E-book or Paperback? Which one should you choose?

Choosing is the right format for your published book is crucial before formatting the book. Every book format has specific formatting requirements, and hence you need to be particular about it.

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN E-BOOK & PAPERBACK

Paperbacks are printed pages bound together by softcover.

An e-book is a digitally formatted book that can be read on an e- reader like Kindle or other book reading applications.

Other interior similarities include the cover design, title page, copyright page, author bio, table of contents, chapters, and paragraphs.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN E-BOOK & PAPERBACK

Paperback is static. E-book is dynamic.

You cannot change the contents or the formatting of your paperback once it has been printed. However, you can always change each and every element of your e-book.

E-books don’t have “page numbers”.

The content adjusts to the size of the screen, which results in page numbers not being the same across different devices and apps. Therefore, unlike print books, the reader can not navigate the contents of a book by page numbers.

The reader need to use the table of contents that is hyperlinked to individual chapters and sections. The reader can also use the search function (that comes with most e-readers) to search for specific words or topics.

E-Books do not have headers or footers like print books. Footnotes are “end notes” instead.

Charts, tables, and columns gets converted to images in order to show up smoothly in e-books.

The font types and sizes in e-books are formatted more simply than prints. That’s because readers can customize the font type and size with most e-readers.

So, Which one should you choose?

I'd say choose both.

Distributing your book in multiple book formats like e-book, print, and even audiobook is a must if you want a large and diverse reader base. How come? As a self-publisher and a debut writer, you want to maximize your revenue streams. Providing your book in different formats means reaching different audiences.

Hope this article clarifies your confusion. Reach out to us for your next bestseller's journey.