Learn about chapters and pages in ebooks using Kotobee Author.

In the original EPUB standard, there were no pages, just chapters with reflowable content. EPUB later introduced the traditional fixed-layout of print books, in which pages are a set size, but continued to use the term chapter for each individual page.

Kotobee Author is based on the EPUB format, so we use the same EPUB terms. 

Reflowable Layout

There are no pages in the reflowable layout, just chapters. A chapter is one scrollable screen of variable length (ie. reflowable content). For short chapters, the reader scrolls down a short distance and for long chapters the reader scrolls down a long distance, as in any webpage. 

rflw

Fixed Layout

In EPUB

In fixed-layout, there are no chapters, just pages called chapters. Each chapter is a set size (height/width dimensions), the equivalent of a page in a print book. 

Naturally in print books, a chapter has many pages as in the diagram below. 

fxl

Example:  A print book with 100 pages. In EPUB the pages will be called chapters, and the book will be said to have 100 chapters.

In Kotobee Author

In your fixed layout ebook, you will find each page listed as a separate chapter in the chapter menu. Don't worry. Kotobee Author allows you to keep chapters from appearing in the published table of contents. All pages will still appear in your ebook, but only the ones you choose will appear in the table of contents. 

So, as your readers go through the pages of your ebook, they will see a normal table of contents with each chapter entry pointing to the chapter's first page. As they read they will navigate between all pages easily with the Previous and Next buttons. When your reader is on Chapter 1 page 1 and presses Next, Chapter 1 page 2 appears, and pressing Previous will bring the reader back to page 1.

Ebook designer

  1. Keep the first page of each chapter in the Table of Contents.
  2. Remove all other pages in the chapter from the Table of Contents. Learn now how to Remove a Chapter from the Table of Contents.

Your Readers

  • 1.  Your readers will see a normal Table of Contents with each chapter entry pointing to the chapter's first page. 
  • 2.  As they read, they will navigate between all pages normally with the Previous and Next buttons.

In the example above, chapters that appear dimmed in Kotobee Author will not be visible to the reader in the Table of Contents.