Why doesn’t My eBook Look Like My Print Book?

Many first-time authors looking to self-publish their books are confused about ebooks. The book designers and publishers often ask aspiring authors if their eBook will look exactly like the print book. The simple answer to that is No. 

It is vital to note that different formats are designed for various purposes. Hence, the design of any particular format, be it eBook or print book, is to cater to that specific purpose. The formatting of an eBook is done differently compared to a print book. From the formatting of the page to the style of the book, it would be different for both these formats.

Let us look at the specific reasons as to why eBook doesn’t look like the print book:

1. The drop cap in the print book looks appealing and beautiful. But it doesn’t fit well in eBooks. A drop cap is the first character of a paragraph or chapter made larger for decorative purposes in a print book. When you convert the print book to an eBook, these elements are converted into images to ensure the size and font. But, the issue is that there is no guarantee that it will align in the exact position where needed in the eBook.
2. You can use any font you desire for your book, which is achieved in print books. But that’s not the case with fonts in eBooks. The font choices are limited to your eReaders’ font collection. 
3. eBooks cannot display graphics, tables, diagrams, and images, the same way as print books. Most eReaders cannot support the text wrapping and will end up separating the image from its corresponding text, which results in your image palace somewhere out of context. 
4. Looking at a back cover before the purchase of the eBook is impossible. The main point of having a back cover is to captivate the reader to buy the book, but that concept is lost in an eBook. With eBooks, the reader will only see the back cover until they have purchased it. 

eBooks and print books are two different animals. The formatting for each is designed to meet the needs of the medium. If you’re looking to self-publish an eBook, it’s essential to understand the differences mentioned above so your book looks its best.