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Understanding E-books

By: Rebecca Hubbard, Thu Jan 5th, 2006

Understanding E-books

Pros and Cons of E-Books.

An e-book is a digital or electronic copy of a book. Just like e-mail is digital mail.
With the advancement of technology an entire library can be referenced and indexed just at the tip of your fingertips. Millions upon millions of text can be stored in devices that get smaller and smaller every year.

E-books have certainly opened more doors for us to enjoy literature.
Books in digital form can be indexed and searched for a particular text in a flash. With the advancements in technology even e-books captured in image formats can be searched.

E-books take up less space. An entire volume of encyclopedia can be stored in a single compact disk.

Devices for reading e-books make it possible to read even in low light
Texts in e-books can be magnified, changed to a different font or color. This feature will enable handicapped readers an option for possibly reading more books.

They can be converted to audio books using text-to-speech software.
They are versatile and readily portable to different media and platforms.
Distribution and Reproduction can be done instantly and at a low cost.
Errors can be easily rectified just like downloading a patch for software.
Publishing requirements aren't as difficult to produce as requirements for normal books. They can be published by independent publishing entities.

They are relatively cheaper and easier to maintain.

E-books are easily converted to any format desired even to a database.
The potentials of e-books may be limitless but they also have their disadvantages. Some advantages of e-books over standard books can also be a double edged sword. They cause eyestrain. Extended periods of reading can also cause other health-related problems.

You always need a power source for your device for you to be able to read.
Electronic media wears and tears easier than standard books. A scratched CD might be useless compared to a book with a torn page.

Has no more 'collectors item' value to it. There are no rare e-books. Certain software requires upgrades and can cause incompatibilities.
Proves too easy to be copied illegally. Copies can just be sent through emails.

Types of E-books.

E-books come in different formats. Each format was designed for a certain purpose. The most common formats used for e-books are as follows:
Plain text, is the most basic format of them all. Plain text can be easily read by almost all computers and related devices.

Image files, these books primarily comprise of snap shots of the pages of a book. Zooming is possible but may compromise the quality of the displayed item.
Rich Text Format (RTF), is a standard file set by Microsoft Corporation. RTF files like HTML (HyperText Markup Language) files; they are text files that have special tags or markups.

Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), quite similar to an RTF and an HTML, the main difference is that the markups can come from sets that can vary.
eXtensible Markup Language (XML) is derived from (SGML) also a markup language but using a markup set that conforms to the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) standard

TeX is an e-book format that is popular with the academe. It specializes in e-books for math, science and computers. Its best feature is in representing mathematical formula.

PostScript is defined as a page description format. It is used essentially in desktop publishing. PostScript files have the '.ps' extension

Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format by Adobe Systems. A widely accepted format for its robustness and many features.

eReader is file format normally associated with Palm Digital Media electronic books (Palm Digital Media) E-books from digital Media are usually encrypted. Readers are required to buy the decryption key, which are usually the credit card number and the buyer's full name.

Publishing e-books are proving to be profitable especially with laws regarding electronic copyrights are becoming stricter. E-books are great sources of reading material some of them you can actually get for free. There are numerous web sites that offer writers a place to showcase their writing. In a way writers gain public exposure and readers get variety. The quality is often good.

No matter how many kinds of e-books out there, no matter how trivial or important the advantages or disadvantages of e-books, E-books are definitely here to stay.

Rebecca Hubbard
Hubbard Enterprises

Direct Link: Understanding E-books

[Hi-LaL]

How to create a professional ebook design

By: Thomson Chemmanoor, Fri Apr 7th, 2006

After a writer writes a book, he ends in a fix, in deciding how to get the manuscript formatted and compiled into an e-book. After trying to do it on your own, you decide to get professional help when the page you get turns out to be a printed page, but not actually what you had in mind! When you publish your e-book, you want it to stand out and look professional enough to command the best possible price. You want to look at your creation with pride as it brings increased sales. When you publish a book, one of the most important parts of the e-book is the e-book cover design . It has to interest the potential reader to buy and read the book. To do this, you can either enlist the services of a graphic design compiler, or pay him a sum of money, or struggle with the different templates available in the internet. The best buy would be to use the Cover Factory Version 2 windows program that allows anybody to create a beautiful e-book cover design in minutes.

