What Are Ebooks? 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.