E-book Complaints Thread

[plib]

Originally Posted by VaporPunk

Thanks Plib, I'll play around a bit in Calibre. I assume this works for non epub files as well, ie .azw, mobi?

I've only used epub so far because I'm on the Kobo but it should work for any format that you can disassemble down to its component parts and grab the map files. That means the DRM infection has to be removed of course.

For stuff like that, in fact for all my file operations, I use Total Commander. IMNSHO it's the best file manager on the planet, knocks the socks off most OS file managers. (If you're familiar with the old Norton Commander at all then TC is NC for Windows - on steroids). In TC a Ctrl-PgDn on any archive file, regardless of extension, will open it up in a folder like structure and you can just copy the .jpgs to a "Maps" folder or wherever you want.

I've also used maps from external sources and as long as they're saved in a format the reader recognizes then they work fine too. Of course that depends if you can get an better quality external source, atlases of Pern aren't on the Ordnance Survey site!

But some good fanfic maps are available, for example this one for the Honor Harrington Universe.

[Wald07]

Oh, man. I am pissed right now.

Back in early spring, I bought 44+2 thinking it was all three 44 books by Jools Sinclair.
Went to read it the other day & found out it's +2 other books by totally different authors.

Fine. Ok. Whatever. For $2.50 for 2 books, ok I'll deal with it. I won't count 44 b/c it is a freebie.

So I go ahead & buy 44 box set Books 1-3. Says so right in description.
I buy it. I get home and crack it open.
Title page says "Books 1&2". I'm like, "Naw, must be a typo."
Oh, yeah it's a typo alright. On Kobo's website. I just paid $5 for book #2 when book #2 is only $3.

I feel like I have bought & paid for a free book TWICE now.

First available opportunity I'm calling customer service. So annoyed right now.
I can accept the 1st mistake was mine, but not this last one.
I must figure out what I will accept, and what will satisfy me.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by Wald07

Oh, man. I am pissed right now.

Back in early spring, I bought 44+2 thinking it was all three 44 books by Jools Sinclair.
Went to read it the other day & found out it's +2 other books by totally different authors.

Fine. Ok. Whatever. For $2.50 for 2 books, ok I'll deal with it. I won't count 44 b/c it is a freebie.

So I go ahead & buy 44 box set Books 1-3. Says so right in description.
I buy it. I get home and crack it open.
Title page says "Books 1&2". I'm like, "Naw, must be a typo."
Oh, yeah it's a typo alright. On Kobo's website. I just paid $5 for book #2 when book #2 is only $3.

I feel like I have bought & paid for a free book TWICE now.

First available opportunity I'm calling customer service. So annoyed right now.
I can accept the 1st mistake was mine, but not this last one.
I must figure out what I will accept, and what will satisfy me.

Bizarre.

[Wald07]

It's ok now. Kobo made it right by giving me the third one.

[pisceschick]

Originally Posted by Wald07

Oh, my. What is wrong with the editors? Fatigue?
I have seen many mistakes like this, in many books e-books AND in print. I should start tracking & make a new thread.

We'll include the wretched wretch retching.

Curious, do you remember which publisher? I almost expect this type of thing in a self-pub...

I recently encountered the wretch/retch error in a HarperCollins title.

If you want more info, you can read the post I wrote about it on an Amazon discussion thread.

[WritePR]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

I'd say it's by lack of design, that is, not enough interest by B&N and the New Yorker in making sure the magazine is readable on all platforms (as other magazines are).

BN has NOTHING to do with it. I use an application called NextIssue on my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. It's a magazine app like Zinio but for a flat $15 a month I get access to tons of popular magazines. Anyway, The New Yorker is one of them but I can't access it because for some reason The New Yorker refuses to format their digital edition for anything other than 7 inch screens. I contacted the New Yorker via Twitter and they told me they prefer the 7 inch format. So they are the problem, not Barnes and Noble or any other app the magazine is available in.

[WritePR]

Ebooks that have dozens of reviews, all by people who got freebies from the publisher in exchange for reviewing it. Not only do many of those types of reviews sound fake, but it makes me wonder why if the book is so awesome, there are no reviews from people who actually bought it?

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by WritePR

Ebooks that have dozens of reviews, all by people who got freebies from the publisher in exchange for reviewing it. Not only do many of those types of reviews sound fake, but it makes me wonder why if the book is so awesome, there are no reviews from people who actually bought it?

Well, in fairness, once a book has a few reviews, some people won't bother. I did a few informal survey on another forum and had several people say that if a book has 10 or more reviews it doesn't need their review. I also saw people say that if they disagreed with the reviews, they generally didn't want to post one of their own. So reviews are kind of ... suspect for various reasons.

I think that books that really excite people get a lot of reviews--even a word or two in agreement with other reviewers to say "I loved it too." But the vast majority of books aren't read enough to get tons of reviews. Or perhaps it's a general lack of excitement.

I think writing reviews has become less common. Let's face it, Amazon wouldn't have started a "vine reviewer program" if they were getting as many reviews as they would have liked. That's one theory anyway...

*should be noted that I asked the question on a cozy mystery forum. I think genre can affect number of reviews as well.

[BeccaPrice]

I strongly recommend this essay and discussion over at Dear Author. It's titled "When I bought your book, I didn’t sign up to be your beta reader" and has a lot of people discussing authors who take reader feedback and change (not just edit, but change) their book - and still charge people for both drafts.

[DrNefario]

It does seem to be pointless giving anything other than 1 or 5 stars, to make sure your vote has the maximum effect on the average.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

I strongly recommend this essay and discussion over at Dear Author. It's titled "When I bought your book, I didn’t sign up to be your beta reader" and has a lot of people discussing authors who take reader feedback and change (not just edit, but change) their book - and still charge people for both drafts.

Who is this directed at?

If me, I haven't edited a book other than to fix a couple of typos in two volumes. I make sure those updates are downloadable for free. Oh--I did add illustrations to the anthologies. But those were also downloadable to anyone who had already purchased them. I didn't upload new versions to any retailer that could not handle getting the "new" copies to the reader--illustrations are an extra and the user shouldn't have to pay again to get them.

This is just one more reason I started selling ePub directly from my site. More control. B&N and some other retailers have no method of allowing a reader to get a new version (I'm not saying there should ever be a need for a new version and I am not suggesting that any author use readers as beta readers.)

I guess I'm not sure if this was a general comment about what you hate?

[BeccaPrice]

it's not directed at anyone - I just thought people here would be interested in the blog and the comments, because the topic of this thread is complaints about ebooks, and certainly asking your readers to pay for the privilege of being a beta reader is a valid complaint.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

it's not directed at anyone - I just thought people here would be interested in the blog and the comments, because the topic of this thread is complaints about ebooks, and certainly asking your readers to pay for the privilege of being a beta reader is a valid complaint.

Oh certainly it is a valid complaint. I just wasn't sure if you were answering my last post. Thanks.

[BeccaPrice]

nah, it was just accidental proximity.