Best eBook Formats

So, you are going to release an ebook. Good for you! The number of people doing the same thing are growing by the day, and the medium has gained a real legitimacy in the last several years as digital sharing expands across the globe. You will be in good company, whether you are planning to aim for profits or offering your book for free.

Once you get past the actual writing, you start to get into the finer details of self publication. One question most authors find themselves asking is what format is the best. Different devices take different file types, after all. How can you ensure you are choosing the most popular one to meet the demands of your market.

The truth is, there is no "best" ebook format. Your best bet is to provide several ways to download your content, and that can be done with little fuss and for low cost. While there are many different formats, these are the most common.

EPUB

This is arguably the "standard" ebook format, or at least it is beginning to become so. No matter what other formats you offer, you will want to have this one on hand as one of them. Several different devices can open an ePub, including mobile devices like the iPhone and Android OS. Most users are going to prefer this format, since it is compatible with so many devices, and apps or addons can be downloaded easily to read it.

PDF

Another good, general format, most devices can open PDF files from Adobe. The problem is that this file type is not intuitive. It will not adapt to fit different sized screens, so while it is great for computers and tablets, it isn't going to read well on most smartphones thanks to the standard size of 5" - 7" displays.

MOBI

For an intuitive file format, you could look to the MOBI. It will adapt text for different sized screens automatically, as well as images and most tables. It is also popular on many devices and can be opened using freeware. Next to ePub, it is the most popular file format right now.

AZW

This is an Amazon Kindle format you might not have heard of. It is similar to MOBI, but the files are more compressed in order to further reduce the amount of storage used on any device that hosts it. Exclusive to Amazon sold content, it is only going to be helpful if you intend to release your ebook through their Kindle program. However, it can be opened on almost anything.

XML

Not actually an ebook format, this file type is still one of the recommended ones for all first-file publications. That means you would start with an XML file, and then use that to make other file types. Because it is readable under many different programs, you could release it as an XML file, but it isn't necessary. Most conversion programs will have an XML to MOBI, PDF or AZW feature that makes it easy to get all the file types you need from that one initial original.

How Many Formats Should I Have?

Chances are, you don't want to do every one of these...it could be considered overkill. So, how many files should you actually have? In the end, that will be up to you. But you should have a minimum of two file types, and preferably three. That should cover your devices well, and so offer your work to different audiences around the world where the platform they are using might differ.

If you have your eBook ready already and you are ready to move to the next step, here's a cool eBook marketing tip you may want to try!

Do you have any questions or comments about ebook formats? Let us know in the comments.

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