The Reading Vent & Rant Thread

[ownedbycats]

I can't bloody avoid them.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Karellen

All those pages I consider as nothing but advertising I just strip out of the ebook.
Some books also have a promotional first chapter of another book to entice you to buy, and I strip them out as well.

Yeah, same. I've even seen books with 3-4 promotional chapters.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by jhowell

As far as I know it is up to the publisher. They can update an existing book and it will keep its ASIN or publish an update as a new book which gets a new ASIN. The first case is more honest but the second may result in increased sales from unwary customers who buy the same book again.

Also weirdly you can have changes too big for Amazon to agree to let prior purchasers have new version, but same ASIN. Unlike Smashwords, Amazon never lets purchaser choose a later or original to download again and only enables an update for prior purchase on request of publisher, which Amazon reviews (must be only typo /grammar fixes, no change in content, except maybe adding a missing paragraph that doesn't change the story.)

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

I finished reading a book the other night, and there was so much fluff after the end of the actual story that I had to go pull a random hardback book off my bookshelf to compare.

Random paperback/hardback on my shelf usually has, between the end of the narrative and the back cover:

• More by this author
• One or two blank pages
• Back cover (with "About this author" on the gatefold)

Meanwhile the average ebook seems to have, between the end of the narrative work and the end of the file:

• About the author
• More by this author
• "Thank-you for reading this book from [Publisher name]. Sign-up for our newsletter here."
• More books from this publisher
• Additional credits
• Copyright (didn't I already get a copyright page at the beginning?)

Like, why? I start to get fatigue just trying to page-skip through it all on my Kobo, because of course each one of these damn things will often be considered its own chapter!

And don't forget that some also have previews of the next book in the series or another book the author has written.

I remove the fluff at the end when I edit the eBook. That way I also get more accurate ADE page numbers.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

The copyright at the end and some of the other endmatter is Amazon's fault. They make ebooks open at the start of body and skip copyright, by this author, dedication and printed contents which is more flexible than system ToC.

Self appointed "advisors" tell publishers/SP authors to take advantage of lack of paper cost to include more end matter like a blurb for every book and sample chapters.

I've established people don't want it. Also with an ebook it's trivial to see the other books, blurbs & samples online unlike olden paper only days.

I move things like the copyright and dedication to the the correct place near the start of the book. I also have to fix the ToC.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Aleron Ives

Don't read them, then?

I would guess that ownedbycats normally doesn't read them. I would guess that ownedbycats is browsing for science fiction that may interest them.

[JSWolf]

When the publisher calls a preview of another of the author's books bonus content when it's not a bonus at all.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by John F

I would guess that ownedbycats normally doesn't read them. I would guess that ownedbycats is browsing for science fiction that may interest them.

Yeah

[Cactus Chef]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Overdrive serious problem.

Not even romances with sci-fi background. Straight up bloody Harlequins.

"Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman

[JSWolf]

I really don't like it when a series (novels, novellas, words) comes out with a graphic novel. That spoils the series. I don't like to read graphic novels when they should be just words like the rest of the series.

[nana77]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I really don't like it when a series (novels, novellas, words) comes out with a graphic novel. That spoils the series. I don't like to read graphic novels when they should be just words like the rest of the series.

Not to mention that so many, now that are digital made, while using the same programs to draw them, seem quite rarely original (colors, lines, shapes..) - but imho.

[ownedbycats]

Why do most of the cozy mystery series I'm interested enough to continue stop at 2-3 books? (Even worse is the ones I don't like getting 10+ books...)

[DNSB]

For many authors, it's hard to carry a series past 3 to 5 books. At some point, you begin to feel that you are writing the same book with minor changes so keeping the story fresh enough to appeal to the reader and to keep you motivated in writing the story gets hard.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by DNSB

For many authors, it's hard to carry a series past 3 to 5 books. At some point, you begin to feel that you are writing the same book with minor changes so keeping the story fresh enough to appeal to the reader and to keep you motivated in writing the story gets hard.

I suspect, as well, that there may not be enough creative/monetary/reader-feedack reward to bother with continuing a series of 3-5 books to make it 'worth' an author's time.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by DNSB

For many authors, it's hard to carry a series past 3 to 5 books. At some point, you begin to feel that you are writing the same book with minor changes so keeping the story fresh enough to appeal to the reader and to keep you motivated in writing the story gets hard.

There was an analysis of the ‘Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy’ which showed dramatic reduction of new content by the 5th book.

IMO the actual original first series broadcast far better than the book and #4 and #5 were not worth buying and reading. I was working shifts in the BBC then (first job) so had to listen to some episodes on BBC recorded cassette at the time.

The other extreme is the ‘Wheel of Time’ series which has loads of volumes with loads of words, but not much happening / getting resolved.

On the Gripping Hand, there is the Chalet School Series, which unlike many young people series like Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew, or Famous Five (floating time line), goes for 62 books and maybe about 40 years of internal near contemporaneous time (published 1925 -1970*). Gladys Eleanor May Dyer, writing as Elinor Brent-Dyer 1894 - 1969 (aged 75). They are still popular, though reprints have been abridged in some cases.

IMO some series deteriorate, such as Dune (quickly) or Pern (slowly). Or IMO get a bit daft (Asimov revisiting Foundation series over 25 years later).

Also there are series where much stays the same and stories are fairly standalone (many classic mystery, some Fantasy like Recluse) and ones with either overall character development or over-arching plot elements with standalone stories, or both.

[* Some people not content with death of an author so continue series!]