How to mark chapter headings - Page 5

JSWolf · 06-05-2012, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thalia Helikon

I have used search and replace to find a number followed by a paragraph break-- when the chapter doesn't have the word "Chapter" You could also search for the word "one" followed by paragraph break, and then continue to find twenty-one, thirty-one, etc.

then apply the heading style of your choice

Some don't even use the text of the numbers. So that's not a way to do it that will work for all eBooks.

DiapDealer · 06-05-2012, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Some don't even use the text of the numbers. So that's not a way to do it that will work for all eBooks.

Of course there's not one single way that will work for all ebooks. No one tried to claim there was. The point is... those with sufficient regex skills and pattern-matching abilities are almost always going to be able to tailor an expression that will be able to isolate (and mark/change/fix) the chapter headers for the current ebook being worked on. Without ever needing Book View or a two-step process.

Hitch · 06-05-2012, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Some don't even use the text of the numbers. So that's not a way to do it that will work for all eBooks.

Wolfie:

Don't be daft. There's nothing, anywhere--not CSS, not regex, not anything--that will work for "all" books. That's why we don't have magic Rube Goldberg machines turning out eBooks, and we have to have people involved. If there were a magic way to make 'all' ebooks, trust me, I'd be using it. ;-)

Hitch

JSWolf · 06-06-2012, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hitch

Wolfie:

Don't be daft. There's nothing, anywhere--not CSS, not regex, not anything--that will work for "all" books. That's why we don't have magic Rube Goldberg machines turning out eBooks, and we have to have people involved. If there were a magic way to make 'all' ebooks, trust me, I'd be using it. ;-)

Hitch

The BPHs seem to have a Rube Goldberg for making eBooks. Unfortunately their template doesn't work for all eBooks hence why I go and fix them.

Hitch · 06-07-2012, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The BPHs seem to have a Rube Goldberg for making eBooks. Unfortunately their template doesn't work for all eBooks hence why I go and fix them.

Wolfie:

Sorry--I'm clearly not cool enough to know what a "BPH" is. Que?

Bad Puppet Handler? Buggering Prophets of Ho-pocalypse? Bumpy Puppy Hoppers?

Hitch

Perkin · 06-07-2012, 04:34 AM

Book Phrom Hell ?

PeterT · 06-07-2012, 09:16 AM

I cant remember the exact meaning but it's a pointed headed bean-counter...

DiapDealer · 06-07-2012, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

hence why I go and fix them.

You forgot "and strenuously suggest that everyone fix them to my exacting standards, using my methods. No exceptions."

JSWolf · 06-08-2012, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hitch

Wolfie:

Sorry--I'm clearly not cool enough to know what a "BPH" is. Que?

Bad Puppet Handler? Buggering Prophets of Ho-pocalypse? Bumpy Puppy Hoppers?

Hitch

BPH = Big Publishing House

Hitch · 06-09-2012, 04:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

BPH = Big Publishing House

Wolfie:

That's because--and no, gang, I'm not making this up, and I'm not being..whatever I'll be accused of being, bigoted, racist, whatever--they send the books to India. Now, there is nothing wrong with the folks in India, except, in order to do the books very cheaply, they use labor that doesn't really have a solid grasp of the English language. So they don't notice broken paragraphs, etc. And, in some of the firms, their comprehension of the needed technical skills is learned by rote--not actually learned, if that makes any sense.

How do I know this? For I have used several different firms in India at different times for overflow. I had one firm, with a US rep, tell me, indignantly, that their work was "...good enough for Createspace and Nook and Random House." Yes...but it wasn't good enough for me. Why? Because unlike those entities, my client is the book's creator. They are, to put it bluntly, "only" the publisher, and their proofreaders don't go over every sentence with a fine-toothed comb to see if, god forbid, a comma is out of place.

Now, this isn't to claim that the manuscripts we get in are in remotely good shape, either--but that's exactly WHY you need skilled people working in either their Native language OR a real grasp of the language in which they are working. Not having the language skills--and NOT getting called on crappy work (e.g., not spotting broken paragraphs from a s****y PDF->Word conversion)--means that their quality doesn't improve.

It is also abalooley true--and I'm damned if I know why this is--but for some reason, errors leap out more abruptly, or rudely, or whatever, in eBooks. Maybe the people who buy e-readers and ebooks are a more particular class of reader; maybe they're not; but when I've had books come back in for "redos," for error corrections (provided to the author/publisher by the ever-helpful reading community), and I check, on backlist print books, the same grammer, typo, etc., errors will be in the book that sat fat and happy in print for 20 years, without the plethora of "reader-captured errors." There's also a certain DEMAND to the reading crowd now--a sense of instancy, of immediacy, in that they expect that the errors that they find have to be corrected right this second; whereas in the days of yore, if something needed to be fixed, they waited until the 2nd printing, or what-have-you. There seems to be a blithe disregard of the author/publisher's costs to reissue an ebook every 30 days to fix "reader complaints" about typos.

Personally, I tell my clients to save 'em up for 6 months. I think correcting them like a bipolar on a manic streak every 30-45 days is insanity.

And, dem's the <break>
reasons, folks.

