What is an eBook?

31/07/2007 by management.

Ebooks are, according to Wikipedia the free online encyclopedia . . .

“An ebook is an electronic (or digital) version of a book. The term is used ambiguously to refer to either an individual work in a digital format, or a hardware device used to read books in digital format. Some users deprecate the second meaning in favour of the more precise “ebook device.”

The term e-text is often used synonymously with the term ebook, and is also used for the more limited case of data in ASCII text format, while the more general [ebooks] can be in a specialized (and, at times, proprietary) file format. An exception to this rule is the academic e-text, which commonly includes 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”.

Ebooks have certain abilities and qualities that other mediums do not possess. For
example, ebooks are extremely easy to produce, and their production cost is inexpensive.

Just think about it:

You don’t need a publisher, an agent, a printing press, offset film, ink, paper, or even a
distributor. You just need a good concept, the ability to write it or to hire a writer, and the
right software.

The Formats Available

There are many formats available for ebooks however I am going to concentrate on the
main ones you’ll find.

PDF - Portable Document Format

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.

EXE - ExeBook
Published as an .exe

ExeBook is a compiler that produces an ebook file that, when executed, produces a
simulated book onscreen, complete with page texture. The etext is encrypted as graphic
images so that automatic text copying is very difficult. The fear of exe files picking up
viruses, however, is hampering its acceptance.

DOC - Word Document

This is Microsoft Word’s format. It can be opened by Word, Wordpad and Notepad (you
may not view any images in the last two though). Can also be opened using programs like
OpenOffice.

TXT - A simple text file format

Use Wordpad or Notepad or any simple text editor to read.

SWF - Shockwave Flash File

These files require the MACROMEDIA FLASH Player to be installed on your computer.
You can download it FREE from www.macromedia.com.

Hyper Text Markup Language - Commonly known as HTML

HTML is the markup language used for most web pages. eBooks using HTML can be read using a standard browser (e.g., Mozilla, Firefox, or Microsoft Internet Explorer), with no need for special equipment.

DesktopAuthor - Published as an .exe and .dnl

DesktopAuthor is an electronic publishing suite that allows creation of digital web books
with virtual turning pages. Digital web books of any epublication type can be written in
this format, including ebrochures, ebooks, digital photo albums, ecards, digital diaries,
online resumes, quizzes, exams, tests, forms and surveys.

DesktopAuthor packages the ebook 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.

Why Are Ebooks So Popular?

The reason ebooks are so popular is because (in most cases) they are available to
download almost instantaneously as soon as you’ve paid for them. You can also read them (dependant on format) on a pda (personal digital assistant) as well as your laptop, PC, mobile phone and you can print them out if needed.

Hundreds if not thousands can be carried on one device and approximately 500 can be
stored on a CD (in txt format). They are cheap to produce compared to paper and ink
books and can be instantly copied. You can even jump straight to a certain section in the
ebook using links or bookmarks (like in this ebook).

Additionally, ebooks are easily and rapidly distributed online. They are also easily
updated; they do not require a second print run. All you need to do is to go into your
original creation and modify the text or graphics. Because of this flexibility, ebooks can
change and grow as fast as you can type.

Ebooks are also immediately obtainable. You don’t have to go to a bookstore or search
through endless titles at an online bookstore. All you have to do is download it from a
website, and presto! It’s on your computer, ready to be read.

Ebooks are interactive. This is one of the most unique and specific qualities that ebooks
offer. You can add surveys that need to be filled out, order forms for customers to
purchase your products or goods, sound and video that draw your reader into the virtual
world of your ebooks, even direct links to relevant sites that will expand your ebooks
outward. The potential is virtually limitless.

Ebooks have a particular kind of permanence that other mediums do not possess.
Television shows and radio shows air once, and then may rerun a few times. Ebooks
remain on your computer for as long as your choose, and they can be read and reread
whenever you choose to. They can even be printed out and stored on the shelves of your
traditional home library.

Another wonderful quality is that ebooks have no barriers in terms of publishing. You
don’t need to go through the endless process of submitting your manuscript over and over again, and then once you land an agent, having the agent submit your manuscript over and over again. Nor do you have to shell out thousands of dollars for printing a self published ebooks. All ebooks require is a writer and appropriate software.

Resell Rights And The Differences Between Them

Resell Rights - Resell rights allow you to resell the product and keep 100% of the profits.

Master Resell Rights - Master resell rights are the same as regular resell rights with
one distinct difference. With master resell rights, the person who buys from you also gets
the resell rights to the product. This greatly enhances the value of the product to your
potential customers.

Private Label Rights - Private label rights are where you buy the right to claim yourself
as the author of the product you are purchasing. You buy private label rights, put your
name on the product and now you’re the expert author of a high priced item.

Why Sell ebooks?

It’s not true that everything that has been said has already been written. Since that
sentence came into use, the whole universe has changed. Technology has changed, ideas
have changed, and the mindsets of entire nations have changed.

