UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion
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Just finished - just started
Ignite wrote: "Just finished The Sexiest Elbows I'd Ever Seen by David Hadley. I always think humour is very personal but this really tickled me. It's a light fun read. Thanks for reading it. Glad you liked it.
It finished well before the end though -..."
What do you mean? Too much back matter?
Yes. I know I'm not the only one who doesn't really like 'extras' - promos and tasters and such. Just the book I'm reading!
Thanks for reading part two, Ignite ;)
Pleasure - It's going to be a stunning work when complete, I think. Hard to review in bits though!
I don't think I would mind promos and stuff at the start of the book, it's just very disappointing when you are enjoying a book and think you still have 10% left when the book suddenly ends.
Ignite wrote: "Yes. I know I'm not the only one who doesn't really like 'extras' - promos and tasters and such. Just the book I'm reading!"I do know what you mean. I particularly dislike those first chapters and extracts from the forthcoming title things.
But folk who claim to know about these things say that putting stuff like links to other books at the end of your book does work.
It is just that with these shorter books and short stories, the back matter takes up too great a proportion of the file.
Perhaps it would be better to just have links to the Amazon author page instead?
What irritates me is when some non-fiction books have sometimes three-quarters to a half of the Kindle file taken up with the Notes, Bibliography, Index and so on.
I'm fine with links. It's just that I'm disappointed when I'm at 83% in a book I'm enjoying, and it stops!
Ignite wrote: "I'm enjoying, and it stops!"Funny, that's what my wife always says.
Hehe! Maybe we can't both be wrong. ;)
It's ages since i updated,finished don't cry,started and finished the bone theif,jefferson bass in pbThe Bone Thief,the trafficked,lee weeksThe Trafficked,death row,mark pearsonDeath Row,now you see me,sj bolton in hbNow You See Meand am now starting shut your eyes tight,john verdon in pbShut Your Eyes Tight.
I finished The Sea-Hawk and Locke and Key, Vol. 5: Clockworks, then read A Rogue's Life and now I'm reading The Trampling of the Lilies.
Ignite wrote: "Hehe! Maybe we can't both be wrong. ;)"I wouldn't dare suggest either of you are wrong - I've been married too long for that.
I was only thinking the other day - re my problem with notes, indexes, etc - and now you getting disappointed when it ends too soon - that the Kindle percentage doo-dah could do with some kind of re-jig to take into account of this back matter business.
Ignite wrote: "You mean you want it to lie to me?!"Yes, but in a nice way.
I dunno, it could have the 100% set at the end of the actual good stuff, the actual book, with the other index, back matter etc, in some sort of appendix or something that isn't counted as part of the main file that you can choose to access - perhaps.
That would be fine if it did. I would still ignore all the 'padding' if you'll pardon the expression!
Ignite wrote: "That would be fine if it did. I would still ignore all the 'padding' if you'll pardon the expression!"Well, yes. That is how it is meant to work, while giving a more accurate idea of how much actual book you have left. It would also save having to keep paging through all the back matter if it doesn't interest you.
Sorry, just realised we are talking about Kindles on a Kindle forum - that will never do.
Quick change the subject to chocolate or cats before someone notices.
Crisps? I love Tangy Cheese Doritos :-)
Ignite wrote: "Crisps? I love Tangy Cheese Doritos :-)"I can't get the hang of Doritos. They're not a proper crisp.
Ignite wrote: "Maybe that's why I like them?"Anarchist.
Was going to post a sensible comment about the index, references, back matter thing, but maybe I'll just suggest sticking it on a Dorito?No, seriously, if it's academic work, then it's expected, but surely for fiction (I'm assuming epic 'explain the alternate universe' stuff here) it could be stuck on a website somewhere, or something? I dunno. Just a thought.
Oh aye, if it's an actual reference type book I don't mind there being a load of notes at the end. That's needed but I don't like a load of guff at the end of a wee novel advertising their other books and their friends books and their mother's cat's books.A list of other works by the same author is fine though
That's what I mean Debbie. I like to feel I'm getting 100% story. I'm happy with Amazon links or website links at the end but I really don't like too much more.
