02-20-2014, 03:16 PM | #1 |
Wizard
Posts: 1,479
Karma: 3846231
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Device: Kindle 3, Samsung Galaxy
|
Fed up with samples that don't contain anything useful
May I be permitted a little rant.
It's good that ebook vendors allow you to download free samples before you commit yourself to a purchase. But I hate it when the sample is full of the introductory matter - "about the author", "praise for ...", extended table of contents, extended list of illustrations, acknowledgements, notes on sources, preface, etc etc. - and there's no room left for the sample of the actual book. I've seen this many times. The latest was today, when I downloaded a sample of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, to find that almost the entire text consisted of an introductory review by a modern critic, without any of the text of the book itself. That's completely useless. I don't know if this is something that's within the author's control. If it is, the author ought to make sure that the sample contains at least one chapter of the book. If the author can't control that, then the publisher or the vendor should do something about it. Rant over. Thank you. Mike |
02-20-2014, 03:25 PM | #2 |
Ex-Helpdesk Junkie
Posts: 19,422
Karma: 85397180
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity
Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)
|
reviews should be shot at birth?
And maybe the reviewer as well, as I've never seen one that's useful. Me: "No it's not the next Harry Potter, you lying #@!&$% this thing doesn't even have a plot! DIE FIEND!" No I'm not joking! |
Advert | |
|
02-20-2014, 04:36 PM | #3 |
Philosopher
Posts: 2,034
Karma: 18736532
Join Date: Jan 2012
Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2 gen, Kindle Fire 1st Gen, Kindle Touch
|
Are samples a fixed percentage, or can the author choose what percentage to offer? If if can be chosen, the author should increase the percentage to ensure that it includes enough for the reader to actually sample the content. I see this a lot with short stories, sometimes you don't get even one single word of the actual story.
I think that everything that can be put to the back of the book should be. Get it out of the way. If the reader likes the book enough, they may read it, but generally, it's not an enhancement having it at the beginning. Reviews don't belong at the beginning. I already downloaded the sample. If I like the work, I'll be happy to read about the author's other works at the END of the book. |
02-20-2014, 04:53 PM | #4 |
Wizard
Posts: 3,144
Karma: 8426142
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Chicago, IL
Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD
|
I think a percentage of the book would be fine, as long as it starts at the beginning of the actual book text. It should bypass all of the other useless items.
Audible has a similar problem with audiobook samples. Often the samples are of the prologue, and those aren't always narrated by the same person who is doing the actual book text. |
02-20-2014, 05:54 PM | #5 |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 12,155
Karma: 73448616
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Toronto
Device: Nexus 7, Clara, Touch, Tolino EPOS
|
I've bitched about this to Kobo many tines; their previews are often totally useless.
|
Advert | |
|
02-20-2014, 06:54 PM | #6 |
Now what?
Posts: 58,796
Karma: 135181808
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Durham, NC
Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!
|
I think the standard Amazon sample is the initial 10% of the book - which usually contains the pages of reviews for other works by the author, the acknowledgements, the TOC, the Preface/Introduction, and maybe .... just maybe ... a few pages of actual text.
|
02-20-2014, 07:30 PM | #7 |
Wizard
Posts: 2,240
Karma: 5759170
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Near Dallas, Texas, USA
Device: iPad Mini, iPod Touch (5th gen)
|
I agree.
I think it would be best if they allowed you to read the entire first chapter, and it being specified by the author/publisher when uploading. It makes more sense than the way it is now. |
02-20-2014, 07:44 PM | #8 |
Evangelist
Posts: 404
Karma: 664
Join Date: Dec 2009
Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle DX, Kobo Aura HD
|
I've come across too many previews that stop precisely before the actual content. Most of these are non-fiction works, where the previews consist of just the forwards by a different author.
|
02-20-2014, 08:08 PM | #9 |
Wizard
Posts: 2,776
Karma: 30081762
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: US
Device: ALL DEVICES ARE STOCK: Kobo Clara, Tolino Shine 2, Sony PRS-T3, T1
|
When I first started using the Overdrive library I downloaded a couple of previews but they were all just the kind of junk Mike L was complaining about, so I gave up on them.
I would like a preview to be the first few pages of the first chapter of the book. |
02-20-2014, 09:02 PM | #10 |
Are you gonna eat that?
Posts: 1,633
Karma: 23215128
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Phillipsburg, NJ
Device: Kindle 3, Nook STG
|
The topper for me was the 4 page Nook preview of the first Wheel of Time book. You got the cover, copyright info and that is all. I felt like I was being trolled.
|
02-20-2014, 09:09 PM | #11 |
Wizard
Posts: 3,977
Karma: 38840460
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Minneapolis
Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos
|
I think it's a matter of how you choose a book. I choose a novel totally based on the blurb on the back. I don't want a sample of the writing. I'll read it when I buy the book. Nonfiction, especially craft/hobby or cookbooks are a different story. You need to see something of the recipes, writing to determine if the book is going to meet your needs.
As far as Audible, I have yet to come across the issue of the sample being different from the actual narrator and I have over 400 audiobooks. Have you complained to Audible when this happens? On the plus side, if you buy it from Audible and it is not what you expected, you can now return it for your money back. How can one argue with that policy. |
02-20-2014, 09:48 PM | #12 |
Zealot
Posts: 109
Karma: 2735606
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: San Diego, CA
Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Fire 7" & 10"; 11"(?)-12" Lenovo laptop
|
When I'm considering something on Amazon, I look at a paper book listing to see if there is a "Look Inside". Then you can actually read a few of the pages. I don't care what other mystery writers think of [it] a new mystery by another author (or are paid to write about it) -- hmmm, so who said something like, " If I liked this kind of book, this is a book I would like." ?? THAT I can appreciate!
Last edited by Anabana; 02-20-2014 at 09:50 PM. |
02-20-2014, 10:36 PM | #13 | |
Wizard
Posts: 2,360
Karma: 9026681
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Colorado
Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2nd Gen
|
Quote:
|
|
02-20-2014, 11:21 PM | #14 |
Wizard
Posts: 2,985
Karma: 18343081
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Sudbury, ON, Canada
Device: PRS-505, PB 902, PRS-T1, PB 623, PB 840, PB 633
|
With physical books, I usually flip somewhere to the middle of the book and read a few paragraphs there. The first few pages are often especially crafted to hook readers, and don't necessarily represent the rest of the writing. It's best when you get to choose the fragment, rather than accept what the author/publisher want you to see.
|
02-21-2014, 01:01 AM | #15 | |
You kids get off my lawn!
Posts: 4,220
Karma: 73492664
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Device: Oasis 2 and Libra H2O and half a dozen older models I can't let go of
|
Oh, agreed! In addition, I'm fed up with "blurbs" that are about the author, instead of the book.
Quote:
|
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
fed up with amazon.com | ozone123 | Amazon Kindle | 63 | 04-06-2019 02:20 PM |
Really Fed up with Kobo | Bookworm2013 | Kobo Reader | 20 | 10-21-2013 10:20 PM |
Fed up with the bugs! | jackastor | Kobo Reader | 98 | 09-19-2013 01:03 PM |
Completely fed up | wolfsbayne | Kobo Reader | 11 | 07-20-2011 08:17 AM |
fed up with sony | Akumag2 | Sony Reader | 8 | 02-02-2007 02:15 AM |