Why We’ll Never Have Innovative E-Books

[Frida Fantastic]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I certainly wish you'd remind some of your brothers in arms about the "collaborative effort" part. Because one of my favorite genres is going down the toilet (for me anyway) because of a rising trend in authors who feel the need to micromanage my experience of their personal vision under the guise of "world-building." It's like they're afraid I'll get their vision "wrong" or something. My imagination gets pissed when the author tries to do everything for it.

Ha! You're talking about the epic fantasy sub-genre? I like meaty descriptions and all, but there's a time and place for it, and it seems like a lot of epic fantasy authors have that writing style just because they think it's part of the sub-genre... but it's not really necessary for a good story. Wield nice prose when you've got it, when you don't, cut to the chase. I like sinking my teeth into pages and pages of descriptions, but that's not very often, and it has to be done well rather than info-dumping-ey. Epic fantasy, please have different writing styles. Epic fantasy doesn't need to mean epic word count or epic foliage.

[linux_author]

markup language and macro use gets too much in the way of writing for traditional publishing, especially if your publisher is too cheap to hire good copy editors and tech prep; adding 'innovative' features of e-books would be a real PITA - who could focus on writing?

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Frida Fantastic

Ha! You're talking about the epic fantasy sub-genre? I like meaty descriptions and all, but there's a time and place for it, and it seems like a lot of epic fantasy authors have that writing style just because they think it's part of the sub-genre... but it's not really necessary for a good story. Wield nice prose when you've got it, when you don't, cut to the chase. I like sinking my teeth into pages and pages of descriptions, but that's not very often, and it has to be done well rather than info-dumping-ey. Epic fantasy, please have different writing styles. Epic fantasy doesn't need to mean epic word count or epic foliage.

You nailed it.
Plus I resent the fact that authors (and subsequently the readers of those authors) seem to have an aversion to the literary concept known as "The End." So much so that they avoid writing one for decades at a time. I love endings myself. I want one for every book I read. (I'd accept one every two to three books if I had to)

Back to your regularly scheduled thread.

[Freeshadow]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I certainly wish you'd remind some of your brothers in arms about the "collaborative effort" part. Because one of my favorite genres is going down the toilet (for me anyway) because of a rising trend in authors who feel the need to micromanage my experience of their personal vision under the guise of "world-building." It's like they're afraid I'll get their vision "wrong" or something. My imagination gets pissed when the author tries to do everything for it.

And in case you ever wondered what wannabe authors with such a habit do if they aren't skilled enough to write plots and so never leave the slushpile:
they go and write background-info (fluff) books for pen&paper RPG systems.

[JSWolf]

One reason we won't have innovative eBooks is because we need to dump obsolete formats and we haven't because Amazon refuses to see that Mobipocket's time has come because it's obsolete.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

And in case you ever wondered what wannabe authors with such a habit do if they aren't skilled enough to write plots and so never leave the slushpile:
they go and write background-info (fluff) books for pen&paper RPG systems.

Actually there's several bestselling, highly-regarded authors that I feel are just as guilty of it.

[Freeshadow]

@DD
I didn't neglect it i just meant a lot of the rest ends up writing RPG fluff

[Lemurion]

From my perspective, one of the biggest benefits of reading is that everything happens at my pace. I can read as fast or as slowly as I want. I can stop and start instantly, just by moving my eyes. There's no need to find the "pause" button if I need to deal with my daughter or the dog has mistaken the cat for a chew toy and I need to pull her off him before he loses patience. I just stop reading.

Sound and video run at their pace, not mine. They need synchronization and that's the problem I have.

Give me innovation in terms of additional text links - give me innovation through images and maps I can explore - don't give me audio/visual content to watch.

I am a reader, not a watcher. I love innovation, I want new ideas in eBooks; but when all the innovations seem to come down to making books more like television, you lose me. One of the reasons I read is because I don't want to watch television. If you want to innovate, innovate for readers, don't try to force what any first year marketing student should have realized we don't want down our throats.

[JasonB]

> This Is Why We’ll Never Have Innovative E-Books

The complaint seems mostly nonsensical to me. When was the last time we had an "innovative" physical book? I don't see people going around saying that physical books won't catch on or are boring because there's no change / invention in that medium...

Electronic books should do what physical books do but in a way that makes the experience better. There are still some technological advances to be made, but mostly the kind of "thing" he's looking for is very much beside the point.

[Cyberman tM]

Originally Posted by JasonB

When was the last time we had an "innovative" physical book?

I think physical books have reached their limits. There is only so much you can do before reaching for electronics.

Interactive paper books are limited because they're made of paper. Either you have pop-up books which rely on mechanics (and will break), or chose-your-path stories that have you switch pages randomly, breaking the flow.

Electronics wouldn't have that problem. (Except for displaying 3D, of course, though that might change, in which case they could surpass pop-up books.)

[Toxaris]

3D books... I already wear glasses. I really loathe the whole 3D stuff. You have to use some glasses which do not fit anyone, least of all people already having glasses. It hardly actually adds to the 'experience', gives a lot of people headaches and dizzyness. No thanks, I'll pass.

I said earlier, I can understand that there is a small market for 'interactive' books. Childrens books (to some extent), manuals and things like that. However, I think that only makes up for about 10% (estimate mine) of the books produced. Let them first get the basis right before building more on top of it.

[Freeshadow]

Let them first get the basis right before building more on top of it.

^ exactly - alas I fear it not to happen - rhere are already bursts of outcry and anger because the ignorance of typography 101 by both the specs AND the reading systems out there in noticeable places - what happens?

[DiapDealer]

Except for displaying 3D, of course, though that might change, in which case they could surpass pop-up books.

I've been reading books in 3D for almost 50 years. The only requirement is two eyes.

[Cyberman tM]

Originally Posted by Toxaris

3D books... I already wear glasses. I really loathe the whole 3D stuff. You have to use some glasses which do not fit anyone, least of all people already having glasses. It hardly actually adds to the 'experience', gives a lot of people headaches and dizzyness. No thanks, I'll pass.

I was thinking along the lines of parallax barrier or holography as technology. It was merely a side-note since I mentioned pop-up books, which are more or less 3D, if crude.

[Salgueiros]

Pleeeease.... 3D books???

I just want talented novelists, historians, philosophers, etc, putting all their talent and brilliance in a book. Just that. Words and sentences and paragraphs, one after the other without some enhanced "thing" popping from the corner of the page.

Leave the techy-gadgetry bonanza for other objects or activities, ok?....