Hitch

DiapDealer · 06-09-2012, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hitch

It is also abalooley true--and I'm damned if I know why this is--but for some reason, errors leap out more abruptly, or rudely, or whatever, in eBooks. Maybe the people who buy e-readers and ebooks are a more particular class of reader; maybe they're not; but when I've had books come back in for "redos," for error corrections (provided to the author/publisher by the ever-helpful reading community), and I check, on backlist print books, the same grammer, typo, etc., errors will be in the book that sat fat and happy in print for 20 years, without the plethora of "reader-captured errors."

I've noticed this as well. It's a bit crazy, really.

theducks · 06-09-2012, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hitch

It is also abalooley true--and I'm damned if I know why this is--but for some reason, errors leap out more abruptly, or rudely, or whatever, in eBooks.

Hitch

I have noticed this

It might be because we get to set a most comfortable view of the page. No huge margins (partly because my pages don't need room to be bound and still readable) or other whitespace like HB books have.

And as to fixing errors NOW, I know I can do it... only if I get off my duff and type a few strokes on the keyboard. If I procrastinate, it won't get done

JSWolf · 06-09-2012, 02:09 PM

I think the reason for the feedback from people reading eBooks is that they know it's not that difficult to fix the errors and once fixed, all they have to do is download a new copy and they have an edition without the errors they've reported. A pBook requires a new printing to get the errors fixed so they just let them be as getting a free pBook is not going to happen unless the errors (like a missing page) are serious enough.

When I am reading, I highlight any errors I find and when I am done, I do go back and fix them. Sometimes, I do have to do some fixing before finishing as the errors are the same sort of errors throughout and need to be fixed so I can comfortably read. I dislike thinks like em dashes having spaces around them.

Good enough is not always good enough. These publishers need to find a new source for making eBooks that isn't just good enough (not good enough). They need to find a place that takes pride in their work. With new books, there are errors inserted into the eBook edition that are NOT in the print edition. What bothers me is the BPHs charging almost as much, the same, or in some cases, more for an eBook with more errors then the print version.

DaleDe · 06-09-2012, 02:52 PM

I would agree with JSWolf. On a printed book there is no belief that anything will be fixed. And even if it is it might be years later and of no benefit to the person reporting the error. Today there is some hope that the errors will be corrected and perhaps you can re-download a corrected version.

I think this move should improve the quality of books. Hopefully if the eBook is corrected the publisher will go fix the paper book but perhaps that is asking too much.

Dale

Jellby · 06-09-2012, 03:03 PM

I've reported some mistakes I found in (paid) ebooks, some of which are also present in the printed books (according to Google Books). I asked the publisher where should I mail the report, they told me something like "here is fine", but they never replied after that, and I sent reports about a few other books... Neither did I see any hint that the problems were fixed, and this was a couple of years ago.

At least, I did my part of the job. When (if) I finish reading the series, I may publish the list of corrections elsewhere, so others can fix their copies.

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06-07-2012, 04:34 AM	#66
Perkin Guru Posts: 655 Karma: 64171 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Kent, England, Sol 3, ZZ9 plural Z Alpha Device: Sony PRS-300, Kobo Aura HD, iPad (Marvin)	Book Phrom Hell ?

06-07-2012, 09:16 AM	#67
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 12,168 Karma: 73448616 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Nexus 7, Clara, Touch, Tolino EPOS	I cant remember the exact meaning but it's a pointed headed bean-counter...

06-09-2012, 02:09 PM	#73
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,987 Karma: 128903378 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I think the reason for the feedback from people reading eBooks is that they know it's not that difficult to fix the errors and once fixed, all they have to do is download a new copy and they have an edition without the errors they've reported. A pBook requires a new printing to get the errors fixed so they just let them be as getting a free pBook is not going to happen unless the errors (like a missing page) are serious enough. When I am reading, I highlight any errors I find and when I am done, I do go back and fix them. Sometimes, I do have to do some fixing before finishing as the errors are the same sort of errors throughout and need to be fixed so I can comfortably read. I dislike thinks like em dashes having spaces around them. Good enough is not always good enough. These publishers need to find a new source for making eBooks that isn't just good enough (not good enough). They need to find a place that takes pride in their work. With new books, there are errors inserted into the eBook edition that are NOT in the print edition. What bothers me is the BPHs charging almost as much, the same, or in some cases, more for an eBook with more errors then the print version.

06-09-2012, 02:52 PM	#74
DaleDe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,470 Karma: 13095790 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Grass Valley, CA Device: EB 1150, EZ Reader, Literati, iPad 2 & Air 2, iPhone 7	I would agree with JSWolf. On a printed book there is no belief that anything will be fixed. And even if it is it might be years later and of no benefit to the person reporting the error. Today there is some hope that the errors will be corrected and perhaps you can re-download a corrected version. I think this move should improve the quality of books. Hopefully if the eBook is corrected the publisher will go fix the paper book but perhaps that is asking too much. Dale

06-09-2012, 03:03 PM	#75
Jellby frumious Bandersnatch Posts: 7,516 Karma: 18512745 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Spaniard in Sweden Device: Cybook Orizon, Kobo Aura	I've reported some mistakes I found in (paid) ebooks, some of which are also present in the printed books (according to Google Books). I asked the publisher where should I mail the report, they told me something like "here is fine", but they never replied after that, and I sent reports about a few other books... Neither did I see any hint that the problems were fixed, and this was a couple of years ago. At least, I did my part of the job. When (if) I finish reading the series, I may publish the list of corrections elsewhere, so others can fix their copies.

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