The fact is that this is the perfect time to write an ebook. What the publishing industry
needs are people who can tap into the world as it is today – innovative thinkers who can
make the leap into the new millennium and figure out how to solve old problems in a new
way. Ebooks are a new and powerful tool for original thinkers with fresh ideas to
disseminate information to the millions of people who are struggling to figure out how to
do a multitude of different things.

Let’s say you already have a brilliant idea, and the knowledge to back it up that will enable you to write an exceptional ebook. You may be sitting at your computer staring at a blank screen wondering, “Why? Why should I go through all the trouble of writing my ebook when it’s so impossible to get anything published these days?”

Well, let me assure you that publishing an ebook is entirely different than publishing a
ebook in print. Let’s look at the specifics of how the print and cyber publishing industry
differ, and the many reasons why you should take the plunge and get your fingers tapping
across those keyboards!

Submitting a print ebook to conventional publishing houses or to agents is similar to
wearing an uncomfortable shirt 24/7. No matter how good your ebook actually is, or how
many critique services and mentor writers have told you that “you’ve got what it takes,”
your submitted manuscript keeps coming back to you as if it is a boomerang instead of a
valuable mine of information.

Perhaps, in desperation, you’ve checked out self-publishing and found out just how
expensive a venture it can be. Most “vanity presses” require minimal print runs of at least
500 copies, and even that amount will cost you thousands of dollars. Some presses’
minimal run starts at 1,000 to 2,000 copies. And that’s just for the printing and binding.
Add in distribution, shipping, and promotional costs and - well, you do the math. Even if
you wanted to go this route, you may not have that kind of money to risk.

Let’s say you already have an Internet business with a quality website and a quality
product. An ebook is one of the most powerful ways to promote your business while
educating people with the knowledge you already possess as a business owner of a specific product or service.

For example, let’s say that you’ve spent the last twenty-five years growing and training
bonsai trees, and now you’re ready to share your knowledge and experience. An ebook is
the perfect way to reach the largest audience of bonsai enthusiasts.

Ebooks will not only promote your business - they will help you make a name for yourself and your company, and establish you as an expert in your field. You may even find that you have enough to say to warrant a series of ebooks. Specific businesses are complicated and often require the different aspects to be divided in order for the reader to get the full story.

Perhaps your goals are more finely tuned in terms of the ebook scene. You may want to
build a whole business around writing and publishing ebooks. Essentially, you want to
start an e-business. You are thinking of setting up a website to promote and market your
ebooks. Maybe you’re even thinking of producing an E-zine.

One of the most prevalent reasons people read ebooks is to find information about how to
turn their Internet businesses into a profit-making machine. And these people are looking
to the writers of ebooks to provide them with new ideas and strategies because writers of
ebooks are usually people who understand the new cyberspace world we now live in.

Ebook writers are experts in Internet marketing campaigns and the strategies of
promoting and distributing ebooks. The cyberspace community needs its ebooks to be
successful so that more and more ebooks will be written.

You may want to create affiliate programs that will also market your ebook. Affiliates can be people or businesses worldwide that will all be working to sell your ebooks. Think
about this. Do you see a formula for success here?

Figure out what your subject matter is, and then narrow it down. Your goal is to aim for
specificity. Research what’s out there already, and try to find a void that your ebook might fill.

What about an ebook about a wedding cake business? Or an ebook about caring for
elderly pets? How about the fine points of collecting ancient pottery?

You don’t have to have three masters degrees to write about your subject. People need
advice that is easy to read and easily understood. Parents need advice for dealing with
their teenagers. College students need to learn good study skills - quickly. The
possibilities are endless.

After you’ve written your ebook…

Getting your ebook out is going to be your focus once you’ve finished writing it, just as it
is with print ebooks. People will hesitate to buy any ebook from an author they’ve never
heard of. Wouldn’t you?

The answer is simple: give it away! You will see profits in the form of promoting your own business and getting your name out. You will find affiliates who will ask you to place their links within your ebook, and these affiliates will in turn go out and make your name known. Almost every single famous ebook author has started out this way.

This doesn’t mean you should stop here. Eventually, you will move into where most of the wealth mountains are – selling them, and then maybe their Resell Rights and Private
Label licenses!

Another powerful tool to attract people to your ebook is to make it interactive. Invent
something for them to do within the ebook rather than just producing pages that contain
static text. Let your readers fill out questionnaires, forms, even crossword puzzles geared
to testing their knowledge on a particular subject. Have your readers hit a link that will
allow them to recommend your ebook to their friends and associates. Or include an actual
order form so at the end of their reading journey, they can eagerly buy your product.

When people interact with ebooks, they become a part of the world of that ebook. The fact is just as true for ebooks in print as it is for ebooks.

That’s why ebooks are so essential. Not only do they provide a forum for people to learn
and make sense of their own thoughts, but they can also serve to promote your business
at the same time.

Posted in Articles | 1 Comment »