![\"Reading\"](\"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/e\/e7\/Dou%2C_Gerard_-_Astronomer_by_Candlelight_-_c._1665.jpg\/410px-Dou%2C_Gerard_-_Astronomer_by_Candlelight_-_c._1665.jpg\")
Gerrit Dou [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons<\/p><\/div>We hear about mobi files, ePubs, various platforms, Amazon Kindle, Google Play, iTunes, B&N’s Nook, Kobo… Ebook library aggregators such as MyiLibrary, ebrary or Netlibrary, each demanding different sets of data, each distributing on their own terms and conditions and dictating their own business models and producing reports in whatever way they want. How many formats and platforms the poor production and sales teams have to deal with?<\/p>\n
Ebook: definition<\/h1>\n
Oxford Dictionaries <\/a><\/em>defines ebooks as [1]<\/strong> ‘an electronic version of a printed book that can be read on a computer or handheld device designed specifically for this purpose.’ and [2]<\/strong> ‘ a dedicated device for reading electronic versions of printed books.’<\/p>\n Oxford is great! But I’m afraid both definitions are wrong. 50 shades of Grey<\/em>, the bestselling novel of 2012, appeared as an ebook without a print counterpart and the print edition was only published after the ebook had already reached its high sales. There are thousands of ebooks published every week that may never have a print version, and the trend shows that we should expect more and more ebook-only editions of a book.<\/p>\n The Oxford Companion to the Book <\/i><\/a>offers another definition: ‘An electronic book<\/b> (variously, e-book<\/b>, ebook<\/b>, digital book<\/b>, or even e-edition<\/b>) is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices.’<\/p>\n Well, this seems to suggest a better understanding of the concept, but it’s not complete. An ebook is not only about text and images; it’s a package for any digital media such as audio, video, and interactive graphics. Some ebooks don’t contain texts at all; they just include images and voice. It’s not about text, it’s about concept. And something else is missing from the definition above: ‘interactivity’, one if the core features of books, including ebooks.<\/p>\n If we take a step back and look at the definition of books, we usually see something like: ‘A set of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of ink, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf, and each side of a leaf is called a page,’ (Wikipedia<\/a>) or ‘a written or printed work consisting of pages glued or sewn together along one side and bound in covers’ (Oxford Dictionaries<\/a>).<\/p>\n Well, as you can see, even the definitions of books don’t succeed in defining the concept of the most important medium for transfering knowledge in human history. That’s why the definition of ebooks gets confusing.<\/p>\n <\/a>So, I’m going to offer another definition:<\/p>\n ‘A book is a transferable, portable, standalone and interactive package of readable knowledge employing any of the various forms of media, including words, sounds, and static, moving or interactive images. It can be produced or reproduced on physical objects such as paper sheets, or in digital form’.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n