There are many services and people around to help you in building an e book. In building, it means giving the final touches to the e-book. They help in the proofreading and minor editing of the e book, in the choosing of the appropriate typestyle for the book and to create a unique e-book layout for the book that is as unique as the writer is. They also help in adjusting the paragraphs into smaller paragraphs to make onscreen reading easier and to format the e-book with the best quality of layout, graphics and type. All you have to do is to send the manuscript to them as an attachment to an email in any text or word processing format. In addition, it is best for you to the least formatting to the e-book as it is easier for them to start formatting on a clean slate. Depending on the amount of the work needed, the e-book is completed in a matter of 7-10 days. Discounts are available, while you get to choose the appropriate design within two or three days of the receipt of the manuscript. Changes in the design and e-book due to their mistakes are not charged to you whereas any changes you make are charged to you. Once the e-book is done, comes the marketing of the e-book. There are quite a few marketing strategies around for you to try. You could list the e-book on the many free e-book directories available. You could also use the over 100 pay per click search engines to test and market the e-book. Alternatively, you could enlist the services of an e-book marketing firm to help market your book at a price!

Author Name: Thomson
Author Email: info@digitallabz.com
Author Website:Small Business Web site Design Development, Houston

Direct Link: How to create a professional ebook design

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[Hi-LaL]

5 Advantages of Creating E-books

By: Wayne Perkins, Fri Jun 16th, 2006

Here are 5 quick advantages for creating e-books or your information products and selling them on the Internet.

1. You Become an Instant Expert in Your Field.

Within just a few minutes of exposure on-line, people that have never heard of you will consider you "the expert" on a particular subject.

Since you can edit and change your information on the fly, the information you offer can be the most relevant to your industry. This will propel you ahead of your peers selling print books.

2. No inventory costs.

The moment you create your first e-book, you have "Billions-In Print." (Hey, that may make a great title for a press release!)

3. No Competition.

Your book may be sold as a single copy or your digital file may fit in as a premium for your largest competitor. Your competitors become your business partners, and you both benefit.

4. No Special Software is Needed.

You can fill your e-books with sound, graphics and videos, or your e- book can be a simple text file, delivered by e-mail.

My most profitable e-book is a text based class on "Stage Hypnotist Training" which is delivered by autoresponders. (E-mail on demand)

5. Pricing Freedom

You can sell your work at any price. You may begin by pricing a short e-book at ten dollars and then offering re-print and distribution rights for a few hundred or even thousands of dollars.

You may also sell reprint and distribution rights to associations. (This is another way of offering premiums to associations with no additional cost to you)

Summary:

If you want to become an instant expert in your field, then create your e-book.

If you want to publish your thoughts with no additional inventory concerns, then create your e-book.

If you want to sell a simple product that may have no competition and ask any price you wish, then create an e-book.

Creating your e-book may be just what you want to begin today!

Direct Link: 5AdvantagesOfCreatingE-books

[Hi-LaL]

By: John Calder, Mon Nov 14th, 2005

© 2004, John Calder http://www.TheEzine.net

New marketers, when finally ready to create and offer their first product, often decide that it should be an ebook. Whether the subject matter is for the Internet marketing community or for a niche market, ebooks are relatively easy to produce, distribute, and support when compared to software, audio, and video products, and physical shipped products. One of the more frequent technical questions is which format to use, PDF or a Windows executable file.

A PDF file is in Portable Document Format, which is a format developed by Adobe. Portable, as the name implies, means the file format can be read on more than one type of computer. A Windows executable on the other hand is a program with the contents of the ebook embedded directly into the program itself.

Each format offers certain benefits, but the trend has been towards PDF files recently. For starters, PDF can be read on both Windows and Mac machines, while an .exe will only run on Windows. Mac users are roughly ten percent (at a minimum) of any market that many marketers aren't willing to ignore.

In the past, the only way to create a PDF document was with Adobe's Acrobat software, and it's a rather expensive product to this day, selling for several hundred dollars. Compare that with some excellent ebook compilers which sell for less than $50, and you can see how marketers who are just getting started may be tempted to save some money with the .exe format. But it's no longer necessary to spend hundreds of dollars for Adobe Acrobat. There are several free and low cost alternatives that will let you create a PDF format document.

