Formatting Problems 11/22/63

SteveK · 12-02-2011, 11:33 PM

I recently purchased and am currently reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King. Although I find it a very enjoyable read so far, I am very unhappy with its formatting. Most formatting is acceptable, but for some reason there is no spacing between the last italicized word and the first non-italicized word. As you know if you've read 11/22/63, there are MANY instances of italicized words in the book - probably more use of italics than I've ever seen.

The same problem happens with a phrase that is all capital letters, such as newspaper headlines. Again, there is no space between the last word with all capital letters and the first word with regular case letters.

I have sent an email to Kobo to see if I can get a refund or if perhaps a different version has been uploaded, which I doubt.

Has anybody else experienced these problems with this book?

Thanks.
SteveK.

DiapDealer · 12-03-2011, 12:04 PM

I honestly can't remember being distracted by any formatting issues while I was reading it. And that sort of thing usually jumps out at me. *shrugs*

Lee113 · 12-04-2011, 03:25 AM

I'm having the exact same problems and it IS very distracting. Although I'm loving the book!! I've only downloaded books right from the kobo website and this is the first time I've had a book have so many errors.

HarryT · 12-04-2011, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee113

I'm having the exact same problems and it IS very distracting. Although I'm loving the book!! I've only downloaded books right from the kobo website and this is the first time I've had a book have so many errors.

It's clearly a production error. What did the publisher say when you reported it to them?

SteveK · 12-04-2011, 09:04 AM

Harry- I haven't reported it to the publisher, only to Kobo, who I haven't heard back from yet. I find interesting that another Kobo customer has the same problem, but I haven't seen any other complaints about it. Perhaps most people accept it as yet another example of poor ebook formatting and ignore it.

If it were a random error it might be less distracting, but it happens every time there is a word in italics, of which there are many.

SteveK

HarryT · 12-04-2011, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveK

Harry- I haven't reported it to the publisher, only to Kobo, who I haven't heard back from yet. I find interesting that another Kobo customer has the same problem, but I haven't seen any other complaints about it. Perhaps most people accept it as yet another example of poor ebook formatting and ignore it.

If it were a random error it might be less distracting, but it happens every time there is a word in italics, of which there are many.

SteveK

It's nothing to do with Kobo - it's the publisher who produces the book. They are the ones who need to be notified of the errors.

DiapDealer · 12-04-2011, 10:22 AM

Quote:

If it were a random error it might be less distracting, but it happens every time there is a word in italics, of which there are many.

"Every time," I would have definitely noticed... so the same issue obviously didn't afflict the Kindle version.

HarryT · 12-04-2011, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

"Every time," I would have definitely noticed... so the same issue obviously didn't afflict the Kindle version.

A problem restricted to the ePub version of the book, perhaps?

SteveK · 12-04-2011, 07:26 PM

Harry- I've sent an email to the publisher to voice my complaints, so we'll see what they have to say- if anything. Hopefully they're aware of the problem and have started correcting it. If not, then I may need my first ebook refund.

SteveK

Quake1028 · 12-05-2011, 07:29 AM

I read the Kindle version as well, and I don't remember any such problems. If someone with the ePub version can direct me to a location I will gladly check.

SteveK · 12-05-2011, 11:16 AM

Quake- I don't have a location but the first instance starts very early: the first sentence of the third paragraph, of the book. The narrator is quoting his ex-wife saying "I have never seen you cry". The word "never" is in italics and there is no space between never and seen. Thus it winds up "I have neverseen you cry". This happens every time there's a word in italics, so I frequently have to re-read the words to see where the break should be.

Thanks for offering to check.

SteveK

DiapDealer · 12-05-2011, 11:36 AM

Those words in that passage are clearly delineated in my Kindle copy.

Is there any chance that the ePub version is using an embedded (alternate) font for its main text? I know I've run across several cases where the kerning on certain fonts makes it look like there's no space between the last letter of an italicized word and the first letter of the next (un-italicized) word. In those cases, I've often gone to the effort of correcting the "mistake," only to find that there was, indeed, a space there.

Not that that would excuse the publisher, mind you. A space you can't see, isn't really a space after all. I'm just curious.

replica145 · 12-05-2011, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

What did the publisher say when you reported it to them?

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's nothing to do with Kobo - it's the publisher who produces the book. They are the ones who need to be notified of the errors.

I see what you did there

JSWolf · 12-05-2011, 03:34 PM

I have 11/22/63 in ePub. I've not yet started reading it. But, I just did a quick look at some of the italics and I don't have a problem. The italics have proper spaces where needed. The above example in my edition is just fine. Maybe it's an issue with the copy send to Kobo?

