# When you first open a book on your Kindle, what do you want to see?



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

So there's a discussion in the Writers' Café about this and how to change where it opens and I thought it would be an interesting poll for our members.

Where do you want a book to open?

I want it to open at the story. As long as there is a "go to cover" option in the menu, I'm good. I've already looked at the cover when I bought it. And still can if I do "View by covers" which I don't. So obviously, the covers aren't really that important to me once I've bought the book. (Sorry, authors.)

*I've edited the poll to clarify that in the poll, I'd like people to answer their preference, not necessarily what you do now, but what you'd like to do. Then, of course, in your post, you can say how you achieve that now....

So, if you'd like to open at the cover, for the cover's sake, that's #1. If you only go to the cover now because you are afraid you'll miss something, then it's probably #2 or #3 for you.
*

Betsy


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## Trophywife007 (Aug 31, 2009)

I like starting with the cover so that I know I'm not missing a prologue.  A few times I've backed up a few pages from where the book initially opened and found one that I otherwise would have missed.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Trophywife007 said:


> I like starting with the cover so that I know I'm not missing a prologue. A few times I've backed up a few pages from where the book initially opened and found one that I otherwise would have missed.


This. It's just a couple of clicks or swipes to go either way, I know, but I prefer to start at the cover so I do not miss a prolog.


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

I vote for the cover, too. I've always been interested in the front matter, whether paperback or Kindle, since I began reading books and that was many, many moons ago. I won't necessarily read all of the front matter, but I'll at least skim it before reading the book proper.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

For those of you who say you want the cover because you don't want to miss the prologue, if books were sure to open to the prologue if there is one, would you still want to see the cover first?

My intent was that if you want to see the text TO INCLUDE the prologue if one exists, you would pick the "Page one of the story (includes prologue if there is one)" answer.  

If, regardless of whether there is a prologue or not, you would want to see the cover, as some have indicated in other threads, you would pick the cover answer.

It seems to me that it's a formatting issue if there's a prolog but the book doesn't open to it; that's where the book starts and the author should set that as the opening of the book.

In other words, in a perfect world, what do you prefer to see when you first open the book, the cover or the story, however it might start?

Sorry for any confusion....

Betsy


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I don't always read a book right away and by the time I get around to it, I forget what the cover is like. My habit with paperbacks is to look at the cover again, read the back blurb to remind myself of the storyline and maybe read that little excerpt in the front. Then I'll read the book. I'd like to do that again, especially have the blurb available.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I wish I could press and hold on a book in my list and see the blurb and the cover.  But then when I go into the book, it would be right to the book.

On the PW, the Touch and the Fires, one can see the covers and browse by them; same with the apps.  So I think seeing the cover won't be a big issue in the future.  I do wish the blurb were downloaded with the book.

Betsy


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

I voted for first page of the story.  I have my PW on cover view on the homepage, so I can see covers there.  And if I want to see a cover when in the book, that's usually a go to option.


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## cork_dork_mom (Mar 24, 2011)

I've got a K3 so cover art doesn't mean much since it's in b&w. 

I read a lot of historical romances & lets face it... after awhile all the covers tend to look the same.  . I'd rather jump right into the story (or prologue, if there is one).


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## backslidr (Nov 23, 2012)

This is one of the things that frustrates me. It seems like every time I open a new book I always have to go to the menu and either go to the cover or location 1. I like to see when the book was written and check out the table of contents first. There are things you miss sometimes, so I definitely want it to open to the cover.


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## GBear (Apr 23, 2009)

I don't need to see the cover, but I always page backwards and often whould have missed something if I hadn't. It could be a prologue, but sometimes it's a quote, song or poem (what would those be called?), a relevant dedication, or an introduction, or something else that I'd be interested in. In the book I'm reading now, it was several maps of Paris, the setting for the story, with key locations noted. (Not that I could read the maps on my K3, but that's another topic!) 