PDF documents can be created from Microsoft Word easily. Just get your ebook looking like you want it in Word, then print it to the PDF "printer". An .exe file is typically a compiled web site, which means you must set up your information just as if it were on the web, with multiple HTML pages, HTML coding, and so on. Now this can be easy to do as well, with software like Frontpage or Dreamweaver. But those take a learning curve, while even most non-techies can figure out Word enough to create a document.

You also need to remember that many computer users are no longer comfortable downloading any .exe file to their computer. Their well-founded fears of viruses, spyware, and adware often make them hesitant to click on any program with an .exe extension, even from someone they trust. Virtually all Internet marketers, and most surfers, are familiar with the PDF format, and aren't as resistant to a download. Don't forget support issues - you will most likely have far more support from an .exe file due to compatibility or system problems. A PDF document requires only an Acrobat reader, which is a free download from Adobe, and which many surfers already have on their machines.

For your readers, a PDF document offers convenience in navigation because of bookmark controls built into the Acrobat Reader. The navigation within an .exe file is as good as the HTML pages it displays. The PDF format is tops in printing too, because the reader has a built-in printing interface, while .exe files often need to be printed page by page.

There are even software tools now that will let you easily rebrand PDF files. In the past, this was perhaps the .exe file's biggest advantage, but now it seems that too is gone.

Direct Link: Which Ebook Format Should You Use?

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[Hi-LaL]

By: Sean Felker, Fri May 19th, 2006

1.What will be the title of your book and will it have a subtitle?

2. Will you be the only author or will there be other co-authors?

3. Will you publish a print version of your book or an ebook(online edition)digitally distributed)?

4. How many pages will your book be?

5. Will your bbook contain graphics, pictures or charts?

6. Will your book include an appendix and index?

7. Will your ask other authors to contribute related articles or materials to your book?

8. What file formats will your book be available in; text, pdf, exe, html, etc.?

9. Will your book be sold as a product or will your book be used as a promotional
tool?

10. Who will be your book's target audience?

11. What major benefit does your book give your target audience?

12. Will you offer your prospects a guarantee and testimonials to read?

13. Will you include a bibliography about yourself in the book?

14. What personal information will you include about yourself in the book?

15. What colors and graphic(s) will be included on the book cover?

16. Will you let your prospects read free sample chapters or excerpts to entice
them?

17. Will you turn the book into other information products like videos, audio books, teleclass, etc?

18. What type of payments will you accept for the book or will you have publisher diatribute the book?

Direct Link: 18 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Creating A Book

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[Hi-LaL]

By: www.profit.ne1.net, Sat Jun 17th, 2006

www.profit.ne1.net

What is an eBook compiler?

You've written and revised your ebook, hired an artist who has produced outstanding graphics, and now you're ready to actually put together your ebook. What you need to make an ebook is software called an ebook Compiler.

There are many different compilers to chose from, but first, you need to know exactly what an ebook Compiler does. Here is the simple explanation:

An ebook compiler is a software program that converts either text pages or HTML text into a single executable file or an ebook.

If you or someone you hired has created a file with graphics in HTML, you will need an HTML ebook Compiler. This type of compiler requires a working knowledge of the HTML tag language. You can also use software to do this for you, such as Microsoft FrontPage or Macromedia Dreamweaver.

How do you choose an eBook Compiler?

There are a large number of ebook Compilers available on the market, all with glowing sales copy and tekkie language. It can get very confusing and overwhelming very fast without some simple guidelines to help you figure out which compiler is right for you.

Choosing an ebook Compiler depends on a number of factors:

1. How did you create your pages? Did you use HTML or PDF format? There are many more compilers available for HTML, but you can find some very good compilers that will covert your PDF files into an ebook.

2. Consider how easy the program is to use and the thoroughness of the software's instruction manual. It is absolutely necessary that the compiler you buy have an instructional manual, documentation, or online "wizards." If it doesn't, your chances of figuring out how to correctly use the program are compromised, and the time required doing so is going to be significant. Many manufacturers of compilers offer a free trial version so you can play around with it and see if it suits your needs. Download the trial version and ascertain that it actually does what it claims to do.

