What is an eBook?

E-book or electronic book is the electronic format of the printed book. As it is published through electronic medium, sound, animation, etc. can easily be added to it. This books can only be read either by using computer or e-book reader. Kindle of Amazon.com is the most popular of all e-book readers.

Benefits of Using E-book

1. Information may be accessed instantly by downloading e-books. 
2. E-books do not require any library or specific space for storage. They can easily be saved and stored on a computer or in a reading device. 
3. E-books are easily transferrable.
4. It is easy to find out information in e-books. 
5. As e-books can be purchased through Internet, they do not incur any shipping or packaging costs. 
6. E-books are easy to distribute and sell. 
7. E-books can be printed out according to individual demand, and hence, they are financially more viable.

Types of E-book

Nowadays, different kinds of e-books are found. Different publication requires different e-book format. Usually e-books are divided into the following five categories:

• Exact copy of a printed version: These books are like the printed version of a book. It is published in the pdf (portable document format) format. The complete text or parts are available on the internet.
• E-books that are only readable on the internet: These books are usually published in the HTML. This is called the website of books.
• E-books like printed version with some additional facilities: In these books, the readers have the facilities to comment, to know word meaning. Most of the books are published in (EPUB) format. These books are possible to read by using special device, for example, ibooks compatible fields and ibook reader, but field and ibook reader have their own format.
• Smart e-book: Audio, video, animation, etc. are included in these books besides the written part. These books are called smart-e-books. Its content is enriched with interactive multimedia features. For example, there are quizzes, spaces to answer the quizzes, and options to check the answers. 3D images are added to these e-books. However, some e-books are formatted in such a way that they can be accessed with a specific electronic device and hardware. For example, ibooks created by Apple computers can only be read with ipad or mac computer.
• Apps of e-book: The e-book itself is published as an apps on the computer or on the mobile phone. E-book, like the printed version, is published under the Copyright Act.