I'm not sure there's a good way around this. It's not easy to navigate on my K3, so I just wind up hitting the Previous Page button enough times to see if I missed anything, then Next Page to get back to the beginning, for every book. I've been hoping that it's less effort with the touch-screen Kindles to jump around in the table of contents and then get back to the beginning. If so, then my problem is solved and I'm less concerned with where the book opens.


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## LaRita (Oct 28, 2008)

GBear said:


> sometimes it's a quote, song or poem (what would those be called?)


I believe those would be _epigraphs_.

I'd also like to start at the cover to make sure nothing is missed.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

GBear said:


> I don't need to see the cover, but I always page backwards and often whould have missed something if I hadn't. It could be a prologue, but sometimes it's a quote, song or poem (what would those be called?), a relevant dedication, or an introduction, or something else that I'd be interested in. In the book I'm reading now, it was several maps of Paris, the setting for the story, with key locations noted. (Not that I could read the maps on my K3, but that's another topic!)
> 
> I'm not sure there's a good way around this. It's not easy to navigate on my K3, so I just wind up hitting the Previous Page button enough times to see if I missed anything, then Next Page to get back to the beginning, for every book. I've been hoping that it's less effort with the touch-screen Kindles to jump around in the table of contents and then get back to the beginning. If so, then my problem is solved and I'm less concerned with where the book opens.


On my basic Kindle, if I want to do this, I would hit the menu button, then use the five way controller to scroll down to "Go To" and then use it to select "Cover." Of course, in the book I tried it in, there would be 8 page turns to get back to where I actually want to be, the start of the book

On the K3, I would think it would be similar.

Betsy


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## SusanCassidy (Nov 9, 2008)

I could not care less what the cover looks like.  I don't remember covers at all.


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## Amanda Brice (Feb 16, 2011)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I don't always read a book right away and by the time I get around to it, I forget what the cover is like. My habit with paperbacks is to look at the cover again, read the back blurb to remind myself of the storyline and maybe read that little excerpt in the front. Then I'll read the book. I'd like to do that again, especially have the blurb available.


THIS. That's completely my process when deciding on what book to read. I have more than 300 unread books on my Kindle at the moment, most of which I can't recall what it's about simply from a random text entry on the library. My Kindle for PC shows the covers in the list, but if there's a way to do that with the Kindle device, I sure haven't figured it out. So I'm left picking books at random and then having to page back to get to the cover (and ideally a blurb, as well) to see if it can trigger a recollection as to what it's about before I decide to read it.


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## Trophywife007 (Aug 31, 2009)

The type of Kindle one has could affect one's answer.  If someone browses through cover pictures to choose the book (like apparently you can do on the Fire, PW, etc.) then you may not necessarily need to start with the cover when you first open it.  On my K3 and DX I only see titles so I'd like seeing the cover when I start a book.


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## kansaskyle (Sep 14, 2010)

I for the 'Somewhere else' option.  

I would like to start with the dedication page because that typically precedes any maps (Fantasy books) and any prologue.  I like to read the dedications to see who the author included.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I want it to open at the cover. Always have. I have been doing the "go to cover" since my K1. 

I have a PW now and I still do it. The cover view on the PW doesn't help me much with that. the pictures are small. I want to open at the cover so I am getting in the mood of the book. Most of the time I read long after I bought the book. The cover just sets it for me. I remember when I bought the book, or why. Then I can page through like a paper book until the story starts. 

I wish there was a setting one could chose where to open the books. That way everyone would be happy. 

Of course I get really mad when there is no cover. I remember that too. But not in a good way. I feel ripped off if the cover is missing. Would be like buying a book at B&N and at the checkout they rip the cover off before they put it in the bag. 

So yeah, cover.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Atunah said:


> I wish there was a setting one could chose where to open the books. That way everyone would be happy.


I agree.

