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A user viewing an electronic page on an eBook reading device

An e-book (also: eBook, ebook), sometimes called an electronic book, is an electronic (or digital) equivalent of a conventional printed book. The term has occasionally been used ambiguously to refer to either an individual work in a digital format, or a hardware device used to read books in digital format, more specifically called an e-book device or e-book reader. E-books are an emerging and rapidly changing technology, that can branch to include other formats, such as a online magazines, such as the Grantville Gazette, published by Baen's Books, or digital books designed to be listened to as audio books.

The term e-text is a broader term than e-book, and is also used for the particular case of data in ASCII text format, rather than books in proprietary file formats. It also includes the academic e-text, which commonly contains components such as facsimile images, apparatus criticus, and scholarly commentary on the work from one or more editors specially qualified to edit the author or work in question.

An e-book is commonly bundled by a publisher for distribution (as an e-book, an ezine, or an Internet newspaper), whereas e-text is distributed in plain text on the Web, or in the case of academic works, in the form of discrete media such as compact discs. Metadata relating to the text are sometimes included with etext (though it appears more frequently with e-book). Metadata commonly include details about author, title, publisher, and copyright date; less common are details regarding language, genre, relevant copyright conventions, etc.

Production

Some e-books are produced simultaneously with the production of a printed format, as described in electronic publishing, though in many instances they may not be put on sale until later. Often, e-books are produced from pre-existing hard-copy books, generally by document scanning, sometimes with the use of Robotic Scanners, having the technology to quickly scan books without damaging the original print edition. [1] Scanning a book produces an image file, which must then be converted into text format by an OCR program. Occasionally, as in some e-text projects, a book may be produced by re-entering the text from a keyboard.

As a newer development, sometimes only the e-book form is produced by the publisher; it is usually possible technically to convert this to a printed book by short-run printing.

Formats

This section is for formats, not individual ebook readers that use a common format.

A writer or publisher has many options when it comes to choosing a format for production. While the average end-user might arguably simply want to read books, every format has its exponents and champions, and debates over "which format is best" can become intense. The myriad of e-book formats is sometimes referred to as the "Tower of eBabel". For the average end user to read a book, every format has its advantages and disadvantages. Formats available include, but are by no means limited to:

Mobipocket

Published as a .prc

The Mobipocket Reader has a home page library. Readers can add blank pages in any part of a book and add free-hand drawings. Annotations — highlights, bookmarks, corrections, notes, and drawings — can be applied, organized, and recalled from a single location. Mobipocket Reader has electronic bookmarks, appearing in the page margins. Users can look up word definitions through a built-in dictionary function, choosing one of several separately available dictionaries.

The reader has a full screen mode for reading and support for many PDAs and Smartphones. Mobipocket products support most Windows , Symbian , BlackBerry and Palm operating systems, but not Linux, or Macintosh.

The Mobipocket e-book format based on the Open eBook standard using HTML can include JavaScript and frames. It also supports native SQL queries to be used with embedded databases.The Mobipocket encryption system is not a password based system. Its DRM relies on the PDA hardware serial number.[citation needed]

A free e-book of the German Wikipedia has been published in Mobipocket format; see [2].

DNL Reader

DNL format creates e-Books which replicate the real life alternative, namely Books. The DNL e-Book is developed by DNAML Pty Limited an Australian company established in 1999. THE DNL e-Book can be produced using DeskTop Author or DeskTop Communicator.

Image files

An e-book can be distributed as a sequence of images, one for each page. In this way, any image format can be used as an e-book format. This method of distribution produces files much larger than all others, and also has the disadvantage that the user cannot select text, nor can the e-book be read by a screen reader. Distribution as images is most suitable for comic books, books about art, or other very visual works.

E-guide

Published as a ".doc" or ".txt"

They are usually in Microsoft Word or plain text files, and are usually short guides in a step-by-step format. This simple format is easily prone to plagiarism, since almost anybody can just save the file to their computer then resend it to someone else claiming it as their own. Security measures are being introduced in order to secure simple Microsoft Word documents from being edited by the recipients.

eGuide

Published as .pdf or .html

eGuide as a document description was first introduced by the eToolcase in early 2001. The idea is that it provides a descriptive guide to complete any task. The eGuide provides exactly that, a guide in electronic format. Normally concise and to the point, it may be any length, containing pertinent guides to achieve the goal of the content.

Rich Text Format

Published as an .rtf

A standard formalized by Microsoft Corporation for specifying formatting of documents. RTF files are actually ASCII files with special commands to indicate formatting information, such as fonts and margins.

