Last line of an ebook?

JonathanH · 01-29-2012, 12:36 AM

I've just started converting some old newsletter back-issues into EPUB/Mobi format, and I'm finding that reaching the end of a newsletter on a Kindle is a fairly jarring experience - since there isn't the physical indication of "turning the last page", all you see is a blank screen.

What do other authors use as the last line of an ebook to indicate that it's the end? (Other than "The End", of course, which is suitable for some books but not really for historical newsletters!)

As an example, I believe I saw a reference yesterday to using "# # #", centered, as a final line (but now I can't find that reference again, and just try doing a web search for "# # #"). That seems pretty reasonable to me - is it a semi-standard?

speakingtohe · 01-29-2012, 02:58 AM

* * * or The End would work for me

Helen

wraylewis · 01-29-2012, 05:54 AM

When I was a reporter at McGraw-Hill World News, the way you ended a story manuscript was "# # #".

Of course, this was in 1970 when cut and paste truly was cut and paste, and you transferred the text to punched paper tape so the little metal fingers that dropped through the holes would tell the line printer in New York what capital letter to type.

That limitation on remote printing equipment is why the lowest common denominator for the original computer transmission of text was ascii all upper case.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 01-29-2012, 08:46 AM

Most of my books end with an epilogue or afterward, and all of them end with an About the Author page. That pretty much tells a reader they're done.

Dr. Drib · 01-29-2012, 09:48 AM

I have a minor in Journalism and we were told to use ##### and centered to denote the end of a news article we were writing....and then to circle it.

Don

mr ploppy · 01-29-2012, 11:45 AM

Thanks for reading. If you downloaded this from somewhere without paying for it, please consider supporting the author in some way if you derived any entertainment from it.

You don't need to buy your own copy (though it would be great if you did, of course). There are lots of other ways you can support struggling writers. Leave a review on Amazon, mention it on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, anywhere else you think it might be useful.

dwig · 01-29-2012, 06:08 PM

Personally, I find the text character strings (e.g. ***, ###, etc) ugly. Using "the end" centered between two em dashes ( — the end — ) is somewhat better. In my opinion its better still to use a graphic such as the one attached or some other similar printer's ornament converted to a bitmap.

VydorScope · 01-29-2012, 09:10 PM

I think the generally accepted standard is ### or ~~~ centered but I have seen lots of variety in the wild...

JonathanH · 01-29-2012, 10:44 PM

Thanks all - especially for the information that this is a journalistic convention! Since I'm converting old magazines full of short articles, I feel that journalistic standards are good ones to follow, so I'm going with the following:

# # #

This text was transcribed from a scan of the original magazine.

For more information about the Society, visit [active url]

01-29-2012, 12:36 AM	#1
JonathanH Enthusiast Posts: 43 Karma: 153036 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: Kindle Touch	Last line of an ebook? I've just started converting some old newsletter back-issues into EPUB/Mobi format, and I'm finding that reaching the end of a newsletter on a Kindle is a fairly jarring experience - since there isn't the physical indication of "turning the last page", all you see is a blank screen. What do other authors use as the last line of an ebook to indicate that it's the end? (Other than "The End", of course, which is suitable for some books but not really for historical newsletters!) As an example, I believe I saw a reference yesterday to using "# # #", centered, as a final line (but now I can't find that reference again, and just try doing a web search for "# # #"). That seems pretty reasonable to me - is it a semi-standard?

01-29-2012, 06:08 PM	#7
dwig Wizard Posts: 1,613 Karma: 6718541 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Paradise (Key West, FL) Device: Current:Surface Go & Kindle 3 - Retired: DellV8p, Clie UX50, ...	Personally, I find the text character strings (e.g. ***, ###, etc) ugly. Using "the end" centered between two em dashes ( — the end — ) is somewhat better. In my opinion its better still to use a graphic such as the one attached or some other similar printer's ornament converted to a bitmap. Attached Images

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01-29-2012, 02:58 AM	#2
speakingtohe Wizard Posts: 4,812 Karma: 26912940 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: sony PRS-T1 and T3, Kobo Mini and Aura HD, Tablet	* * * or The End would work for me Helen

01-29-2012, 05:54 AM	#3
wraylewis Enthusiast Posts: 38 Karma: 689100 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Oakton, VA Device: Ipad and Kindle	When I was a reporter at McGraw-Hill World News, the way you ended a story manuscript was "# # #". Of course, this was in 1970 when cut and paste truly was cut and paste, and you transferred the text to punched paper tape so the little metal fingers that dropped through the holes would tell the line printer in New York what capital letter to type. That limitation on remote printing equipment is why the lowest common denominator for the original computer transmission of text was ascii all upper case.

01-29-2012, 08:46 AM	#4
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	Most of my books end with an epilogue or afterward, and all of them end with an About the Author page. That pretty much tells a reader they're done.

01-29-2012, 09:48 AM	#5
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 45,441 Karma: 59592133 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: KINDLE: Oasis 3, Scribe (1st), Matcha; KOBO: Libra 2, Libra Colour	I have a minor in Journalism and we were told to use ##### and centered to denote the end of a news article we were writing....and then to circle it. Don

01-29-2012, 11:45 AM	#6
mr ploppy Feral Underclass Posts: 3,622 Karma: 26821535 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Yorkshire, tha noz Device: 2nd hand paperback	Thanks for reading. If you downloaded this from somewhere without paying for it, please consider supporting the author in some way if you derived any entertainment from it. You don't need to buy your own copy (though it would be great if you did, of course). There are lots of other ways you can support struggling writers. Leave a review on Amazon, mention it on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, anywhere else you think it might be useful.

01-29-2012, 09:10 PM	#8
VydorScope Wizard Posts: 3,418 Karma: 35207650 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: iPad	I think the generally accepted standard is ### or ~~~ centered but I have seen lots of variety in the wild...

01-29-2012, 10:44 PM	#9
JonathanH Enthusiast Posts: 43 Karma: 153036 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: Kindle Touch	Thanks all - especially for the information that this is a journalistic convention! Since I'm converting old magazines full of short articles, I feel that journalistic standards are good ones to follow, so I'm going with the following: # # # This text was transcribed from a scan of the original magazine. For more information about the Society, visit [active url]

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