Just saying...
Not sure if others will agree or disagree, and it doesn't really matter, but I find that most often the "sneak peek" feature that allows you to read a few pages of the book on offer not only doesn't entice me to purchase, but actually often motivates me to NOT make a purchase. The reason is that the pages presented are usually the very first pages in the book...the pages that almost always are slow, grinding introductions or reviews of previous literature on the topic at hand. I really wish whoever is responsible for choosing which pages to reveal would pick a few from the meat of the book that display the author's own style and/or unique perspective and/or main premise, etc.
Some people may find extended reviews of previous literature to be informative and helpful (on occasion, I do, as well), but often I find that such reviews are telegraphing a lack of creativity and informational gravitas on the part of the author. Exceptions may exist...but regardless, a peek into a book that simply discusses what other books have said is worse than a waste. Maybe what gets shown is a publisher decision, maybe not...but I'd much rather read pages 75-80 or 155-160 instead of pages 1-5.
Just saying...
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"The Unbelievable Work...believe it or not." Little children...Biblical prophecy is not Christianity's friend.
Comments
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Although I think this post could be more effective if it had a more descriptive title... I wholeheartedly agree.
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Garrett Ho said:
Although I think this post could be more effective if it had a more descriptive title.
Not really, it made me wonder what it was about.,[:^)]
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David, I've had the very same thought!
Logos is usually very good at marketing and promotions. Guess we can all improve.
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David Paul said:
Just saying...
I find it to be far superior to the few page views that Logos offers for pre-pubs. They are ALL the first 5-6 pages and often reveal nothing about the book of value. There is no thinking whatsoever about which pages are shown, whatever comes first is what is shown.
The see inside feature does go beyond the initial pages, but often the samples are too brief to be of real help, and one has no control over what one sees in comparison to Amazon's Look Inside feature which is searchable. I agree that this feature could use further work.
Pastor, North Park Baptist Church
Bridgeport, CT USA
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I agree with the point David's making. I guess I got lucky with my last purchase. I got hooked on a chapter in the middle and bought the book.
Maybe whoever selects the example sections and has a good feel for what's significant?
"If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.
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David Paul said:
I really wish whoever is responsible for choosing which pages to reveal would ...
As far as I know, the sample sections are just randomly chosen by the website to show a small sample (I think 3%) of the book. Some books may shown relevant, enticing excepts; some may not.
I think the first pages (title, copyright, etc.) are always shown, but you should be able to keep scrolling down and eventually see an excerpt from "the meat of the book".
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This is a perfect examply of what I'm talking about. Check out the "Sample Pages from the Print Edition" at the bottom of the page...nothing presented but a review of previous literature...and a rather dull review, at that.
http://www.logos.com/product/6489/the-fulfilment-of-doom
These pages really push me toward deleting this prepub...I may hold on to it, but if this is the tenor of the book, I will be looking for a refund. DEADLY DULL.
ASUS ProArt x570s Creator, AMD R9 5950x, HyperX 64gb 3600 RAM, ASUS Strix RTX 2080 ti
"The Unbelievable Work...believe it or not." Little children...Biblical prophecy is not Christianity's friend.
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David Paul said:
This is a perfect examply of what I'm talking about. Check out the "Sample Pages from the Print Edition" at the bottom of the page...nothing presented but a review of previous literature...and a rather dull review, at that.
http://www.logos.com/product/6489/the-fulfilment-of-doom
These pages really push me toward deleting this prepub...I may hold on to it, but if this is the tenor of the book, I will be looking for a refund. DEADLY DULL.
I agree - I've stopped even looking at the sample pages because they are almost entirely useless.
Pastor, seminary trustee, and app developer. Check out my latest app for churches: The Church App
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That sort of thing is the reason i did a complete preview (sample from each book) for the New Interpreter's Bible, they have not even one sample there and the page still says it was done by 18 authors even though I reported long ago it should be corrected to 97. Logos seems to have a break down between marketing and web page developers. With often no preview or worthless ones.
-dan
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Dan Francis said:
That sort of thing is the reason i did a complete preview (sample from each book) for the New Interpreter's Bible, they have not even one sample there and the page still says it was done by 18 authors even though I reported long ago it should be corrected to 97. Logos seems to have a break down between marketing and web page developers. With often no preview or worthless ones.
-dan
It would be nice if the TOC and perhaps one chapter (chosen by the reader) would be given. In that fashion the reader would be able to assess how the resource addresses his interests. It would be necessary to use cookies to ascertain whether the reader has already chosen his one chapter (or perhaps somewhat less) so that he could not read the entire book (if the reader doesn't accept cookies he gets no chapter).
george
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Recently I have been buying more books from the kindle store than from Logos, but I suppose the scenario is the same. Logos is now doing what Amazon has been doing for years with the "Look inside" feature. Even before the kindle I had to know exactly which book I was looking for if I were to purchase a book without reading the sample first, and preferably also reading the TOC. I think it is great that Logos finally has this feature.The Logos-implementation is particularly nice in its easy access to the TOC (See screenshot below).
If what David Paul suggests, that the sample can make you decide not to buy a book, is correct, It may in fact be a good thing. Just think about it, why would you want to buy a book that you will end up not reading – or worse: wish you hadn´t? In fact, is that not what samples are all about? Helping you find the right book to buy, and avioiding the wrong choises?
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