Thread: What format to utilize?

It seems that there is a bewildering profusion of formats for these books. The Kindle seems to be the leading one, but it seems that others, like MobiPocket and ePub offer a wider application to readers.

Is there a "best" format to make ebooks available?

Also, I am looking to the ebook as a way of publishing my online serial novel once it's completed and wonder how possible it is to retain graphics, or even videos in these formats. Are there reading devices that allow the kind of graphics approach possible in a blog?

If I had to pick one it would be "epub" since that's what most smartphone apps and new, non-Kindle readers (iPad, Sony, Kobo, Nook) utilize. If you're worried mostly about a Kindle audience, then you need "mobi." But why stop at one or two?

If you need lots of graphics then you probably want to go with PDF.

Thank you.
I gather that pdf files can't be read on the little hand-held readers.
I see you beleive in covering all formats. And apparently Kindle ebooks can be sold independently, without having to be be involved with the proprietary store?

That's an interesting ebook you have there, by the way.

Originally Posted by Corvus

Thank you.
I gather that pdf files can't be read on the little hand-held readers.
I see you beleive in covering all formats. And apparently Kindle ebooks can be sold independently, without having to be be involved with the proprietary store?

That's an interesting ebook you have there, by the way.

Yeah, I think there's too much diversity in the ereader market place to ignore any formats. For example, I use Palm pdb format for my own ereading, though I plan to get a Kobo when they get released in the US.

I also think that Kindle is going to lose dominance as more ereaders come onto the market, and I think that smartphones are the major growth area, particularly with younger folks.

A Kindle owner can load a mobi file they acquired somewhere else (like Smashwords) so they do have options other than the Kindle store. (It's just more convenient to get a book wirelessly direct from the Kindle store).

The Kindle 2 can read PDFs as can some of the other ereaders as well.

I have a Sony PRS-505 reader, which can read PDFs but not well. It displays a whole PDF page (think 8-1/2 x11) as a whole page on the reader (much smaller). There's no repagination or flowing text. I use Calibre to convert PDFs to LRF or EPUB before loading them onto the reader.