As for publishers caring more for the wrapper than the content, well, the wrapper is the sole creative input that the non-editorial staff at the publisher has. Why shouldn’t they take pride in their work? After all, it’s the cover that sells, and cover artists often get paid more than the authors, I’ve heard. (Though I shook my head when I heard it.)

This is just an anomaly of the transition phase brought on by creative destruction in the industry. As an author I can buy great cover art at a one-shot price from designers who must compete in the graphic design market. But when there’s no physical book, the packaging that sells the product will be different. Publishers had better figure out how they can add greater value.

Frankly I’m of the opinion that print books will be the forgotten step-brother of e-books at some point in the not-so-distant future.

I’m a musician and I don’t do anything with analog music anymore. (But I hear Neil Young still loves vinyl LPs.)

I just want my font to be readable. I don’t care if it’s the same font someone else uses.

As for publishers caring more for the wrapper than the content, well, the wrapper is the sole creative input that the non-editorial staff at the publisher has. Why shouldn’t they take pride in their work? After all, it’s the cover that sells, and cover artists often get paid more than the authors, I’ve heard. (Though I shook my head when I heard it.)

Thinking of them as “compliments” is what puts them in step-brother status against printed books, and why publishers willfully neglect them.

Typos? Has anybody heard of spellcheck?

This only tells me they’re running the non-proofread, non-typeset version through their e-book workflow process (i.e., FIRST) instead of incorporating it into the workflow after editing and proofing has been done.

Why anybody would do that, I do not know.

There is a pregnant business opportunity here for e-book designers/programmers and creative authors not put off by digital formatting. I very much doubt publishers will make the investment.

I feel for them for losing their pretty color covers to devices like the Kindle. But beyond that, editors would do well to concentrate on delivering 99.998% error-free texts, and stop worrying about whether or not Baskerville Old Face is resident in the device.

The lack of “design” doesn’t have anything to do with typos or missing lines, as you noted.

ePub is based on the XML and CSS standards used in millions of web pages and allows for far more control over layouts than is currently possible with the .mobi file format.

I’ll get back to you when I stop laughing.