I have also checked out the sample ePub from B&N and the italics look OK to me.

elemenoP · 12-05-2011, 03:37 PM

A problem with no space between the end of italic and beginning of normal text is a font metric problem. The last italic letter is leaning into the space where the space would be. Proper kerning or hinting should account for this common problem. So this Kobo's issue, not the publisher. Try changing to another font if your reader has other fonts.

eP

12-02-2011, 11:33 PM	#1
SteveK Addict Posts: 272 Karma: 1017902 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Kindle PW, PW2, Kindle3, Kobo Glo, tablets, phone	Formatting Problems 11/22/63 I recently purchased and am currently reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King. Although I find it a very enjoyable read so far, I am very unhappy with its formatting. Most formatting is acceptable, but for some reason there is no spacing between the last italicized word and the first non-italicized word. As you know if you've read 11/22/63, there are MANY instances of italicized words in the book - probably more use of italics than I've ever seen. The same problem happens with a phrase that is all capital letters, such as newspaper headlines. Again, there is no space between the last word with all capital letters and the first word with regular case letters. I have sent an email to Kobo to see if I can get a refund or if perhaps a different version has been uploaded, which I doubt. Has anybody else experienced these problems with this book? Thanks. SteveK.

12-05-2011, 03:34 PM	#14
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,142 Karma: 144284184 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I have 11/22/63 in ePub. I've not yet started reading it. But, I just did a quick look at some of the italics and I don't have a problem. The italics have proper spaces where needed. The above example in my edition is just fine. Maybe it's an issue with the copy send to Kobo? I have also checked out the sample ePub from B&N and the italics look OK to me. Last edited by JSWolf; 12-05-2011 at 03:40 PM.

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12-03-2011, 12:04 PM	#2
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,358 Karma: 203720150 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I honestly can't remember being distracted by any formatting issues while I was reading it. And that sort of thing usually jumps out at me. shrugs

12-04-2011, 03:25 AM	#3
Lee113 Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: kobo	I'm having the exact same problems and it IS very distracting. Although I'm loving the book!! I've only downloaded books right from the kobo website and this is the first time I've had a book have so many errors.

12-04-2011, 09:04 AM	#5
SteveK Addict Posts: 272 Karma: 1017902 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Kindle PW, PW2, Kindle3, Kobo Glo, tablets, phone	Harry- I haven't reported it to the publisher, only to Kobo, who I haven't heard back from yet. I find interesting that another Kobo customer has the same problem, but I haven't seen any other complaints about it. Perhaps most people accept it as yet another example of poor ebook formatting and ignore it. If it were a random error it might be less distracting, but it happens every time there is a word in italics, of which there are many. SteveK

12-04-2011, 07:26 PM	#9
SteveK Addict Posts: 272 Karma: 1017902 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Kindle PW, PW2, Kindle3, Kobo Glo, tablets, phone	Harry- I've sent an email to the publisher to voice my complaints, so we'll see what they have to say- if anything. Hopefully they're aware of the problem and have started correcting it. If not, then I may need my first ebook refund. SteveK

12-05-2011, 07:29 AM	#10
Quake1028 Guru Posts: 917 Karma: 9155462 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Tampa, FL Device: See signature	I read the Kindle version as well, and I don't remember any such problems. If someone with the ePub version can direct me to a location I will gladly check.

12-05-2011, 11:16 AM	#11
SteveK Addict Posts: 272 Karma: 1017902 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Kindle PW, PW2, Kindle3, Kobo Glo, tablets, phone	Quake- I don't have a location but the first instance starts very early: the first sentence of the third paragraph, of the book. The narrator is quoting his ex-wife saying "I have never seen you cry". The word "never" is in italics and there is no space between never and seen. Thus it winds up "I have neverseen you cry". This happens every time there's a word in italics, so I frequently have to re-read the words to see where the break should be. Thanks for offering to check. SteveK

12-05-2011, 11:36 AM	#12
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,358 Karma: 203720150 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	Those words in that passage are clearly delineated in my Kindle copy. Is there any chance that the ePub version is using an embedded (alternate) font for its main text? I know I've run across several cases where the kerning on certain fonts makes it look like there's no space between the last letter of an italicized word and the first letter of the next (un-italicized) word. In those cases, I've often gone to the effort of correcting the "mistake," only to find that there was, indeed, a space there. Not that that would excuse the publisher, mind you. A space you can't see, isn't really a space after all. I'm just curious.

12-05-2011, 03:37 PM	#15
elemenoP Wizard Posts: 1,717 Karma: 3790058 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: NYC Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony 650	A problem with no space between the end of italic and beginning of normal text is a font metric problem. The last italic letter is leaning into the space where the space would be. Proper kerning or hinting should account for this common problem. So this Kobo's issue, not the publisher. Try changing to another font if your reader has other fonts. eP

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