You just had your print edition converted to ebook editions, meaning ePub and Mobi formats. Now what? You need to upload the file to online retailers who will provide you with their digital rights management. However, before uploading the files, you’ll want to preview them and see how the print edition has translated into the ebook format so you can request changes if necessary.
Category: ePub format
Just as software companies want to protect their intellectual property and monitize it, many authors want to do the same. To make this possible, online retailers, such as Amazon, Apple, and Barn & Noble, have created DRM (Digital Right Management) software that allows readers to buy and transfer ebooks from the internet to special devices or to desktops that run their software.
While some people point out that this software can be hacked, most consumers use the software legally and authors are able to receive a royalty payment for their work. And some authors have done very well making money from ebooks.
The two most popular ebook formats used by publishers and online retailers are ePub and Mobi. Because some retailers carry only ePub ebooks and others carry only Mobi, most publisher will publish two ebook editions, one for ePub and one for Mobi. Both of these formats offer essentially the same appearance and functionality.
Both formats allow the book page to take the shape and size of whatever screen they are displayed on. Likewise the type can be scaled by the reader to suit personal preferences. These two features enable ePubs and Mobis to be read confortably on numerous devices including cell phones.