EBooks: changing the publishing industry, PwC

Turning the Page: The Future of eBooks

5

ePUB files allow readers to control

•

the size of the text on their screen. 

However, eBooks published as ePUB 

files do not have static page numbers.

Researchers and students may not be 

able to provide accurate page numbers 

for citations. PDFs allow publishers 

to create more intricately designed 

books, with fixed page numbers and

illustrations, but these books may be 

difficult to read on some eReaders and

other devices, especially those with 

small screens. Readers may not want 

to scroll left and right to read each line 

of text.

Amazon uses a proprietary format, AZW, 

which is an extensible markup framework 

like ePUB but offers a level of copyright 

protection and digital rights management. 

AZW is based on software made by 

Mobipocket, a subsidiary of Amazon. A 

version of Mobipocket is available for free. 

It is similar to ePUB: it allows flexible page

breaks and is suitable for small electronic 

devices.