E-Book Publishers Key Terms

Learn e-book publishers key terms to get your book in print

By A Antonow

Many businesses and authors are choosing to create e-books, which can be viewed on computers and mobile devices. With the cost advantages and ease of distribution, e-books seem practical. However, publishing e-books requires a knowledge of the industry. Knowing e-book publishers key terms can help you appreciate the formatting and accessibility issues you need to resolve when publishing an e-book. Also, mastering these key terms can help you understand what you need to consider before writing your book.

E-book

An e-book, or electronic book, is a book published as a computer file that can be downloaded onto a computer or mobile device for reading.
Try: eBookMall has a handy explanation of what eBooks are and how they are used.

Electronic publishing

Electronic publishing is sometimes known as e-publishing. This is a specialized form of publishing for creating e-books rather than print books.
Try: Writer Beware has a useful guide to electronic publishing that includes a list of possible warning signs of a bad e-publisher.

E-Book reader

An e-book reader is a device that is used to view electronic books. Usually, this device is highly mobile and allows users to view books clearly.
Try: WiseGEEK has a detailed description of what e-book readers are and some of their most salient features.

E-book formats

The e-book format refers to the type of software used to publish the e-book. Choosing a software is important, since only readers who can access that particular software can read your book.
Try: When I Have Time has a detailed explanation of what e-book formats are and which formats are most popular.

Portable Document Format (PDF)

The Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) is one of the most common file formats for e-books. Many e-publishers require books to be submitted in a PDF because this type of file shows exactly how each page is supposed to look in the finished book.
Try: The Site Wizard.com has a more information about PDFs and how they are used in creating e-books.

E-book self-publishing

E-book self-publishing means that the author takes all responsibility for the success of an e-book. While a traditional publisher pays an author for rights to publish a book, self-publishing means that the author pays for the formatting, editing, distribution and other costs associated with e-publishing.
Try: Web-Source.net has a detailed guide to self-publishing e-books that includes detailed information about exactly what is involved in the publication process.