The Geek’s Blog: All About Ebooks

Hi! My name is Simon Collinson and I’m Wakefield Press’s new ‘Geek in Residence’. Thanks to the generosity of the Australia Council, I’m here until the end of August to work on Wakefield’s ebook business.
So what exactly are ebooks? Essentially, they’re a website in a box: a kind of text file which can be displayed on computers, tablets, phones, and dedicated ereader devices.

Ebooks come in a few formats. The most widely used of these is an open format called EPUB, followed closely by MOBI, a proprietary format owned by Amazon, the creator of the popular ‘Kindle’ line of ereaders.
Ebooks are great for people who prefer to read large print books, as the text size can be enlarged. This means that every ebook is a large print book! They’re also good for travellers, because an average tablet or ereader is capable of holding hundreds or even thousands of ebooks.
‘But where can I buy Wakefield’s ebooks?’, I hear you asking? Luckily, you have a few options: find our ebooks at your preferred retailer, or buy them directly from us. EPUB format ebooks work on just about every device around (except for Kindles). Click here to see which ebook formats are supported by your tablet or ereader.
Ebooks are taking the publishing world by storm: they now make up at least 10% of all books sold in Australia. While I’m at Wakefield, my job is to make sure we can compete in this growing market. To do this, I need to know what our readers want. That’s why I’m asking you, dear readers, to get in touch and let me know what you think of our ebooks.
I’m looking forward to hearing your comments, suggestions, and questions.