Instead, they use proprietary MOBI, AZW, and AZW3 files.ĪZW3 (also known as Kindle Format 8) was released in 2011, and it is the newest Amazon eBook format. One of the only retailers that doesn’t support ePub is Amazon.

There is a caveat, though: each retailer adds its own standards to the IDPF’s requirements, which can complicate things.īut generally speaking, ePub is the universal eBook format. Plus, the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) has issued standards to ensure ePub books look good on any platform.ĮPub files work on many different eBook readers and apps, including Barnes & Noble’s NOOK, Apple Books, Kobo, and Sony eReaders.

That means it’s easily and widely accessible. The ePub format is free, open-source, and based on HTML and CSS, which are the standard languages for web code. The standard file format for eBooks is ePub. Then I’ll dive deeper into why you might need to convert your eBook format and how you can do it. In this article, I’ll first explain the differences between eBook files. Not only does this tool convert your ePub file into Amazon’s MOBI/AZW3 format, but it also shows you how it will look on different devices. To send your book directly to someone who wants to read it on their KindleĮither way, you’ll want to use Amazon’s eBook converter, Kindle Previewer.To publish your book through Kindle Direct Publishing, which allows readers to buy it on Amazon and read it on their Kindle device.There are 2 main reasons you might want to convert a file to MOBI/AZW3: They sell an estimated 60-80% of all digital books. This matters because, as you may have guessed, Amazon is the biggest retailer of eBooks. Instead, Amazon uses a proprietary format called AZW3 (formerly, MOBI). Without a doubt, ePub is the file format you should use to publish your eBook.ĮPub is the most widely used eBook format, and it’s a powerful platform.īut just because ePub is the main eBook format doesn’t mean it’s the only one you’ll ever need.ĮPub files don’t work on Amazon Kindle devices. Before I explain exactly how to convert your ePub files to MOBI/AZW3 files, let me first make something very clear:

Open epub file in kindle app