You may have seen offers for them on various websites. Perhaps you attended a book fair and noticed that some authors were selling CD-ROMs along with paperbacks. Maybe you sat next to someone in a coffee shop while reading a document on your laptop or personal digital assistant. You may think that these things are limited to business or some other type of work, but the electronic book, or eBook, is fast becoming a mainstream industry. While e-books may never catch up with the popularity or demand of the printed word, e-book readers are definitely growing and will prove to be a viable form of medium in the future.
What is an eBook?
Before one can delve into the details about ezine, it is important to consider exactly what an ebook is and what it is for. Simply put, the term “e-book” is self-explanatory: an e-book can be a novel, a collection of stories and / or poetry, a self-help manual, a treatise, or any document the length of a book. E-books can be 5,000 words or more than 100,000 words in size. Some e-books may have illustrations and graphics embedded in the pages, and others may be more interactive and have audio and / or video capabilities.
Some e-books are registered with Books in Print and are available as downloadable files or on CD-ROM. Some e-book publishers assign ISBN numbers to their titles, while others may register the works with the US Copyright Office. Many publishers regard e-book production as a subsidiary right in their contracts and may choose to those rights of an author during negotiations.
The fundamental difference between an e-book and a printed book, of course, is that the e-book is an electronic document designed to be read on a computer or special handheld device. E-books are easy to produce and can be available in a variety of formats, including but not limited to:
HTML: presented as a simple web page
Adobe PDF – presented to look like a real document on screen, read with Adobe Reader
Microsoft LIT: a special format for Microsoft Reader and Pocket PC
Mobipocket (.PRC): a handheld PDA compatible with a special format such as the Palm or older Handspring devices.
EXE – Popular with non-fiction e-books, this self-extracting format presents the book in a unique way that allows the reader to “turn the pages.”
Regardless of how an e-book is produced, special reading software may be required to read the document. While a simple HTML document only needs a web browser, others with a different extension may not open in certain readers. It’s best to always check with a vendor before buying an e-book to make sure you can open the file.
What is the purpose of an e-book?
E-books are used for the same purposes as printed books, that is, for entertainment, business or news.
Entertainment: These are generally novels and short story / poetry collections. Such e-books are primarily found through specific websites of major New York City publishers that offer electronic downloads, or through smaller publishers that offer books in electronic and print-on-demand formats. Smaller business e-books can be priced according to duration and genre, from $ 2 to $ 8 for longer jobs. E-books from established publishers can cost more, priced to match their print peers. Popular genres for electronic leisure reading include romance, science fiction, and erotica.
Works in the public domain, including 19th century novels, can be submitted in e-book format for free download. The online Gutenberg Library houses thousands of such works for personal and educational use.
Business – Search the Internet and you will find several sales websites offering e-books that reveal the “secrets of success.” Online entrepreneurs use the e-book format for its simplicity and low-cost production to market ideas and products to clients. In this area, you can find books on how to start a successful online business or how to lose weight. Books of this type can be distributed for free to attract return business, or they can be sold for up to $ 30 for a self-extracting document.
News: Businesses or organizations can use the e-book format to distribute white papers or other important documents. Government reports, business trends, and other information in the public domain may be available in this format.
How are e-books distributed?
The most common forms of e-book distribution are through the individual publisher’s website and third-party retailers.
The Publisher: Whether it’s an established New York house, a small e-book print shop, or a self-publishing author, there is very likely a website set up to promote the book. A quick internet search for e-book publishers will yield a lot of leads. Such websites offer immediate download of an e-book via web link or delivery by email as an attachment. Other publishers can burn e-books to CD-ROM and send them to clients.
The Third Party Store: Online retailers like Amazon.com, BN.com, and Fictionwise are good examples of e-book retailers. These sites offer e-books for immediate download and may even keep your information in mind and make recommendations for future purchases. Such retailers, such as e-book publishers, will accept payment by electronic transfer to expedite the sale.
The future of e-books
Given the ease of production and distribution, e-books are likely to become an important medium in the future. As technology evolves and reading devices become more sophisticated, fiction e-book sales may increase in the coming years. Portable e-book readers have the advantage of being able to store multiple books at once and provide backlighting for reading in dark places. The cost ban on devices and certain e-books may be the only factor preventing a boom right now, but over time, as prices become competitive, that may change.
For authors, publishing e-books represents an opportunity to hone writing skills and assess readers. For entrepreneurs, e-book publishing offers a new avenue for promoting products and increasing sales. Whatever your e-book plans, it can be said that e-books are here to stay.