Betsy


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

i don't want to change my vote, but i just had a thought (yeah, yeah, i know, it's rare)...

table of contents..... especially in an anthology.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

scarlet said:


> i don't want to change my vote, but i just had a thought (yeah, yeah, i know, it's rare)...
> 
> table of contents..... especially in an anthology.


Or nonfiction....


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## Amanda Brice (Feb 16, 2011)

Atunah said:


> I wish there was a setting one could chose where to open the books. That way everyone would be happy.


Agreed. Because as you can see from the poll, there's no consensus on this. We all have our own thoughts on what's best and nobody is going to be able to convince us otherwise.

I mean, if you can choose your own font and text size, why shouldn't you be able to choose where the book opens?


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## Ann Herrick (Sep 24, 2010)

I vote for the cover. For one thing, I enjoy seeing covers, and for another I don't always read a book as soon as it is downloaded. It might be days, weeks or even months before I get to any particular book and the cover is a nice reminder of what the book is and why I bought it in the first place.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

I always view the book cover and quickly skim through any foreword material before starting to read, but I'm fine with the e-book opening at the beginning of the story (which is the way Amazon wants publishers to format). If the e-book is properly formatted, it takes only a few presses to navigate.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

How does Amazon know where to start the book? As an author, if I put the blurb in the front of the book, how will Amazon know to include that as the start of the book?

Betsy, I don't mean to take a Cafe discussion into the wrong place, but if readers want the blurb, authors should know about it.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> How does Amazon know where to start the book? As an author, if I put the blurb in the front of the book, how will Amazon know to include that as the start of the book?
> 
> Betsy, I don't mean to take a Cafe discussion into the wrong place, but if readers want the blurb, authors should know about it.


That discussion is already taking place there.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> That discussion is already taking place there.


Okay, I'll go find it.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Amanda Brice said:


> Agreed. Because as you can see from the poll, there's no consensus on this. We all have our own thoughts on what's best and nobody is going to be able to convince us otherwise.
> 
> I mean, if you can choose your own font and text size, why shouldn't you be able to choose where the book opens?


Agreed.

Or we could do it this way. For 5 years now the books opened at the 1st chapter. Its my turn now. For the next 5 years, it should open at the cover.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I came back to add the link, Gertie, but you're too quick for me!  The link is in my prior post now.

Betsy


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## cvwriter (May 16, 2011)

I prefer a book opening at the cover. I love covers and am annoyed I have to click Go To every time. I'm also new to eReading and like the process to resemble reading a physical book as much as possible, and that includes thumbing through the front matter as I would a hard copy.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

cvwriter said:


> I prefer a book opening at the cover. I love covers and am annoyed I have to click Go To every time. I'm also new to eReading and like the process to resemble reading a physical book as much as possible, and that includes thumbing through the front matter as I would a hard copy.


I've had my K1 for 4.5 years and I still want to go through the front matter. I've always read the dedications, although I don't read the reviews. I've been reading for (hem-hem) years and it's too late to change my reading habits.


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## GBear (Apr 23, 2009)

LaRita said:


> I believe those would be _epigraphs_.
> 
> I'd also like to start at the cover to make sure nothing is missed.


Thank you, LaRita!


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## VondaZ (Apr 21, 2009)

I also want to begin at the cover. I don't care about seeing the cover itself per se, but I don't like the feeling that I may be missing something when I start with whatever is coded as "The Beginning." I would rather page through material I don't need to read than miss something like a dedication, a quotation, a map, an introduction, or a prologue. The fact is that I never trust someone else to decide what is okay for me to skip. I read paper books this way and I don't feel the need to change because now I read ebooks.


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## ElisaBlaisdell (Jun 3, 2012)

I always zoom back to the cover and start from there. That replicates the 'real book' experience--you see the cover, you flip through the front matter, either reading it or not, as you choose, but in any case becoming aware that it exists, and then starting the book. 

And, then there's the practical issue of risking missing important material, such as a prologue. I think it's unrealistic to specify in the poll that the contents of the book will start with the prologue. That's assuming a perfect world, and as we all know, the world isn't perfect. 

