Kindle
Winston and the Kindle
I enjoy using my Kindle but there are a few things that
irritate me. Since most of my reading is conducted at the end of the day prior
to falling asleep I sometimes forget small details and want to check them. With
a traditional book it’s easy to flip back a few pages. Usually I’ve got a
visual memory of where to find the elusive material – where it’s placed on an
even or odd page. With the Kindle I can click back the pages but it’s so slow!
If, for some reason, I want to refer to the first pages of the book it can take
an inordinately long time to reach that point.
However, the things that really aggravate me are the typographical
errors and the editing inaccuracies. I don’t know if this is because of the way
the manuscript is transferred to Kindle. Has anyone else noticed this and been
annoyed by it?
Oh yeah!!!
ReplyDeleteYes but there are other benefits like the built-in dictionary for any words that you don't know. I think they are getting better with the formatting and typesetting, at least I think I've noticed an improvement or maybe it's just that I am getting used to it and compensating.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I have never noticed typos in the things I have read. I agree that clicking back is a pain. Much easier to 'flip back' in a traditional book than to 'click back' in a Kindle and then click forward again to where you left off.....
ReplyDeleteI agree, Janice, there are horrendous errors in books that were scanned for use as eBooks, but better scanning technology has resulted in fewer errors.
ReplyDeleteI seriously doubt if any books are re-typed for eBook purposes, and, if they are, the people doing so are not skilled typesetters.
In the course of producing a physical printed book, many people read it and make corrections: editors, proofreaders, etc.
I suspect many new eBooks go right from the author's computer (an unedited manuscript) to eBook form, but I could be wrong.
K
It does annoy me that I can't leaf back and find passages like in a book. I own a Kobo and haven't had trouble with typos.
ReplyDeleteI've been really surprised at the amount of typos I've seen. There is a way to get to certain parts of the book. You can hit the Menu button, then hit GO TO. You can then go to the beginning, cover, end, or location...
ReplyDeleteI know... It's still a bother. I've never actually used that button because I was afraid to lose my place, but I guess if you just noted what page you were on, you could get back there again.
Hi Janice .. yes I gather .. even though I don't own a Kindle - I think recently on The Book Designer blog - he wrote a long post about the need to publish an ebook correctly ..
ReplyDeleteI guess it's either shoddy work, or just simply not understanding ..
Frustrating to say the least - cheers Hilary