Planning To Publish Your eBook? Know Which Layout Is Best!

The growing popularity of eBooks has given authors a new way to reach out to the global audience. However, the most common problem associated with publishing eBooks is the choice of layout. The two most popular ones are the fixed layout and reflowable layout. But, how to identify which layout will go with your requirements? Know about the different eBook layouts here and identify which one will suit your requirements.

• The Standard Layout

Let us start by simply explaining a “standard” eBook. Ensuring maximum usability, eBooks in e Pub format employ real-time flow-able text which is compatible with almost every e Reader. e Pub is the most favored eBook format perfect for text-based books and books that include small-sized images embedded in the text. You just have to manually adjust the font size and style to fit your reading preferences. This is why there is no set pagination. Because adjusting the font will change the number of words displayed per page based on user settings and the screen size of the particular device. So, this layout is most suitable for text-based eBooks.

• The Fixed Layout

Another eBook layout is the fixed layout ePUB. It is the best layout for books that require heavy graphics, design elements or large illustrations/photos. As the name suggests, the layout remains fixed preserving the qualities of the printed page. This is one of the reasons why authors prefer fixed layout ebook conversion for their work. The content remains fixed which restricts the content to flow automatically. Just like digital typesetting, you can embed fonts, select placement of visual elements, etc. It allows you to have control of the experience you want to provide to your audience. On the contrary, readers lose the ability to resize text, set margins, spacing, and fonts. Using enhanced interactive features, this layout works best for cookbooks, children’s books, coffee table books, comics, etc. and is compatible with Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.

Fixed layout is a perfect option for you if you want to:

• Preserve text over images.
• Set a background color.
• Wrap the text around images.
• Have a horizontal orientation for your book.
• Have multi-column text pages.
• Have aspect ratios for pages that you don’t want to change later.

• The Reflowable Layout

It is the most widely chosen format that does not control the text. In other words, this layout considers the content as floating text and images, then arranges them precisely as per the screen size of the device on which it is being accessed. For instance, if a user switches from portrait view to landscape, the responsive text and images would reposition itself to optimize readability for the changed dimensions. Most publications, authors and even eBook distribution services providers prefer this format for fictional and non-fictional work like biographies, memoirs, history publications, and business guides, etc.

These are the primary layouts among which you can choose one for your work considering: what type of ebook you are publishing and who is your ebook designed for?

For more information on the different ePUB layouts, drop a mail at info@suntecdigital.com and get ebook conversion experts to solve all your queries regarding ebook conversion, publishing, and distribution.