Which do you prefer? The print book or the ebook? This blog will go through what an ebook is and why it could be beneficial choice to the reader as opposed to books.

You most likely have a preference. Nielsen from their survey in 2018 that 28% of used ebooks as opposed to the 58% who use print books. With smart technology basically on our wrists, why do you think people might prefer reading a physical book?

Now I can’t speak for the 58% as I’m pretty sure I wasn’t part of that survey but I do prefer reading from a print book when it comes to certain occasions.

However you cannot deny how useful ebooks have been and are.

Ebooks have been great for students who need to look up quick information without having to go to a physical library which might not even be in the same country. That reason is one of many.

So what are ebooks?

Two types of ebooks:

1. Re-flowable
2. Fixed layout

Reflowable files tend to be used the most in fiction titles. It is also the most used, in comparison to fixed layout files as it is accepted by most platforms when uploading to retailers and can work on more devices.

One of the most common reflowable ebook formats is ePUB(different versions)for different devices and major retail channels including iPad, Google Play and Amazon (although Amazon has its own reflowable format: Mobi as well).

Image above sourced from Maps System

Fixed-layout files can be uploaded to a lot of retailers as well however fixed layout files are limited to display properly on certain devices. Therefore the format may not appear as intended on ebook readers that mostly text.

The most common fixed-layout eBook formats tends to be: Kindle Print Replica, AZW3 file and Kindle Textbook Creator for Amazon Kindle and ePUB3 for both Google and Apple.

Ebooks vs Print books:

• Ebooks have also made reading more accessible to others as they are cheaper, as they do not involve raw materials
• Technically they’re as light as the device you carry to read them on
• Most ebook readers tend to involve free software to download to read ebooks on.
• They are also environmentally friendly due to the same reason as the first bullet point
• Ebooks also have heightened user experience as they have interactive elements and the ability to link the ebook to other interactive apps and websites

So you see ebooks are amazing! They offer an interactive element that readers can enjoy. So next time, if you feel like there isn’t a reason for ebooks just read this blog ;)