[Mememememe]

As a publisher, I find it frustrating that other publishers aren't sending clean files out to Kobo, Kindle, etc. I've read countless ebooks that are rife with errors -- and I have to say, it seems to be a bigger problem with books from large multinationals than independents.

I've got a pretty good idea why it's happening. It's far easier to convert pre-designed Word files to EPUB -- you end up with fewer headaches to clean up. The problem is that a number of corrections are made to books AFTER this stage -- some even occurring while the book is at the printer. The further you get in the publishing process, the less likely you are to be using software that converts easily to EPUB.

So, these publishers are undoubtedly using Word files. These files will have been copyedited, but as anyone in publishing knows, even copyedited manuscripts contain errors -- sometimes many errors. That's why books are proofread after they're designed.

Basically, a lot of the ebooks you're reading have been copyedited, but not proofread.

So, why do these publishers send earlier files? Because the cleanup of later files in EPUB is very labour-intensive. It's far more time- and cost-consuming than a standard book proofread.

The editorial standards for ebooks should be just as high as they are for print books. I make sure our ebooks are from late-version files (the final PDFs that the printer uses), and get a proper proofread of their own before going to Kobo or Kindle. I find it shameful that some publishers are not doing so, particularly when it's the large multinationals who have the money to spend.