[tullia10]

Hi everyone

There are many many files here that clearly are the result of botched conversions: texts interspersed with random gibberish, missing italics, repeated words, aliens.
It would be great to have some info about that already in the post, so if someone has a better version, the original link can be updated.

Is it something too complicated to achieve?

[mesquite]

Hi everyone

There are many many files here that clearly are the result of botched conversions: texts interspersed with random gibberish, missing italics, repeated words, aliens.
It would be great to have some info about that already in the post, so if someone has a better version, the original link can be updated.

Is it something too complicated to achieve?

Hey, a lot of times it is what an uploader has on hand. This is technically a service not an obligation to post high quality direct from the store releases. Though some releases are perfect a lot are not and yes we understand. I myself bought books that I have posted or seen someone else post. So if you want something better than what you see here then don't be afraid to spend the money. The authors love it when we fatten their Swiss bank accounts.

The more we buy the more they publish just look at James Patterson. He releases 6 books a year. I'm not trying to be rude but I was like you always upset with pathetic copies but then I started buying them and relished in the satisfaction of that the author will be able to write more books soon.

[tullia10]

Yes, I agree on what you're saying. I buy some books, but I can't buy everything I read (I either read too much or earn too little)

While it would be great to always get a great copy, you can always clean the ebook up with Calibre and Sigil.

[mesquite]

Yes, I agree on what you're saying. I buy some books, but I can't buy everything I read (I either read too much or earn too little)

Yes, so do I but I only buy what I can when I can afford it. Don't fret so much about it. This is a community and we are always helping each other out. Just ask Beukies and merry60. I helped them out with a couple books this week.

While it would be great to always get a great copy, you can always clean the ebook up with Calibre and Sigil.

First, Calibre can only do so much. Sigil can work but if the quality of the book is rubbish to start with then what good is it? Sigil can only work if the original file is some what workable.

Second, not everyone can grasp Sigil quite easily. It took me 2 weeks to clean up a book that had atrocious quality.

Third, DRM stripping programs. They work but OCCASIONALLY something goes amiss. For example, I bought Tattooed by Pamela Callow with the intention of uploading it here. Ran it through my DRM stripper and opened it in Calibre and found it just completely messed to bits. Nothing resembled normal text apart from the copyright and title page.

Regardless, would you rather spend hours going through a book in Sigil even if there is a search an replace function, correcting the mistakes? Maybe, if it was overall worth it. The bottom line is take what you can get and support the author that wrote it. Cause if they aren't making the money to write the next bestseller then your going to end up with what your able to get.

[Bohica60]

In a perfect world, all copies would be perfect - it isn't and they aren't. Even a retail copy is no guarantee these days.

I know of at least one book that I got that was an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy). It had terrible formatting, broken sentences, broken paragraghs, italics where they shouldn't be and sometimes none where the should be, mispelled word, etc., etc. I ran it through Sigil, and, although my work may not have been perfect, it was, by orders of magnitude, a much more readable copy. Then the retail version came out.

I was thinking "Yay! Finally a good copy!" - until I opened it! The retail version, in my opinion, was worse than my edited version. Several people who got my edited version said the same thing.

There have been others.

One had a problem with sound-alike words like waist/waste, to/two/too, they're/there/their, which makes for very frustrating reading!

[zackddog]

I made a major mistake with my els on Sigil once. Thankfully, I had saved right before I did it otherwise it would've been The Six Mil ion Dol ar man, or something like it.

[Bohica60]

I made a major mistake with my els on Sigil once. Thankfully, I had saved right before I did it otherwise it would've been The Six Mil ion Dol ar man, or something like it.

Oh, GOOD! I'm not the ONLY one who has done that!

Sigil, where one small mistake turns into a major disaster.

I don't just click save on that program. I make sure to click save as and save it with a new number at the end of the file name every time. And I do it often. I have also had some major flightcrew validation issues that gave me headaches. Of course it might not have been so bad if I read the manual.

[FarrahDog]

Sigil, where one small mistake turns into a major disaster.

I don't just click save on that program. I make sure to click save as and save it with a new number at the end of the file name every time. And I do it often. I have also had some major flightcrew validation issues that gave me headaches. Of course it might not have been so bad if I read the manual.

I do love the find option. But I never use the find and replace. Heard horror stories about that.

I use it a lot, especially when I come across a book thats got "Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html" at random points throughout the text.
Or PDF conversions with the title and authors name in the middle of paragraph's and sometimes sentences.

Don't use it a much as I should. As long as it's "somewhat" readable I'm good. Not gonna get too anal about editing it to a perfect copy to read. I just read the whole thing as I was going through it line by line. I'm a science person and grammar was never a strong suit for me.

Hi everyone

There are many many files here that clearly are the result of botched conversions: texts interspersed with random gibberish, missing italics, repeated words, aliens.
It would be great to have some info about that already in the post, so if someone has a better version, the original link can be updated.

Is it something too complicated to achieve?

Honestly most of the books I posts are on my "To Read" list not my "Have Read" list. So unless it's obvious at a quick glance, I'm clueless. Unless someone lets me know. Working my way through organizing my Calibre Libraries and getting all my ebooks in one place / format not 95 separate locations.

I'm just glad I didn't spend $4.95 for a crappy book (plot wise) that I was done with in 15 minutes.

[Bohica60]

I do love the find option. But I never use the find and replace. Heard horror stories about that.

