed not Reflowable format. Thus they can use a PDF file to provide the look inside feature even though they are not selling the PDF.
©DavidCronin – 2015.
Wonderful! You explained it very lucidly.
An analogy would be a pdf = Static Page vs ePub = Category on most blogs.
Also, as I understood, pdf needs Acrobat Reader whereas ePub needs special Hardware (Kindle) PLUS/MINUS software to read it – please correct me if I’m mistaken.
Thank you once again.
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You have it – glad to be of help.
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So many formats! Wouldn’t it be nice if there were one standard, which would put the capabilities of all into one? Maybe someday. Sigh.
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I agree Tess I just get to grips with one and another comes along… built in obsolescence – guaranteed new revenue every year. such is life… hugs
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I.n.d.e.e.d. Sigh. {{ ❤ }}
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Reblogged this on theowlladyblog.
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Thanks Viv – can you just let me know if your draft interview arrived safely – no hurry to return but want to make sure it went to the right place.. thanks Sally
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Reblogged this on MARSocial Author Business Enhancement Dragon Post.
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Thanks for reblogging Kathy – much appreciated. Sally
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Very interesting. I tend to read a few books in PDF using a reader and they’re fiddly to say the least (I get them for reviews quite often). On the other hand it’s true that even professionally formatted e-books have problems (you might be able to make letters bigger but if there are any drawings or designs inside there is no way to make them bigger). Like with video formats it’s possible that eventually everything will be simplified or superseded by new formats but…
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I find that I use the font application all the time especially reading at night… thanks Olga
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Pingback: Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life
Pingback: The Ebook Doctor – Part Two – Which Ereaders to format your books for. | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life
Reblogged this on Savvy Writers & e-Books online and commented:
Part II starts with EPUB and PDF formats.
Simply put, the Ebook is a ‘packaged’ website, and an E-reader is a hand-held web browser.
The EPUB format was introduced in 2007 as a format to enable viewing of electronic documents in a completely different way.
The Ebook contains a series of connected web pages which can be displayed using a browser. The pages are stored inside a “Package” or “Container”. For EPUB this has the .epub file extension.
What is very different with Ebooks is that they are designed to be “Reflowable”. The text size and fonts do not come from the EPUB file itself but, just like on a computer, the available fonts are stored on the E-reader and the user can choose the default font type, font size, page margins etc.
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Thank you very much for reblogging the series and helping promote the posts. We do appreciate very much. best wishes Sally.
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Pingback: The Ebook Doctor — Part Three – Anatomy of an Ebook | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life
Pingback: The Ebook Doctor — Part Three – Anatomy of an Ebook, continued | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life
Pingback: Making your Own Ebook Part Seven – Finishing the Framework for the book | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life
Pingback: Making Your Own Ebook Part Eight – How to clean the formatting in your Word file | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life
Pingback: Making Your Own Ebook – Part Nine – Making a fresh start | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life
Pingback: Making Your Own Ebook – Part Ten – Metadata, Your Digital Book “Cover” | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life
Pingback: Making Your Own Ebook – Part Eleven – Fonts | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life
Pingback: Writing your own Ebook – Part Twelve Finale– Images – and Useful Links | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life
Pingback: Get It Into An EPub Format | The Neophyte Writer
Pingback: Formatting your own Ebook – Q & A with David Cronin | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life
Reblogged this on How To Ebook and commented:
Awesome reading
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Thank you again Sylvia..
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I’m your new RESHARE stalker. I hope you don’t mind.
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Not at all Sylvia.. very honoured. thanks.. Sally
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