When eBooks were in their heyday (well not quite, but for a while there they were the next big thing) the way to go about creating one was not in the PDF format, it was in a EXE format via a dedicated eBook compiler.

Those days are long gone now (thankfully). I personally never liked the compilers. They had a bland interface that produced poorly designed ebooks - correct me I’m off the mark.

So if you are a budding information publisher and looking at whether to go with the exe or pdf format here’s some food for thought…

WebDesingforSmallBusiness.com takes a look at the two…

PDF (Portable Document Format) is a file format that is established by Adobe. It is now wide spread standard for exchanging and archiving documents in electronic format. They are printer friendly and the design is more like a classic paper book.
EXE (Executable) is a file format that is used by Microsoft operating system Windows. This is actually a program file that contains the book pages inside it self and the presentation of the content is like website. You browse the book much like in Internet Explorer.

Sooner or later you will probably be faced with a dilemma - should you create your eBooks as EXE files or PDF files? But really, there should be no dilemma.

PromotionWorld…

PDF is widely considered to be the ‘industry standard’ for eBook publishing, and for good reason.

PDF is the industry standard by a country mile. People understand it. They are comfortable using it. And unlike the EXE format, you will never get a virus with a PDF download.

There’s also a great third-party industry that has grown around the PDF format - lots of useful free and low-priced products to be had (look for a post coming up shortly on 25 pdf converters and a more ongoing in-depth look at the power and functionality of PDF).

I’ve also noticed a big trend over recent times. I have been tracking the eBook industry since 2001, gathering data of techniques used to develop and market them. In 2001, the vast majoirty of eBooks (I tracked 122 ebooks) were being delivered in the EXE format. Jump forward a few years, and in 2006 I’m monitoring 172 eBooks and guess what? 153 of them are solely delivered in PDF format. That is a big turnaround. And should end any discussion: PDF is the way to go.

What do you think? Is the EXE format dead and buried? Is PDF t