What is an eBook?

If you've ever consulted an online dictionary or encyclopedia, you're already familiar with eBooks. Likewise, if you have a mapping or cookbook program on your computer, you already own an eBook. Remember the days when your new software or hardware purchase came with a printed user manual? These days they are typically embedded as eBooks within the software or on an enclosed CD. An eBook is any text or graphical content that is distributed in an electronic format. It can be a simple as a few dozen pages of a "How To" manual that you downloaded for free from a website to a tome like Bill Clinton's "My Life" to a few hundred pages of fiction from established or emerging authors.

Do I need to buy a special device to be able to read eBooks?

That depends.  If you're one of the millions of people who already own a PDA you already own an eBook reader.  If you don't own a PDA yet, you can check some of the links on this page to see what is available and where to buy one.

My eyes are old.  Won't reading a book on a little screen be difficult?

Reading an book on a PDA or ebook reader is surprisingly comfortable -- even for older people. The reason is that the eBook reader software includes an option for displaying both large and small text, as well as the ability to change the background color.

How big is an eBook?  I don't want to give up all of my PDA memory to eBooks.

Most PDAs and ebook readers use some form of external flash memory, like a memory stick or SD card. Typically, an ebook will run anywhere from a few hundred to a thousand KB. This means that a 128KB memory card will hold thousands of eBooks.

What if I lose my PDA?  Won't I lose my eBook library?

There are two ways to purchase an eBook: on a CD or by downloading it to your desktop or laptop computer. In either case, you will have the original copy on a device other than your PDA. That said, good computer housekeeping dictates that any important data should be copied to a backup system or CDs that are stored in a safe place. Crashes do happen.

Do I need to buy special software to read eBooks?

Most PDAs come with eBook reader software pre-loaded or included on a separate disk. In addition, a free download of Adobe Reader is available for a variety of PDAs.

Why do I need more than one program for reading eBooks?

eBooks are often offered in several different formats to accommodate the variety of PDAs and Readers on the market. The format for your reader is very likely included in the offerings. If not, you can always download your selection in PDF format and use Adobe Reader to install and read it on your PDA.

How much do eBooks cost?

Prices for eBooks vary, but typically they sell for a savings of twenty to thirty-percent less than the same title in a printed format.

Where can I buy eBooks?

eBook retailers abound on the Internet. Check some of the links on this page for a few of them. Authors and publisher websites often offer their eBooks at a discount over retailers.