An eBook Publisher's Dilemma: Should I Use PDF or Exe Format?

An eBook Publisher's Dilemma: Should I Use PDF or Exe Format?
by Michael Southon

If you write and publish eBooks, sooner or later you
will probably be faced with a dilemma - should you
create your eBooks as .exe files or .pdf files?

PDF, which stands for Portable Document Format, is the
file extension for files created with Adobe Acrobat.

Exe, which stands for 'executable', is the extension
for files created by eBook compilers.

PDF is widely considered to be the 'industry standard'
for eBook publishing, and for good reason. Here are
some of the advantages of PDF files over exe files:

(1) With most eBook compilers you have to set up each
page of your eBook as a separate web page. With Adobe
Acrobat you can use a single MS Word file as the
source document.

(2) PDF files automatically number each page - exe
files don't.

(3) PDF files are very easy to edit - you can insert
pages, replace pages and delete pages (and the page
numbering is automatically adjusted).

(4) Printing from a PDF file is much easier than
printing from an .exe file.

(5) The 'bookmark' column on the left side of a PDF
file makes naviagtion very easy - much easier than in
an exe file.

(6) PDF files compress better than exe files, so you
end up with a smaller, more manageable file.

(7) It's virtually impossible to transmit a virus
through a PDF file - exe files are susceptible to
virus transmission and can become corrupted during
download.

(8) Finally, by using PDF you automatically expand
your potential market because PDF files can be read on
both a PC and a Mac (exe files can only be read on a
PC). Over 8 percent of the online population in the
U.S. are currently Mac users
(www.nielsen-netratings.com) - not a huge increase in
your market, but nevertheless significant.

But exe files do have some advantages over PDF files,
and perhaps the most important of these is price -
most eBook compilers are a fraction of the cost of
Adobe Acrobat.

Another advantage of exe files over PDF is the
rebranding feature. The following eBook compilers all
have a built-in rebranding function:

http://www.ebookcompiler.com/
http://www.ebookgenerator.com/
http://www.ebookedit.com/
http://www.ebookpaper.com/

If you use free eBooks as a viral marketing tool,
rebranding is the key to success, because people are
much more likely to promote your free eBook if they
can customize it with their own affiliate links.

(c) 2002 by Michael Southon