If I can't post my ibook on iBooks because it has a limited audience; is it possible to still have the interactive elements of the ibook (i.e. widgets) if it is published in a epub. I know .pdfs aren't interactive.
No, sorry. iBooks Author widgets depend on using Apple's hybrid epub/.ibooks file format.
If you require significant interactivity, consider making an iOS app.
You can make PDF files interactive (e.g. with text boxes, drop-down lists etc), but this level of interactivity won't function in the iBooks app. iBooks seems to allow static PDFs only.
The Adobe PDF reader app allows for the above interactivity although I've had trouble getting it to work with buttons. It's been a while since I last used it though and I know that app has had a least one update since then, so it could still be something worth looking at.
One question to consider is in regard to your audience - what device(s) will they most likely be using to view your work? Interactive PDFs are fine on laptops and offer some level of functionality on tablets, ePub are fine for laptops, phones and tablets of any OS, iBooks are only for the iPad.
Thank you, that is helpful. I'm bummed that I can't use the widgets that add value to my document. But the ibook publisher does help provide a visually pleasing template even if it's just saved as a .pdf.
Thank you!
Do widgets work in an epub?
