The Reading Vent & Rant Thread

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Sentences like this (especially in traditionally published books by fair to middlin' publishing houses).

"The sound of gunfire lit the afternoon sky as they prepared to leave."

I put the book down after coming across it. Still not fixed/changed in any new ebook editions after 10+ years.

Perhaps the author is a synesthete, but I doubt it.

Along with firing regular arrows. Though people mightn't spot that.

Either "The flashes of gunfire lit the afternoon sky as they prepared to leave."
Or "The sound of gunfire echoed in the neigborhood in the direction of the sunset as they prepared to leave."

Neither is very good, but the original suggests typing didn't keep up with thoughts. Don't the big publishers now expect that anything they take is now finished, polished, to save them on employing editors?

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Don't the big publishers now expect that anything they take is now finished, polished, to save them on employing editors?

I've no clue what big publishers expect or don't expect these days. I don't care where the editing comes from, or who pays for it. I only care whether my expectations are met or not. Most times they are. Occasionally they're not.

[ownedbycats]

Another silly rant: but you get one book that isn't the type you normally read, and the recommendations get completely messed up by it. Alas.

[Renate]

Ha, ha, buying gifts for friends! I got Harry Potter stuff forever.

[Fbone]

Too many books!

Not enough time!

Why do I do this to myself?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Too many books!

Not enough time!

Why do I do this to myself?

Because you can? <to laugh in appreciation of one's own wit>

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by shalym

I agree with the dislike of the way digital "Box Sets" are done, and agree that they would be better as a discount on the set of individual ebooks. When I do rarely buy these box sets, the first thing I do is to separate them in Calibre. (All thanks to the developer of the epub split plugin!)

Shari

Digital box sets need a new cover that's not a "box".

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Digital box sets need a new cover that's not a "box".

What frustrated me about the specific example that made me post that is that the author did go to the effort of making a new cover for the set, and then messed it up by putting it at an angle.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

What frustrated me about the specific example that made me post that is that the author did go to the effort of making a new cover for the set, and then messed it up by putting it at an angle.

Here is a search result from Amazon for Kindle box sets and they are mostly terrible.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=box+sets&...07&ref=sr_pg_1

There are some that are real covers. But the one on page 2 that's 4 covers in one is also bad.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Digital box sets need a new cover that's not a "box".

Nope! I am fine with the Isometric 'Boxed' view for the entire set, because that is what they represent. (Boxed sets do not seem to have an ISBN), they are simply a bundled version (at a saving?)
If you split this up, then I can see having the single book cover.

OTOH An Omnibus is a standard (tradpub) issued version (gets a ISBN), and has a edition cover.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by theducks

Nope! I am fine with the Isometric 'Boxed' view for the entire set, because that is what they represent. (Boxed sets do not seem to have an ISBN), they are simply a bundled version (at a saving?)
If you split this up, then I can see having the single book cover.

OTOH An Omnibus is a standard (tradpub) issued version (gets a ISBN), and has a edition cover.

Yes, but the so called boxed sets of ebooks are omnibus ebooks, a single azw3 file. Not separate ebooks in one purchase (which is a thing Amazon offers for some series).

[gmw]

Hmm... I'd have to say that I am, in general, in favour of the boxset representation. It's not subtle, but in a page full of book "covers" all preening their allotted handful of pixels it doesn't pay to be subtle. It's not as if the rectangular frame of a more typical cover image is usually much more than vaguely symbolic of the content anyway.

[JSWolf]

All that needs to be done is to come up with a cover that represents the series and the problem is solved. These "boxes" look awful" and are a real pass when they come up in a search.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

All that needs to be done is to come up with a cover that represents the series and the problem is solved. These "boxes" look awful" and are a real pass when they come up in a search.

The attractiveness or otherwise of the image is subjective. Also, if you take away the obvious visual cue then you must provide that information in some other way.

Omnibus editions have long faced that latter issue (although in paper editions the size/weight tended to be a giveaway), but the "box set" image is simple and effective. (I haven't seen anyone here suggest that they have been confused by the image - for all that there are no actual boxes involved). Whereas I have at times been confused (at least temporarily) by a conventional rectangular image that turned out to be an omnibus edition - especially since many series are named for their first book.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by gmw

The attractiveness or otherwise of the image is subjective. Also, if you take away the obvious visual cue then you must provide that information in some other way.

Omnibus editions have long faced that latter issue (although in paper editions the size/weight tended to be a giveaway), but the "box set" image is simple and effective. (I haven't seen anyone here suggest that they have been confused by the image - for all that there are no actual boxes involved). Whereas I have at times been confused (at least temporarily) by a conventional rectangular image that turned out to be an omnibus edition - especially since many series are named for their first book.

Simple and really ugly. Just put some text on the cover like a subtitle that says box set 1-5.