Size matters

[CWatkinsNash]

I would like some sort of indication - not necessarily utilizing the cover image, but more consistent info in the product description would be nice. File size doesn't always mean anything, especially if there are any images in the book.

My reasoning is NOT that bigger=better, but I like to keep a variety of reading material and it's helpful to know which group I'm adding to - short story, novella, novel, doorstop, Stephen-King-sized doorstop. Plus, as has already been stated, I really don't want to pay novel-rates for something I can read in minutes.

[The Terminator]

Yes I think size matters somewhat.

[Roger Parkinson]

A word count or a file size suits me. Someone else's idea of small/medium/large adds a layer of subjectivity/translation that gets in the way. I don't mind if it is there if other people want it, of course, but I find a number more useful.
It isn't that I mind if it is a short story or a doorstop, but I do want to know which it is.

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by wodin

I tend to prefer longer books. Even if I enjoy the story, I tend to feel a bit cheated if I'm through it in a day or two; especially if I’ve paid ten or twenty dollars for it.

Many times Amazon lists the page count for the paperback version (if it’s available in pbook), and I find that useful.

Me too, on both points

[pidgeon92]

If I cared, I'd look at the number of pages on a print version of the book.

[Quexos]

Damn, another hidden poll.

And yeah I would like to know what I get into before getting a book. But it's mostly out of curiosity, just to know that the story is very long or very short. But ultimately I get both small and long books so I cannot say knowing the length of the book will in itself determine my choice.

[Abtacha]

I'd rather have a numerical value than a visual clue (word or page count).
I don't want to find out that I just bought a 100 page "novel" for 10 € after I bought it.

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by Quexos

And yeah I would like to know what I get into before getting a book. But it's mostly out of curiosity, just to know that the story is very long or very short. But ultimately I get both small and long books so I cannot say knowing the length of the book will in itself determine my choice.

Although, as stated above, I would be upset about spending $9.99 for a short story or a novella.

[Chi Cygni]

I didn't vote yet. I must be darn spoiled. Where I buy my non-English books it clearly says whether it has DRM or not and what kind, what other types are available (epub or pdf) file size and number of pages (free sample available as well) All this to see before I buy. Never occured to me it is not so in other places (didn't pay attention while buying from Kobo and Kindle doesn't show page numbers anyway) I even quickly rechecked my bookstore before posting here. Yep.

I must admit I do go for big books, so numerical value of page count is more useful than file size.

[Elfwreck]

I mostly buy at Smashwords & multiformat from Fictionwise; I know word count before I buy. Lack of word count at DRM stores is one of the many reasons I won't deal with DRM. I don't buy ebooks that don't give me a solid idea how much content they contain.

[speakingtohe]

Good topic.

I think the information should be easily available. Not that it is that hard to find but...

With paper books you can tell by thickness or flipping to the back.

I have found though that some authors/publishers equate length to price.Not true in my experience.

I prefer 150 pages of pure entertainment to 150 pages of entertainment interspersed with 250 pages of blah blah blah.

Helen

[Native]

Word-count alone can be deceptive. I've never seen a good story over 10,000 words, though some could sure be sifted out of higher counts. Writers should have enough respect for people's time to git'er done, share a cigarette, and move on. Hard to compare value though - maybe how long the smile lasts.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by Native

Word-count alone can be deceptive. I've never seen a good story over 10,000 words

Never read a novel you thought was a good story?

If you only like short fiction, that's fine, but a lot of us enjoy the kind of worldbuilding and character insights that can't be packed into a few thousand words.

A good story *concept* can fit in ten thousand words. But not every sequence of events packs down that small, and certainly anything involving fantasy or science fiction is relying on common tropes or hints without foundations when it's written that short. Which can be great--but it means using suggestions rather than details, the framework of a setting with a detailed close-up on a single situation, rather than a full tapestry of a world.

The size of a book is fairly important to me since I tend to prefer large novellas or small novels. Anything that's too long feels drawn out. Anything that is too short leaves me wanting for more. (The only exception are collections of short stories, which I read with an entirely different mindset.) Maybe I'm a bit of an oddball here, but I would actually pay more for a good short novel than I would pay for one of those massive tomes that seem to be popular these days simply because I know that I will finish it.

So yes, size is very important.

Oh, and I'm going to kinda second Quexos' comment on hidden polls. I don't mind hidden polls, but it would be nice if it was only hidden for a week. Attention span issues ... you know, the thing that leads some of us to read shorter books.

[Native]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

Never read a novel you thought was a good story?

As I said, some can be sifted out. There've been times I had time. The first Dune mighta had 10,000 good words. The rest altogether didn't. The different values all cost the same, which was sorta my point, albeit poorly stated.

I basically take your thoughts relating world-building and word-count as the norm, but they only reinforce my own opinion that there's far too little attachment to where we are in the world. Rooting stories in common ground grows a place where a few words can tell a thousand pictures - some of which might simply be respectful space for companionable silence. A small market though.