Comments on: E-books are ugly, but it’s not the fonts

By: Dusk Peterson

Dusk Peterson — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:07:49 +0000

I agree that formatting e-books is an area that needs to be addressed. However, concerning the remark about typography being relatively unimportant to fiction readers: That’s not the impression I get from being in a fiction community where e-books are often read. The readers usually can’t identify typefaces by name, but almost the first thing that a Kindle owner told me when she showed off the fiction e-books on her Kindle was what she thought of the typeface. Legibility is a big factor to the fiction readers I know.

Unlike the designers quoted in the Wired article, I’m in favor of multiple typeface options in e-books, precisely because what is considered legible and attractive differs from person to person. I can see that, with a complex layout, it would be helpful to have the typeface set, but with a simple layout, I think readers should be offered choices. The problem with the Kindle is not whether the designers chose the right typeface but that the reader is given no choice.

By: James Swezey

James Swezey — Thu, 21 May 2009 20:58:27 +0000

Regardless what makes or doesn’t make an ebook aesthetically pleasing, I think that most indiviudals purchase ebooks out of utilitarian desire. Money talks, and often times it does so louder at the cost of quality and appearance. What is going to make ebooks more “pleasing” to the eye isn’t going to be fonts, but rather any additional media that comes with the purchase of the book. This media of course would be layered into the book, not a separate file, although that could be a good way to start. Now one thing that needs to look aesthetically pleasing is the electronic reader which the book in read on. At the current time, the readers look okay, but could be much better. I am most anxious to see how this market could go.

By: Moriah Jovan

Moriah Jovan — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:54:28 +0000

While I agree with Mike about the covers (want!), overall, this is an excellent rebuttal and I’ve found that the listed reasons are absolutely true.

I’m interested to know if Priya Ganapati has ever tried to format an e-book–any format at all.

By: Mike Cane

Mike Cane — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:05:06 +0000

>>>Also, I suspect that most eBook readers never see the cover of the eBook once they have bought it, and could care less if it is different from the print cover.

I hope not. I’m really pissed to get an eBook — even a freebie from a publisher — that has a “generic” cover that bears no resemblance to the print version.

Why should we continue to settle for less?