Hyper Text Markup Language

Commonly known as HTML

HTML is the markup language used for most web pages. E-books using HTML can be read using a standard browser (e.g., Mozilla, Firefox, or Microsoft Internet Explorer), with no need for special equipment. These files can be in ASCII format or in Unicode formats like UTF-8.

Open Electronic Book Package Format

Commonly known as OPF FlipBook

OPF is an xml-based e-book format created by E-Book Systems. E-books created in OPF format are known as FlipBooks.

FlipBooks are capable of integrating multimedia contents such as video, audio, animation and images. Hardcopy and digital publications of novels, magazines, catalogs, brochures, textbooks, financial reports, company manuals, and newsletters can be created as a FlipBook.

FlipBooks are presented in a 3D page-flipping interface via an electronic book viewer / web browser, that is FlipViewer®.

NISO Z39.86 Format

Commonly known as DAISY

DAISY is an xml-based e-book format created the DAISY international consortium of libraries for people with print disabilities.

DAISY implementation have focused on two main types: audio e-books and text e-books. A subset of the DAISY format has been adopted by law in the United States as the National Instructional Material Accessibility Standard, and K-12 textbooks and instructional materials are now required to be provided to students with disabilities.

FictionBook

FictionBook is a popular XML-based e-book format, supported by free readers such as Haali Reader and FBReader. See http://haali.cs.msu.ru/pocketpc/FictionBook_description.html

Text Encoding Initiative

TEI Lite is the most popular of the TEI-based (and thus XML-based or SGML-based) electronic text formats.

Plucker

Plucker is a free e-book reader application with its own associated file format and software to automatically generate plucker files from HTML files, web sites or RSS feeds. The format is a compressed HTML archive, somewhat like Microsoft's CHM.

CHM Format

Also known as Microsoft Compressed HTML Help

CHM format is a proprietary format based HTML. Multiple pages and embedded graphics are distributed along with proprietary metadata as a single compressed file. In contrast, in HTML, a site consists of multiple html files and associated image files in standardized formats.

TEX

The TeX format is a popular academic format. TeX is a typesetting system written by Donald Knuth, especially for technical writing applications in the scientific communities of mathematics and computer science. TeX can typeset complex mathematical formulas, but is now also being used for many other typesetting tasks especially in template packages. Few people write in plain TeX any more. LaTeX is a TeX document preparation system with programmable features and facilities for automating aspects of typesetting and desktop publishing, especially numbering and cross-referencing, tables and figures, page layout, and bibliographies. LaTeX was originally written in 1984 by Leslie Lamport and has become a leading method for using TeX (current version: 2ε)

Portable Document Format

Published as a pdf

A file format created by Adobe Systems, initially to provide a standard form for storing and editing printed publishable documents. Because documents in .pdf format can easily be seen and printed by users on a variety of computer and platform types, they are very common on the World Wide Web. But since they are designed to reproduce page images, and the text cannot be re-flowed to fit the screen width, PDF files designed for printing on standard paper sizes are hard to view on screens with limited size or resolution.

Adobe has addressed the issue of people viewing PDF files on smaller screens as are found on PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). Adobe's Acrobat Reader for the PDA now has a re-flow facility. Unfortunately, certain settings need to be in place at the time the PDF document is created for it to be re-flow-able, which means many existing PDF documents won't benefit from this new feature. These settings can be found at Reflow the contents of Adobe PDF documents: Tutorial.

PDF files are created mainly using Adobe Acrobat, but Acrobat Capture and other Adobe products also support their creation, as do third-party products such as PDFCreator, OpenOffice.org, and FOP. Acrobat Reader (now simply called Adobe Reader) is Adobe's product used to view PDF files. PDF files typically contain product manuals, brochures, magazine articles, or flyers as they can embed fonts, images, and other documents. A PDF file contains one or more page images, each of which you can zoom in on or out from. The PDF format can include interactive elements such as buttons for forms entry and for triggering sound and Quicktime or AVI movies. Acrobat PDF files are optimized for the Web by rendering text before graphic images and hypertext links. Adobe's PDF-like e-book format is incorporated into their reader.

PostScript

Published as .ps

PostScript is a page description language used primarily in the electronic and desktop publishing areas for describing the contents of a printed page in a higher level than the actual output bitmap.

DjVu

Published as .djvu

DjVu is a file format that has been long in obscurity, but that is starting to surface now that free tools to manipulate the files are available.

DjVu is a format that particularly excels in storing scanned images. There are even advanced compressors especially specializing in low-color images, such as text documents. Individual files may contain single pages, or they can be collections of multiple pages.

The images are divided in separate layers (such as multi-color, low-resolution, lossily-compressed background layer, and few-colors, high-resolution, tightly-compressed foreground layer), each compressed in best applicable method. The files are also designed to decompress very fast, even faster than vector-based formats.

