Except where otherwise noted, the content in this guide was researched and written by Dr. Matt Panhans. Below, find a PDF copy of his report.
Different publishers support different file formats. A summary of formats supported by the major publishers is provided below:
| KPF Formats | Epub Formats | Mobi Formats | PDF Formats | Word Format | |
| Supported Retailers | |||||
| Amazon Kindle | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Barnes & Noble | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Smashwords | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Apple iBooks | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Ingram Spark | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Kobo | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Google Bookstore | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Draft2Digital | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Lulu | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Compatible Devices | |||||
| Fire Tablets | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kindle App | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Kindle e-ink | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Apple iBooks, iPad, iPhone, iPod | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Kobo e-reader | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Sony e-reader | N | ||||
Source: https://www.ebookenhancers.com/learn/types-of-ebook-formats
The KPF (Kindle Package Format) is unique to Amazon Kindle who dominates the US market. Not all devices support this format. The EPUB2 format is the open standard for eBooks. It is supported by all major publishers and pretty much every device. The newer EPUB3 format allows for audio and video incorporation in addition to the ability to produce fixed-format eBooks. This newer format may have more limitations in terms of retailers who accept it and devices which support it. The MOBI format has been widely used on Amazon Kindle. It appears this format is being superseded by KPF. The PDF and DOCX formats are fixed-design formats. Often used in business, these latter formats are not as widely used as primary eBook formats. While some publishers accept these formats, it is common to use format conversion software to convert to one of the more accepted formats.
If one is only interested in self-publishing on Amazon, the KPF or MOBI formats are the best choices. A more universally accepted format is EPUB2. This format is accepted by virtually all publishers and supported by almost all devices. Fixed-format eBooks need to use one of the compatible formats such as EPUB3 or PDF. However, one should confirm that the desired platform(s) and target devices support these formats.
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