NEW YORK – October 5, 2009 – Breathless news stories, blog entries, tweets and retweets over the past few weeks declare eBooks are the future of publishing! Again! But even within the field of publishing there is much confusion over what exactly is an eBook. How do you decipher the alphabet soup of formats and acronyms? What’s the difference between the Kindle, Sony Reader and iPhone, and what in the world is a Vook? Is digital rights management (DRM) a necessary evil, or is there another solution?

Get the facts about eBooks during the FREE Digital Book World webinar, The Truth About eBooks: Devices, Formats, Pirates (Oh, My!) on Wednesday, October 21st at 1:00 pm EDT. Click here to register now.

Kirk Biglione of Oxford Media Works will moderate informative presentations by and a discussion with eBook experts Samir Kakar, CTO, Aptara and Joshua Tallent, owner of eBook Architects and author of Kindle Formatting: The Complete Guide.

The webinar will get past the hype and focus on the key opportunities and challenges presented by eBooks, including:

• The plethora of devices and formats: where should publishers and authors focus, and what, if any, are the best practices for, and pros and cons of each?
• DRM: The 800-pound gorilla of the eBook debate. Is it the only option, and does it really discourage piracy?
• "When is a Book no longer a Book?": What are the differences between eBooks, iPhone apps and digital books?

Kirk Biglione is a consultant, writer, and technologist. His diverse media background is perfectly suited to the new era of convergence. In addition to his extensive Internet experience, Kirk has also worked in radio and the music industry. Over the past decade he has helped scores of businesses and government agencies develop and improve their online presence. He frequently speaks on new media related topics and is a co-founder of Medialoper, where he contributes regular commentary and new media analysis. Kirk has become something of a reluctant DRM expert.

As Chief Technology Officer, Samir Kakar is responsible for Aptara's technology vision, its Content Technology Solutions practice, and oversees the company's global IT infrastructure. Since joining in 1993, Samir has been instrumental in developing Aptara's technology portfolio technology and processes in support of key customers such as Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Amazon, and Random House. Samir’s technology portfolio includes Aptara’s eBook Production Platform and the patented web-based fast-publishing solution, PowerXEditor.

Joshua Tallent has been an eBook developer for seven years, and is an expert on formatting eBooks in the variety of formats on the market, including Kindle/Mobipocket and ePub. His book, Kindle Formatting: The Complete Guide, has been praised as the most helpful and thorough explanation of the detailed process involved in formatting great-looking eBooks for the Amazon Kindle. eBook Architects, his eBook conversion, consulting, and process development business, provides services to the breadth of the publishing industry, from big companies like LibreDigital, Adobe, and Rand McNally, to individual authors and small publishers.

Registration is now open for this free event, presented by Digital Book World, an innovative new publishing conference that addresses the necessary changes in business processes, marketing strategies and technological resources that are being driven by changes in consumers’ reading and buying habits. Digital Book World takes place January 26-27, 2010 at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers in New York City. Unlike other events that focus primarily on the latest content delivery technology, Digital Book World is designed specifically to help consumer book publishers and their trading partners assess the challenges and opportunities presented by the digital age.

Learn more about Digital Book World programs and events and register for a discounted early rate to the Conference at digitalbookworld.com or follow @digibookworld on Twitter or join the Digital Book World group on LinkedIn.

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