The advantage of DjVu is that it is possible to take a high-resolution scan (300-400 DPI), good enough for both on-screen and printing, and store it very efficiently. Several dozens of 300 DPI black-and-white scans can be stored in less than a megabyte.

Microsoft LIT

Published as an .lit

LIT files are only readable in the proprietary Microsoft Reader program, as the .LIT format, otherwise similar to Microsoft's CHM format, includes Digital Rights Management features.

The MS reader uses patented ClearType® display technology.
In Reader navigation works with a keyboard, mouse, stylus, or through electronic bookmarks. The Catalogue Library records reader books in a personalized "home page", and books are displayed with ClearType to improve readability. A user can add annotations and notes to any page, create large-print e-books with a single command, or create free-form drawings on the reader pages. A built-in dictionary allows the user to look up words.

eReader (formerly Palm Digital Media/Peanut Press)

Published as a .pdb

eReader is a program for viewing Palm Digital Media electronic books. Versions are available for PalmOS, PocketPC, Symbian OS, Windows, Windows Mobile Editions, Windows Mobile Smartphone, and Macintosh. The reader shows text one page at a time as paper books do. eReader supports embedded hyperlinks and images. Most eReader formatted books are encrypted, with the key being the purchaser's full name and credit card number.

Desktop Author

Published as a .DNL or EXE

Desktop Author [3] is an electronic publishing suite that allows creation of digital web books with virtual turning pages. Digital web books of any publication type can be written in this format, including brochures, e-books, digital photo albums, e-cards, digital diaries, online resumes, quizzes, exams, tests, forms and surveys. DesktopAuthor packages the e-book into a ".dnl" or ".exe" book. Each can be a single, plain stand-alone executable file which does not require any other programs to view it. DNL files can be viewed inside a web browser or stand-alone via the DNL Reader.

Newton eBook

Published as an ."pkg" and more commonly known as an Apple Newton book; a single Newton package file can contain multiple books.

All systems running the Newton operating system (the most common include the Newton MessagePads, eMates, Siemens Secretary Stations, Motorola Marcos, Digital Ocean Seahorses and Tarpons) have built-in support for viewing Newton books. The Newton package format was released to the public by Newton, Inc. prior to that company's absorption into Apple Computer. The format is thus arguably open and various people have written readers for it (writing a Newton book converter has even been assigned as a university-level class project).

Newton books have no support for DRM or encryption. They do support internal links, potentially multiple tables of contents and indexes, embedded grayscale images, and even some scripting capability (for example, it's possible to make a book in which the reader can influence the outcome).[4]

Apabi

Published as ".xeb" or ".ceb".

Apabi is a format deviced by Founder Electronics. It is a popular format for Chinese e-books. It can be read using the Apabi Reader software, and produced using Apabi Publisher. Both .xeb and .ceb files are encoded binary files. The Iliad e-book device includes an Apabi 'viewer'

iPod Notes

Notes is a feature of iPod that allows short text notes to be displayed on the iPod screen. As the size limit for one note is 4096 bytes, there are some tools (e.g. iPod eBooks creator) that create the notes from the longer plain text file. Basic HTML is allowed, but otherwise the format is plain text only.

For e-book devices and readers, see the main article: e-book device

e-book authoring systems

This section is for descriptions of notable e-book authoring systems having substantial use or significance

Comparison with printed books

E-book

Advantages

  • Text can be searched, except when represented in the form of images.
  • Take up little space.
    • Hundreds (or thousands) may be carried together on one device.
    • Approximately 500 average e-books can be stored on one CD (equivalent to several shelves' worth of print books)
    • Because they take up little space, e-books can be offered indefinitely, with no 'out of print' date, allowing authors to continue to earn royalties indefinitely (copyright law permitting), and allowing readers to find older works by favorite authors.
  • E-books may be read in low light or even total darkness, with a back-lit device.
  • Type size and type face may be adjusted. However, enlarging e.g. a PDF document magnifies the text but preserves the original layout and spacing; a practical limit on zooming follows from the requirement to keep a text column within the width of the screen (otherwise horizontal scrolling would be needed during and after reading each line, which would be very cumbersome). However, tagged PDFs can be reflowed in Acrobat 6 and 7, eliminating the horizontal-scrolling problem in zoomed PDFs. For more on zooming in, see Electronic maps.
  • Can be used with text-to-speech software.
  • Readily reformatted for independent platforms.
  • Instantly copied
    • When a backup is kept in a remote place, cannot be lost by fire, etc.
    • Once distributed, elimination is difficult and sometimes impossible.
  • Distributed at low cost.
  • Distributed instantly, allowing readers to begin reading at once, without the need to visit a bookstore
  • Simultaneously share book (if networked).
  • Errors may be easily corrected with downloadable lists of errata or simply with corrected text. (This can also be an advantage for printed books, in different circumstances.)
  • At the moment, e-books are commonly published by independent publishing houses, which can mean greater editorial and authorial freedom and more room for experimentation.
  • An inexpensive format for works that require color.
  • An excellent choice of format for works that benefit from search and cross-reference capabilities, such as dictionaries, reference works, certain kinds of textbooks.
  • Economically and environmentally viable by cutting down on paper and lumber production
  • Economically viable by cutting down on ink production
  • Does not wear over time
  • No risk of damage, vandalism, etc on the pages

