Quote:
Originally Posted by exaltedwombat
OK, if you want to SELL your books, you have to choose the format Amazon (or whoever) dictates.
But a lot of people here seem to be making books for their own personal use, on a single device, with no need for DRM. And a lot of them seem to really care about page layout, fonts..
So, if you use a computer or 10" tablet, why not PDF? If you want it liquid, why not a straightforward HTML "web site"? Plenty of readers have web browsers.
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For me, there are several reasons.
I wouldn't use PDF because I find it's almost useless for anything I don't intend to print. Most apps render them sluggishly, the file size is relatively large, and if I want to adjust the font on the fly to account for anything from tiredness to lighting I can't. It's not a practical format for my uses.
As for a plain HTML "website," while I could do that, there's no reason for it. Others have already mentioned the file-bundling aspect, but the truth of the matter is that a web browser isn't a good program for long-form reading. Reader programs are better, they don't get in the way and things like bookmarking where you are in the book/page are easier.
Formats like epub and mobi, and dedicated reader programs are better for reading fiction, so it makes sense to use them.