What is e-publishing?

In the many years I've been online, I've often been asked some variation of the question, "What exactly is e-publishing?"

NetLingo, the dictionary of Internet terms, defines e-publishing as follows: To display, present, or post some type of written, auditory, or visual media on the World Wide Web, with the intent of making it available entirely or in part to all users or just certain users. This is "publishing without paper..."

By that definition, e-publishing includes this blog and letters from Iraq from Fr. Jerry, who was my parish priest until he felt God's call to become an Army chaplain.

E-zines, electronic magazines and newsletters, are often sent via e-mail. People subscribe to the e-zine or newsletter because they are interested in the particular topic that the e-zine covers. Examples of Christian e-zines include A Word Fitly Spoken and In Search of Peace.

But most of the time when we talk about e-publishing, we think of e-books. In future installments of this series, I'll talk about the various kinds of book publishing: vanity/subsidy publishing, self-publishing, traditional publishing.

Use the comments feature to ask any questions you have about e-publishing and e-books.