Disadvantages

From the user's point of view:
  • Can be incompatible with new or replacement hardware or software
  • Require care in handling and storage of the files, to avoid damage or loss
  • Can Phone Home to track readers and reading habits
  • Can restrict printing
  • Devices are for most prohibitively expensive and can be lost, stolen, and damaged like any electronic device
  • Batteries run out.
  • Their average price is considered by many to be too expensive when compared to the print edition.
  • Many readers prefer paper and print to a computer screen.
  • Often unavailable to international users due to legal issues.
  • Protected e-books cannot be transferred between different people.
From the publisher/author's point of view:
  • Can in some cases be hacked, or disseminated without approval from the author or publisher (some formats are more susceptible to this than others)
  • Not normally a good format choice for works that have extensive and/or large illustrations, such as works in art history, photography, large maps, etc.

Advantages

  • Usable in certain adverse environmental conditions
  • Robust and durable
  • Readable when severely damaged
  • Requires no power source, and no alternative reading device like a PC or a palmtop
  • Errors are "forever"; this unchangeability sometimes adds to its value
  • Has more value as "collector's items," e.g., first editions or signed copies
  • Has greater guaranteed longevity, both physically and in terms of commercial availability (either as new product, or from the secondary marked as a used book or collector item)
  • At the moment, print books are primarily published by established houses including numerous international conglomerates, which can result in greater funds available for promotion of a title
  • Print editions can be shared or resold at discount prices.

Disadvantages

From the user's point of view:

  • Can be priced in a way that inhibits availability
  • Cannot be easily copied/shared
  • Cannot be read in darkness
  • Libraries of paper books take up space, fill suitcases during travel, weigh a lot, are difficult to move, and are fragile and must kept in environmentally controlled storage

From the user's and author's point of view: Can be put out of print and made unavailable to readers

From an economic point of view: limited shelf space in retailers means that books, even if in print, may not be available to readers when they want them

From an environmental point of view: stripping of paper books (generally mass market paperbacks) fills landfills

From an author point of view:

  • stripped books are often sold (pirated), resulting in no royalty earnings, no publisher earnings, and no best-selling credits
  • Can be difficult to get a publisher to amend errata

Other:

  • Can be an awkward format for reference works or works that have many internal cross-references.
  • An expensive format for works that require color, since color printing commonly requires several passes of paper through the press (typically three to five passes).

The Industry

E-book publishing as its own industry is a growing concern, growing in the double digits yearly, according to the quarterly reports put out by IDPF. Among the first Internet-only publishers of new e-books were Boson Books, Hard Shell Word Factory and Online Originals, all founded in the mid-1990s. Each pioneered different aspects of what has since become common practice amongst e-book publishers, e.g. the support of multiple formats including PDFs, the payment of much higher royalty rates than conventional publishers, and the online presentation of free samples. Hard Shell Word Factory set the first professional standards for commercial e-books and pioneered author-friendly contracts. Online Originals was the first e-book publisher to win mainstream book reviews (in the London Times) and a nomination for a major literary prize (the Booker Prize).

Since the late 1990s, the many newcomers to e-book publishing have included most major print publishers. At the same time, many established e-publishers started to offer print versions of some of their titles. Thus the line between the two is fast blurring.

There are some parts of the industry where there are particularly notable leading firms. In the general field of science-fiction and fantasy, Baen Books, an American publishing company established in 1983 by science fiction publishing industry long-timer Jim Baen (1943-2006) has a well-established position. It is a science fiction and fantasy publishing house that specializes in space opera/military science fiction and fantasy (though it does not restrict itself to these subgenres). It is notable for releasing books in a variety of both free and paid formats, both before and after hard-copy publication, and both as whole books and as parts.

E-books have their own bestseller lists, including those compiled by IDPF and Fictionwise. They even have two yearly awards for excellence in e-books. The longest-standing and most inclusive of these is the EPPIE award, given by EPIC since 2000. The other is the Dream Realm Award, first awarded to speculative fiction e-books in 2002.

See also

Devices

Formats

References

Free notable e-book repositories

Software

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