Publishers and formatters drop the ball for one of two reasons: When the design interferes with the functionality, it can irritate readers to the point where the author or publisher goes on the Do Not Buy list. A well-designed ebook is a pleasure to read, but ONLY when the design complements and/or enhances the book’s functionality. I doubt very much anyone who reads ebooks buy them to admire their looks. I bet I’m not the only reader who was priced out of the print market and stopped buying new books, but because of ebooks is now back to buying four or five new books a week. They are inexpensive to produce, cost nothing to stock and free/cheap to ship. Unless the ebook is coming from one of the Big5 publishers, it’s probably inexpensive enough to appeal to even the heaviest readers. For those who like being part of a club, you can connect your books to other readers and share highlighted passages and comments. If, like me, you like to read in bed but your partner wants you to turn off the damned light, if you have a tablet or backlit eink reader or smart phone, you can turn off the damned light and keep reading. If, like me, you enjoy reading outdoors, an eink reader completely eliminates page glare and the resulting eye fatigue. If, like me, you have overworked and/or aged eyes, the ability to increase font size and line height is a godsend. If you finish a really terrific book and want to read another of the author’s books, just pop over to the retail site, buy the next ebook and keep reading. If a book is in digital form and offered for sale, then it is always in stock. (I can carry hundreds or thousands of books in my purse.) What those who try to force print design into ebooks seem unaware of is WHY readers like ebooks: I’ve been noticing a disturbing trend of late: Writer/publishers who want their ebooks to look (and act) like print books–and print designers turned formatters who encourage it.
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