Glossary
Reflowable vs fixed layout
Reflowable vs fixed layout: A reflowable ebook adapts its text to the screen and the reader’s font size, like a web page; it is the normal format for novels and non-fiction. A fixed-layout ebook keeps every page exactly as designed, like a PDF, and suits picture books, comics and heavily designed workbooks at the cost of readability on phones.
Choose reflowable when
- The book is mostly text: novels, guides, memoirs, business books.
- Readers will use phones and small e-readers.
- You want Kindle Unlimited page reads counted normally and accessibility features to work.
Choose fixed layout when
- Position on the page carries meaning: children’s picture books, comics, cookbooks with photo spreads, exercise sheets.
- You are also selling a print edition and want the ebook to match it.
- The audience reads on tablets or desktops.
The workbook question
Workbooks with exercises fall in between. The common solution is a reflowable EPUB for the store, with exercise prompts as text rather than fill-in boxes, plus a downloadable PDF with the printable worksheets linked from the book or from your site.
Frequently asked questions
Can a fixed-layout ebook be read on a Kindle e-reader?
Yes, but pages are shrunk to the screen and often hard to read. Tablets and the Kindle app are the intended devices.
Is a PDF a fixed-layout ebook?
In effect, yes. Stores treat it as a poor fit; sell PDFs from your own site, not on Amazon.
Which does create-ebook produce?
A reflowable EPUB and DOCX for stores, plus a typeset PDF for direct sales and printing.