Paperwhite faint print.

[JimmyR]

Here's the css from the sample file. There are embedded fonts with a color of #00718E.

@font-face {
 font-family: "Minion";
 font-weight: normal;
 font-style: normal;
 src: url("../fonts/00001.otf");
 }
@font-face {
 font-family: "Minion";
 font-weight: normal;
 font-style: italic;
 src: url("../fonts/00002.otf");
 }
@font-face {
 font-family: "Minion";
 font-weight: bold;
 font-style: normal;
 src: url("../fonts/00003.otf");
 }
@font-face {
 font-family: "Minion";
 font-weight: bold;
 font-style: italic;
 src: url("../fonts/00004.otf");
 }
body{
 font-family:"Minion";
 text-align: justify;
 color: #00718E;
}

A screenshot of the book in the Calibre viewer:

Originally Posted by Ekdog

I've started a thread about it in the Kindle Help Forum.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custom...merDiscussions

Sounds like the publisher really shanked the formatting. It is in KF8 format, but the publisher probably formatted it like it was a print book. I would call Amazon's Kindle Customer Service and complain. They will refund your money and report the issues to the publisher. Be sure to call the Kindle CS and not just Amazon CS.

Originally Posted by JimmyR

Here's the css from the sample file. There are embedded fonts with a color of #00718E.

@font-face {
 font-family: "Minion";
 font-weight: normal;
 font-style: normal;
 src: url("../fonts/00001.otf");
 }
@font-face {
 font-family: "Minion";
 font-weight: normal;
 font-style: italic;
 src: url("../fonts/00002.otf");
 }
@font-face {
 font-family: "Minion";
 font-weight: bold;
 font-style: normal;
 src: url("../fonts/00003.otf");
 }
@font-face {
 font-family: "Minion";
 font-weight: bold;
 font-style: italic;
 src: url("../fonts/00004.otf");
 }
body{
 font-family:"Minion";
 text-align: justify;
 color: #00718E;
}

Geez, no wonder it is so effed up. Ekdog you can cut out this part of the CSS and it will display without Minion font and in black rather than #00718E. Idiot effing publisher!! At the very least I would delete:

body{
 color: #00718E;
}

BTW, text color #00718E is like a blue-green color. What a stupid publisher!

[Ekdog]

Thanks to all of you for the help.

I've reported the poor formatting to Amazon. I don't really want a refund. I'd rather they fixed the problem as I'm really interested in reading the book.

Originally Posted by Ekdog

Thanks to all of you for the help.

I've reported the poor formatting to Amazon. I don't really want a refund. I'd rather they fixed the problem as I'm really interested in reading the book.

In that case, you can log in to your Manage My Kindle page, click the Settings option in the top-right portion of the screen, click the Automatic Book Update option, and select whether to have updated books automatically sent to your library.

BTW, you might want to call back Kindle CS and tell them the book uses a blue-green text which results in a very light grey text on Kindles. It might look good in print or even on a tablet, but certainly not on a Kindle.

[VictoriaP]

I would suggest also posting a review on the book's listing page that specifically calls out the problem, probably with a one or two star rating. While I don't condone doing this solely for price considerations the way some do, formatting IS a big deal when it comes to ebooks, and some authors do keep an eye on reviews to let quickly them know when such issues are an obstacle to actually reading the book. It can light a fire under the powers that be to get this stuff fixed. Plus, you'll be letting other prospective buyers know what they're in for--that's not a cheap book, and I'd be incensed if I'd paid that much for something that poorly formatted.

Just be sure to update the review if/when they come through with a corrected version.

[greenapple]

I've come across kindle books where certain lines are much fainter than the rest of the text. I've assumed that they are highlighted by the author with the color tag, which doesn't look well on pw.

Perhaps for the book in question the entire text has been colorized.

[Ekdog]

Originally Posted by VictoriaP

I would suggest also posting a review on the book's listing page that specifically calls out the problem, probably with a one or two star rating. While I don't condone doing this solely for price considerations the way some do, formatting IS a big deal when it comes to ebooks, and some authors do keep an eye on reviews to let quickly them know when such issues are an obstacle to actually reading the book. It can light a fire under the powers that be to get this stuff fixed. Plus, you'll be letting other prospective buyers know what they're in for--that's not a cheap book, and I'd be incensed if I'd paid that much for something that poorly formatted.

Just be sure to update the review if/when they come through with a corrected version.

Good idea. I think I'll tweet the author as well.

[Fluribus]

As soon as I saw the first post I had a suspicion that they'd colorized all the text. I've seen that before. I've never seen a professionally printed book do the entire text, however.

Originally Posted by Ekdog

I've reported the poor formatting to Amazon. I don't really want a refund. I'd rather they fixed the problem as I'm really interested in reading the book.

Unfortunately, you might never get a fixed book. Depends on how responsive the publisher is. It's not out of the realm of possibility that a revamped title would be released as a separate edition.

Originally Posted by Fluribus

Unfortunately, you might never get a fixed book. Depends on how responsive the publisher is. It's not out of the realm of possibility that a revamped title would be released as a separate edition.

If enough customers complain, Amazon might actually pull the title out of the store until it is fixed.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Fluribus

As soon as I saw the first post I had a suspicion that they'd colorized all the text. I've seen that before. I've never seen a professionally printed book do the entire text, however.

There are some versions of The Neverending Story that are printed in red and green (paper and ebook), as the book itself says that it's printed in two colors (The book you're reading is the same book the boy is reading, and in the book there's an old man that writes the story down as you're reading it... and so on.... fortunately, it has a stop to the recursion )

[greenapple]

Here's another book where the entire text is in faded ink:
Beyond Intent: Crossing the Threshold to Your Dreams by Gary Spinell
http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Intent-...dp/B007ZGWOBA/

It's a free book at the moment.

Besides faint text, it has some formatting issue. Probably a rushed conversion from pdf to kindle format, leaving page numbers within the text.

[Ekdog]

Originally Posted by jswinden

If enough customers complain, Amazon might actually pull the title out of the store until it is fixed.

I contacted the author, Elly Blue, and sent her a link to this thread. She said she'd told her publisher about it.

So far, Amazon hasn't dignified my complaint with a reply. If they don't do something about it, I'm going to ask for a refund.

[HarryT]

Fortunately it's easy to fix in the Calibre editor (after you've removed DRM, if necessary).

[Ekdog]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Fortunately it's easy to fix in the Calibre editor (after you've removed DRM, if necessary).

DRM removed. Could you--or someone else--please explain how to fix in the Calibre editor.