How long should e-books be?

1. 88

   Victoria Lynnposted 11 years ago

   How long should e-books be?
   
   Should they be about the same length as print books? Shorter? Longer?

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2. 79

   DreamerMegposted 11 years ago

   I think it depends on the topic. A novel needs to be about the same length, whether in print or as an ebook. I have an academic paper produced as an ebook on my Kindle and it's about 8 pages long. I also have many non-fiction books on my kindle too and they are pretty hefty, just as they are in print.
   
   If you are wanting to produce an ebook on a topic, for instance as a free download on a particular subject, then somewhere between 10 pages and 30 pages is probably about right. At 10 pages you can call it an "article". At 30 pages you can call it a "report", above that you could call it a novella (for fiction) a short novel or teenage novel (they are usually shorter). You could also use the terms "hefty tome" for a VERY long book.

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3. 81

   Hyphenbirdposted 11 years ago

   I think an e-book should be the same as any other. The book should be written as usual then published as an e-book. I don't see any reason to make them any different and actually doing so might discourage buyers. I personally expect the book to be the same in paper or digital, just formatted for Kindle, Nook and the like.

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4. 77

   arbposted 11 years ago

   I Victoria! Just came by to say hello. I guess coming here requires an answer so "they should be long enough to induce a good nap". Where's your poetry, I'm not particulary fond of questions.

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   1. 88

      Victoria Lynnposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Glad you said hello, arb! I'm in the apprenticeship program, so I can't write poetry right now. :-( I miss it. Will try to get my groove in a couple more months. :-) Great seeing you here!

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5. 70

   rfmoranposted 11 years ago

   I don't believe that any "rule" has been established yet. Actually there is no rule for paper bound books. I have seen ebooks as short as 25 pages, more an essay than a book. If you're on Kindle you don't know how many pages you're reading, just the percentage completed.

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6. 88

   MizBejabbersposted 11 years ago

   I guess my answer is "they should be as long as it takes." I don't see any reason the length should be any different from a hard copy book. I do think that an equivalent of pages should be listed for an ebook so the buyer can see what kind of value we are getting for the money. I bought a "bargain" ebook and then discovered that it was a novella, although it was not listed as one. Although I can't complain about the price, I don't like to read books that short. On the other hand, I certainly wouldn't want to pay $9.99  or more and discover that the ebook novel was the equivalent of 150 pages or so. I have a KindleFire and I have noticed that sometimes the Kindle edition book that I buy is listed as having page numbers, but it doesn't.

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7. 57

   Robin Thomas Eposted 11 years ago

   I have seen ebooks with mere 1 page to some that is even 1000 pages. Compared to the real versions, I would like to have the ebooks to be shorter. Though they are plenty of devices like Kindle and many more, I dont like reading from those for a prolonged time, and I honestly would like smaller ebooks.

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