Content Kindles and ebook covers

[Martyd]

For me the cover is where the book begins. I always look at it and start there. Wish it was automatic.

[duckbill]

Irrespective of whether this is possible on MOBI formatted ebooks, I believe that the cover art should also be used as the screensaver.

I have just updated my PRS+ hack on the SonyPRS 505 and was surprised that this is now an option to have th cover displayed when switching off the device - great. It works on LRF as well as ePub.

[Avid Fan]

Originally Posted by duckbill

I have just updated my PRS+ hack on the SonyPRS 505 and was surprised that this is now an option to have th cover displayed when switching off the device - great. It works on LRF as well as ePub.

Does this mean it might be possible to include an option for such on the Kindle, or is that just wishful thinking?

[Martyd]

The cover as the screensaver has to be an option, IMO. I think some readers would not want others to know that they are reading a particular book, if you get my drift.

[dwig]

Originally Posted by AlexBell

...

Do you think not opening at the cover is a bug or a feature?

Feature. Printed books don't open to their covers either, BTW.

What I don't like about all too many Kindle ebooks is that they open at the beginning of the first chapter, skipping title pages, acknowledgements, dedications, and sometimes introductions.

IMHO, they should always open to either a frontis or the title page. If a publisher wants their "fabulous" cover art to be seen when the book is first opened it should either be converted into a frontis (art without any text) or an illustrated title page (art with title page appropriate text and no advertising or promotional blurbs).

Covers, with all their obscuring text and blurbs about how great this book is, should be seen only when selecting a book. Once you've selected and opened a book the cover should not be displayed by default.

[vxf]

I wish my Kindle Touch would display little thumbnails of covers like my SONY's.
And yes, I miss the 'use book cover as screensaver' option as well. That's a great feature of PRS+.

But, more than anything else, I am ticked off that the books open past introductions, thank you notes and whatnot. Cover... I couldn't really care. But a book should not open at the first chapter if there is an intro or a quote or similar.

[dwig]

Originally Posted by vxf

...But, more than anything else, I am ticked off that the books open past introductions, thank you notes and whatnot. Cover... I couldn't really care. But a book should not open at the first chapter if there is an intro or a quote or similar.

To make this really clear, this annoying behavior is not an attribute of the format but merely the configuration of a particular book, though its an all too frequent occurance. There is nothing about the Kindle format that prevents the book designer from having the initial open position being a frontis illustration, the title page, dedication page, ... .

[ucfgrad93]

I usually tab back to see the cover on my ebooks. I get annoyed when the cover is just a generic cover instead of what the actual book cover looks like.