Your ebook has a complex layout (with lots of charts/graphics/images) And if your book looks good in Microsoft Word, odds are it will look just as good as a PDF. That being said, PDFs are much easier to work with than EPUBs (unless you have the proper software or application). So while it may look great on a Kindle, for instance, the ebook PDF might look pretty rough on an iPhone screen. Unlike EPUBs, PDFs are static and unchangeable. But many ebook retailers/distributors (like Kobo and Apple iBooks) still sell ebooks in a PDF format. PDF used to be the standard ebook file format until EPUBs took over. You can convert any Word Document into an EPUB file by either uploading it through a publishing/distribution platform or using an online file conversion service/application like Calibre. You want to distribute your ebook across multiple platforms and devicesĮPUBs make ebooks easily accessible, readable, and sellable by just about every ebook retailer. You want to include media and/or external links within your ebook The majority of your ebook is text (with very few images) This allows text to change and adapt to best suit the screen on which your ebook is being read, whether that’s a Kindle, NOOK, laptop, or other eReader device.

What makes the EPUB so versatile and popular is its reflowability. Short for “electronic publication,” EPUBs are the most common ebook file type and are supported by just about every ebook retailer and online platform (including Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Draft2Digital, Barnes&Noble Nook, etc.).

This is the gold standard ebook file type.

Below is a breakdown of each type, what they mean, and when (or if) you should use them. The three most common and widely used ebook file types are EPUB, PDF, and MOBI. Choosing the right file type for your ebook manuscript

Pdf to mobi kindle