Don't use it a much as I should. As long as it's "somewhat" readable I'm good. Not gonna get too anal about editing it to a perfect copy to read.

Honestly most of the books I posts are on my "To Read" list not my "Have Read" list. So unless it's obvious at a quick glance, I'm clueless. Unless someone lets me know.

I use the "find and replace" all the time. Of course, after a few blunders like the one zackddog mentioned, I'm a bit more careful now, but I do use it.

Two main uses come to mind. One is that many authors use this "word--word" (supposed to be one long dash) when what they mean is this "word - word". "Find and replace" handles those easily.

The other was a series where all the ship names were italicized (Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet series) - in my copies they were not. So, as I read the book in Sigil, every time I saw a new ship name, I stopped and did a "find and replace" on it. Every time I came across that ship name after that, it was correctly italicized. (copying and pasting an italicized word into "find and replace" does NOT work from book view. You have to go into code view and copy it and the italics code and paste that into it. That, or type it out by hand)

I am the same way about readability. I don't need a Table of Contents (TOC) to read a book. But from the way some act here, if the TOC isn't there, they don't want the book because it isn't "complete."

Fair warning to those who download my books. The TOC may or may not be there. If it is, it may or may not be "live." (Where you click on a chapter and it takes you there) I honestly don't care. See, I grew up reading books with words on paper. There was no point and go TOCs in those books.

If the TOC is bad or screwed up in some way, I REMOVE it. Doesn't bother me at all, cause I can read the book just fine with or without it.

I'm in the same boat regarding the condition of the books. At present, my mobipocket reader has some 3300+ books in it. Most are in the "To Read" column, as opposed to the "Have Read" column. But, when I am informed of a bad copy of one of my releases, I either fix it, or remove it from the listing. I had a very bad copy of Hovercar Racer by Mathew Reilly. I found out it was an 8-part serial released as .PDFs. I managed to get copies of those .PDFs and basically almost wrote the book over again to get a decent readable copy.

I had another that was chopped off somewhere in the middle of chapter 9 or 11. Merry60 helped me out with getting a copy I could swap out in my release so that it had a good copy in there.

[tullia10]

All that I'm asking is if it would be possible to have future realeases look like this:

Some Book by Some Author
Requirements: ePUB reader, 500 KB
Overview: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam id sapien vitae arcu hendrerit ornare sed eget odio. Maecenas vel erat a neque ornare pellentesque eu non arcu. Vivamus ornare aliquet lectus eu iaculis. Morbi metus nisl, consequat vitae aliquet quis, luctus non justo.

(image)

Download Instructions:
Download

Mirror:
Download

Notes:
This version is missing all the italics.

or

Notes:
This version is missing all the double Ls.

This shouldn't be mandatory (as most users maybe don't know anything about the book they're uploading), but encouraged with added WRZ$ or other means.
The no-mirror rule for this releases could be slightly bended to accept versions that correct the mistakes. For example:

Mirror:
Download

Notes:
Retail version containing all the italics.

It would be a better world

[FarrahDog]

In a perfect world, all books would be "properly formatted". I've had some "retail" versions that look like a 3rd grader edited them!

Some of this did bother me at first, but the more I read them the easier it gets to "interpret" the missing, added, messed up bits.

I have various places where I get books from, some are retail versions, most are not. I take what I can get!!! But I'm easy to please, look at the company I keep.

If I know something is DRASTICALLY wrong with one of my releases I fix it or remove it.

Try posting more than a couple of books that didn't come directly from a retail store and maybe you'll better understanding of exactly what you're asking. The amount of time spent looking for "new" books (making sure there not posted already, converting them, zipping them, finding the books info for posting, uploading the book(s), pasting the book info, cover and links, etc.) is already a HUGE process.

Most people would rather have a poorly edited version then no version at all. Am I wrong? I'd rather have Fillet but I'll take a hamburger.

I'd honestly rather have a "report button" for dead links. If we're talking about making mobilism more "user friendly" and ways to improve it.

And if you have a "better" version then the one posted you can always contact the OP letting them know. Not a grantee that they will change their link to the "improved" book but it's an option.


BTW - Are you an English / grammar teacher? Just wondering?

[tullia10]

The amount of time spent looking for "new" books [...] is already a HUGE process.

Agreed. In fact I said that the notes shouldn't be mandatory, just allowed and appreciated

I'd rather have Fillet but I'll take a hamburger.

Agreed. But I'd like to know beforehand if in a sealed package I'm going to find fillet or hamburger

I'd honestly rather have a "report button" for dead links.

Me too. But one thing doesn't exclude the other one

BTW - Are you an English / grammar teacher? Just wondering?

Nope. I can't even speak english (my pronunciation is something that can give you nightmares for years). I thake that as a huge compliment to my language skills

[FarrahDog]

So your multi-lingual??

I am too. I fluent in Red Neck and Bull-Shih-Tzu (My Doberman tough me.)

And apparently you didn't grow up in the US Public School System where "Mystery Meat" is common practice. Google "Pink slime"

I don't think anything "prevents" posters from doing it. Just time , knowing the "actual" content of what your posting.

It's a good idea, just not sure how piratical.

Maybe another part of the "report button" that could list "issues" with the download (links, formats, etc) and somehow be noted not as another post but kind of like the Mods and Admins do.

Like this...


Again, in a perfect world.

And hey,

DREAMS ARE FREE!!!!