Fed up with samples that don't contain anything useful

[Geralt]

Originally Posted by ucfgrad93

Fortunately, I have yet to come across a sample like this.

Me too.

I don't download samples often so maybe that's the reason why.
Goodreads gives me good enough idea whether or not I want to buy a book based on synopsis, few 5 star and few 1 star reviews.

[LovesMacs]

I agree from a different perspective. I like being able to consult footnotes/endnotes in both fiction and non-fiction.* Sometimes a book sample has just the cover and copyright information, so I can't tell if a book has footnotes, let alone if the footnotes are properly hyperlinked.

* It's also important not to fall into the trap of checking every single note when reading, lest you lose the thread of the plot.

[Mike L]

Thanks to everyone who has replied (so far) to my rant. I'm glad so many agree with me. I hope the message will get through to authors and/or vendors.

Mike

[jersysman]

Who determines what is available in a sample?

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by xg4bx

The topper for me was the 4 page Nook preview of the first Wheel of Time book. You got the cover, copyright info and that is all. I felt like I was being trolled.

You were

Doesn't it mean you just read very short books? Many of the books I look at actually have a preview that never seems to end. Fantasy doorstoppers for the win

[tomsem]

I almost never download samples any more. Even when they contain a reasonable amount of content, it just seems a very inefficient way to discover things to read or even to track what I'm interested in reading. I found I had dozens of samples and never found the opportunity to read them, and they just cluttered up my reading device. Or I'd read a sample, think "I love this, but I have all this other stuff I'm reading now, I'm not ready to buy", and realize I'd just wasted an hour or reading time because I'd want to re-read from the beginning if and when I got around to buying the book.

Now I just put everything on a wish list and review that from time to time as a separate and focussed activity, usually with my laptop (sometimes using Look Inside, etc.). I can review this list more efficiently and quickly than plowing through samples, and the rest of the time I can just concentrate on what I've already started to read. I think my 'conversion rate' is a little higher since I started using wish lists, as I have more awareness when there is a price drop, and I have all the information I want at hand so it is easier to come to a decision.

Also (though I've only used it a couple of times) it is easy to return something for a refund with Amazon if it doesn't meet expectations.

So while I agree that samples often don't have ANY usefulness because there's no content in them, I would go further and say they can't be improved to the point where I would use them routinely.

BTW I think samples are just generated automatically and arbitrarily (just 'first 10%' in most cases). There is all sorts of advice about how to arrange the content of an ebook so the sample has some usefulness as a selling tool, and it probably does help to give this a little thought, but it's a small part of successful marketing IMO.

[QuantumIguana]

I read samples, but I have usually made up my mind whether I am buying before I finish the sample. Reviews and the blurb are fine, but that doesn't tell me enough; they aren't the actual book. Before I pay my money for the book, I'm going to try it out. If I was looking at paper books in a bookstore, I'd open the cover, and look at the first couple pages.

On the other hand, if I am already a reader of that author's books, I won't bother with a sample, I'll just buy it.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Tarana

I think it's a matter of how you choose a book. I choose a novel totally based on the blurb on the back. I don't want a sample of the writing. I'll read it when I buy the book. Nonfiction, especially craft/hobby or cookbooks are a different story. You need to see something of the recipes, writing to determine if the book is going to meet your needs.

I mostly agree. Except in regards with electronic books where spelling errors and formatting errors are still (sadly) not a rarity...

I prefer a sample that contains a page or two from somewhere in the middle of the book. I don't care what it reads, but I do care how it looks. Are there a lot of errors in those pages or is it save to buy?

[Little.Egret]

My rant would be about cookbooks where the sample ends before the first recipe !

Fiction is usually OK, even if I use the sample for a three way split /Buy/get from library/NO or wait for a lower price.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Mike L

May I be permitted a little rant.

It's good that ebook vendors allow you to download free samples before you commit yourself to a purchase. But I hate it when the sample is full of the introductory matter - "about the author", "praise for ...", extended table of contents, extended list of illustrations, acknowledgements, notes on sources, preface, etc etc. - and there's no room left for the sample of the actual book.

I've seen this many times. The latest was today, when I downloaded a sample of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, to find that almost the entire text consisted of an introductory review by a modern critic, without any of the text of the book itself. That's completely useless.

I don't know if this is something that's within the author's control. If it is, the author ought to make sure that the sample contains at least one chapter of the book. If the author can't control that, then the publisher or the vendor should do something about it.

Rant over. Thank you.

Mike

I had this happen with a short book over at Smashwords. You can view online but when I opened the book it just had the front matter and not even a line of the actual contents.

[flyingturtle]

Yeah, I'm not sure how much in control you have over the sample percentage. I've made some ebooks for other people (clients of mine), and it's a percentage of the books total size.

In my case, these were computer-related books, or graphic novels, so the sample version worked well, since the overall size of the book was fairly large, so you got a decent-sized sample to look at.

Personally, I download samples all the time, and yeah, I downloaded the "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" book. While like you said it didn't have much of the actual content of the main story itself, it wasn't a total waste.

I could tell from the formatting that this might be a poor kindle-converted ebook, and reading the Amazon reviews afterward confirmed that.

I love reading samples, but it would be nice to have more control over it.

[MichelleLouring]

A simple Table of Contents, a copyright notice and perhaps a dedication is all that should be at the front of the book. The rest belongs in the back!

[Mike L]

Originally Posted by flyingturtle

Personally, I download samples all the time, and yeah, I downloaded the "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" book. While like you said it didn't have much of the actual content of the main story itself, it wasn't a total waste.

Since my original post, I found a different edition of Cuckoo's Nest that did have some of the actual story. So it's worth looking around, especially for older books that might be published in multiple editions.

And you made a good point about formatting. I try to only buy e-books that are well formatted and free of typographical errors. Usually, you have to read a sample to find that out.

Mike

[jayajha]

This is a valid rant. Unfortunately many platforms do not let the authors/publishers specify where to start the sample/preview from. Else most enlightened ones would definitely choose better.

[DiapDealer]

I've never yet downloaded a sample that DIDN'T contain enough actual text to help me with my decision to buy/not buy. I understand wanting the sample to contain more of the book's text, but I think if you're honest with yourself; most times you got what you needed to pull the trigger or not.