I have to say I agree, and the same is true on the front matter too. I was reading a book by a best-selling but not so great author (or trying to - it sucks) and I was 6% in before I got to the actual story! Grr!
Jud (Disney Diva) wrote: "...their mother's cat's books"He he. You know, if mothers' cats wrote books for real, that would be the best back matter ever! ;)
I'm just about to start sorting the back matter for my next book as it happens.So....
What would be the best way of organising it? one link to Amazon author page, one link for each book, link and synopsis of each book, or what?
What about a TOC at the start? This one will have around 175 separate pieces in it, so the TOC will be a biggie. Is it better at the front or back?
Link per book and if you add a sentence per book it's enough. We'll see all the rest when we click the link.
ToC can go at the back. It's easy enough to navigate to it and if you put it at the front it takes up all your 'sample' space.
Makes sense. Thanks.
I shall do that then - so if this one isn't a bestseller I'll know who to blame.
Oh good.I'm glad that's sorted.
Loads of extra stuff at the end of a book is most annoying.
I do like to see links though.
Just finished The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared. I enjoyed it overall, but it was a bit of an effort to finish reading it. I'm uncertain as to whether it was down to the style of writing, the plot, or me being a bit lazy. But I stuck with it nevertheless.Next up is The 50 List: A Father's Heartfelt Message to His Daughter. Nigel Holland. A rare dip into non-fiction for me.
I've got the 'other works' thing down to 657 words including all 14 links - I dunno what that works out as in Kindle 'pages'.
That shouldn't be more than a couple of pages, I would think. I only have one page, with the titles of the books and a link to where they can be found online, but then I don't sell a lot of books, so what do I know?
Debbie wrote: "That shouldn't be more than a couple of pages, I would think. I only have one page, with the titles of the books and a link to where they can be found online, but then I don't sell a lot of books, ..."I don't sell many either, so I don't know either.
I suppose what we want is a chance for the readers who do like our stuff to have the chance to get more, but without pissing them off so they vow never to buy anything of ours ever again.
Andy wrote: "Just finished The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared. I enjoyed it overall, but it was a bit of an effort to finish reading it. I'm uncertain as to whether it was do..."That's funny.
I mentioned that one in the morning thread earlier!
I prefer just the title and a link, personally.As Ignite said, once I click the link, all the info I require is there.
imo alls you need to do is just provide a link to your amazon/goodreads (whatever) author page and make sure that all your books are linked correctly to that (cos i have found that some are missing from some authors???) and that your bio is up to date with contact details (if applicable) and honestly, we WILL find your other stuff if we want to...
I knew I wasn't the only one who doesn't like a thick back end.That sounded SO much better in my head!
Patti (Number 69) wrote: "I prefer just the title and a link, personally.As Ignite said, once I click the link, all the info I require is there."
Yes, but....
Er....
Is just the title enough, though?
I like just the title and a link direct to the amazon book page.Then I can just one click without having to faff about.
But I don't have a kindle touch, so the faff factor is quite high.
I suppose that makes sense, especially as I seem to have no blurb-writing talent. Yeah, I know what you mean about the faff, mine is the Keyboard Kindle.
Most of the time I go to the Amazon site on the computer & have it sent to the Kindle, rather than go Kindle direct.
I haven't really encountered this problem in any of the books I've read on Kindle, but it did annoy me when I came across it in paperbacks. There's usually a lot of advertising fluff in the back pages of those.
What I really dislike is bits from reviews telling me how great a book is after I've already bought it.When I was younger I used to like reading short synopsisesesses of books I'd never heard of by writers I'd never heard of, like in the back of Penguins.
Nowadays though, now I know what I don't like, I tend not to bother.
Oh you know something else I wish all authors would do?If they've written a series, put #1 or #2 or whatever in the title.
What a pain having to google the order they should be read. :(
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I also finished Dreamwalkers by Darren Andrews. This is the second part of a multi-part story and I do find it difficult to review things that come in short bursts like this. I'll have a go though! I love the story and this part was tense. I want the next!
Going to have a go at A Novel Way to Die by Lynda Wilcox. It'll be my first LW book.