What is an eBook? Understanding Why They Work and How to Make Your Own
E-books, which stands for electronic books, are books that are available in a digital format. Unlike other digital media formats such as webpages, e-books are non-editable, meaning that once they've been published, their content cannot be altered or edited.
They often have a reflowable nature, meaning that their layout can adapt to different screen sizes to enhance readability. However, it's important to note that PDFs are an exception to this rule, as their layout remains fixed regardless of the screen size.
E-books can be responsive, which means that they can adjust their layout and design based on the device they are being viewed on, to provide a better user experience. This is a key feature that distinguishes them from their physical counterparts.
In terms of formats, e-books come in a variety, including PDF, EPUB, and AZW. Each of these formats has its own unique characteristics and advantages.
Various devices are used to read e-books, providing flexibility and convenience to the reader. It is important to consider all of these when designing an e-book as you need to consider all of the thresholds users will view your content through.
E-READERS
TABLETS
SMARTPHONES
DESKTOP
<aside> ⭐ REFLECTION: I really knew very little about e-books before this lecture. I had no idea that they had a particular format such as EPUB. Admittedly, I thought that all e-books were PDFs so it was definitely useful to learn about the different formats for the sake of my own project. I will definitely have to consider the way in which the content will reflow on various devices used to read e-books.
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