3. Security features. If you plan to sell your ebook, check out the security features of the compiler software carefully. Security features should include: prevention of the reader from modifying text, access only to the pages you assign or by entering a password, different ways of generating passwords such as secure passwords, user-friendly, and open passwords.

4. Supported scripting. Find out what scripts the software supports. Scripting allows you to create special effects, customize menus, and create and modify other user interactivity. Choose a compiler that permits you to include graphics, search windows, hyperlinks, forms, surveys, etc.

5. Pricing. This is a factor that is not always easy to gauge. The highest priced compilers are not automatically your best choice. Choose your compiler based on the necessary requirements for your Ebook. That means you need to know exactly how you plan to use your Ebook and what functions you require.

Let's look at some of these factors in more detail. First of all, make sure you have the correct browser to run the compiler. The majority of HTML compilers use Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape. Check out the version that the compiler supports. Compilers that require a browser will not run on a computer that does not have the required browser installed. However, there are ebook HTML compilers that don't require you to have any browser installed on your computer. These compilers run on any Windows system.

If you choose a compiler that requires a browser, check to ascertain that the browser is installed correctly and that it is properly configured to the specifications of the compiler. Check to see if certain functions are turned off or on, and make any adjustments according to the compiler instructions.

Security is an essential element of any compiler, regardless of whether you plan to sell or give away your ebook. One of the main reasons for using a compiler is to prevent the reader from modifying the contents. A secure compiler allows access only to the pages you want the user to access unless they enter a correct password.

To find out how secure an ebook HTML compiler is, open an ebook on it. While it is open, check the temporary directory of your computer. This can usually be accessed by typing in C:\Windows\temp. If you see a bunch of files when your ebook is open or running, it means that your computer is decompressing the secure data from your ebook before showing the ebook to the viewer. This method is not secure! It means that anyone with the knowledge of how to access these temporary files can steal the secure data and then they can fiddle with your ebook to their evil heart's desire. Remember, one of the main purposes of buying and using an HTML compiler is to protect your property.

Next, let's discuss passwords. When trying to choose an ebook Compiler, check out the type of passwords that the compiler supports. Almost all compilers offer some kind of password protection that insures that the user can only access the contents they have purchased from you. However, the best compilers offer varied ways to generate different types of passwords. Choose a compiler that gives you the options of secure, user-friendly, and open password generation.

Another important factor when it comes to passwords is how the compiler generates them. A compiler that has internal password protection generation built into the software is more secure than compilers that link to live Internet password control systems.

Find out if the compiler generates passwords online. If it has this option, it allows you to choose any payment processing system you want or to do the payment processing yourself.

Next, look into the size of ebook the compiler supports. The best compilers can create ebooks up to 2 GB in size without decompressing the HTML pages or images to your hard disk. Usually, ebooks that are 2 GB in size can easily support 6 GB of compressed data. The catch here is that only text files will generally be compressible.

You do not want a compiler that decompresses this amount of data when the user attempts to open your ebook. This would mean that anyone who purchases your ebook will have to wait for all the data to decompress before they can access your ebook right after downloading it. So look for compilers that only decompress temporarily files that are NOT HTML to the local hardisk. Non-HTML files include Flash, Word, and Acrobat files. This type of compiler is more secure and certainly faster.

Make sure the compiler you choose is compatible with your system software. Check out what version of Windows it requires, and make sure you have that version before buying your compiler.

Support issues are extremely important. Choose a compiler that includes an installation program. This program allows your user to choose a number of different places on their computer to install the ebook, to place a shortcut on their desktop, and to add the ebook, if they choose, to the Start Programs menu.
You also want excellent and accessible vendor support. Make sure you can access quick technical support! At three o'clock in the morning, this factor will be VERY important. Also, check to see the terms of free technical support offered. Unlimited technical support is obviously the best option.

Check to see if the company that puts out the compiler software offers a service level agreement. This agreement is to assure you of their quality response to your questions or problems.

A good thing to consider is how long the compiler has been on the market. Usually, the version number will give you an idea. The longer the program is on the market, the higher the version number, the more bugs have been worked out.
When choosing an ebook compiler, do not be swayed by incredible promises and dazzling sales copy. Do your homework first, and then consider all the above issues and factors before choosing an ebook compiler.

Direct Link: Choosing an E- Book Compiler