(Okay, here's an analogy. Let's have a poll on whether we want to lock the front door of our house at night. And, as an afterthought, let's add that for the purposes of the poll, we're going to assume that there are no burglars, rapists, or murderers in our town, and never will be. Whatever the purposes of the poll, it's not going to illuminate the question of whether or not people want to lock their doors.)


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## quiet chick writes (Oct 19, 2012)

I like to flip to the front cover too. I read on a tablet though, so the covers are full color and very pretty. I suppose that might make a difference between b&w readers and tablet readers. 

And I do read the blurb/story summary if there is one too (I love it when there is one!), because I'm almost never able to read a book right after I purchase it, and I like to remind myself of what the story was about. And I also like to glance at the TOC so I can get an idea of what the story structure will be, like how many chapters or sections. 

I like dedications and epigraphs too. Then I dive in! 

So yes, in general, I am a fan of reading the frontmatter... pretty much all of it!


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## Nicholas Andrews (Sep 8, 2011)

I'd prefer for the book to start at the cover. Since I read primarily fantasy, there is usually a map at the front of the book and I want to have a look at it before reading. There is also usually an "Other Books By..." page I want to look at, and if there's a foreword I'll read that too. And if I don't feel like reading it, it's not THAT strenuous to click a few extra times to get to Chapter 1.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

ElisaBlaisdell said:


> (Okay, here's an analogy. Let's have a poll on whether we want to lock the front door of our house at night. And, as an afterthought, let's add that for the purposes of the poll, we're going to assume that there are no burglars, rapists, or murderers in our town, and never will be. Whatever the purposes of the poll, it's not going to illuminate the question of whether or not people want to lock their doors.)


Seriously?   Geeze louise.

I just want to know if people want to see the cover first. Or something else.

Betsy


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## ElisaBlaisdell (Jun 3, 2012)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Seriously?   Geeze louise.
> 
> I just want to know if people want to see the cover first. Or something else.
> 
> Betsy


I knew as I wrote it that it was an overdramatic analogy. Sorry about that.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

I answered the cover as well, but I would be most happy if the cover of whatever I am currently reading were the sleep screen.  When I used to shop for books and buy dozens at a time, the cover was most often what I remembered to let me know whether it was already in a stack at home waiting to be read.

Now I don't remember the name of the book I am reading or have just finished, who the author is, etc.  I know we can use the menu to bring up at least the book name, but since the K1, it doesn't show the author.  Every time you pick up a paper book, you have those reminders.  It is, for me, my only complaint about digital reading.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

ElisaBlaisdell said:


> I knew as I wrote it that it was an overdramatic analogy. Sorry about that.


Just a bit. 

Betsy


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## Trophywife007 (Aug 31, 2009)

crebel said:


> I answered the cover as well, but I would be most happy if the cover of whatever I am currently reading were the sleep screen.


There's where I draw the line. I love, love, love having my custom screensavers.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Trophywife007 said:


> There's where I draw the line. I love, love, love having my custom screensavers.


I haven't done custom screensavers since the K1, but they are wonderful! Still, I would give them up for the option of book cover sleep screens.

That's the real wish, more customizable options for any of the Kindles...


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## hamerfan (Apr 24, 2011)

Cover. Always.


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## kisala9906 (Sep 4, 2011)

My vote is for the cover. B/W or color I love seeing the cover as much as possible for a book. The one thing I miss about reading paper books.


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## Dragle (Dec 10, 2011)

ElisaBlaisdell said:


> I always zoom back to the cover and start from there. That replicates the 'real book' experience--you see the cover, you flip through the front matter, either reading it or not, as you choose, but in any case becoming aware that it exists, and then starting the book.
> 
> And, then there's the practical issue of risking missing important material, such as a prologue. I think it's unrealistic to specify in the poll that the contents of the book will start with the prologue. That's assuming a perfect world, and as we all know, the world isn't perfect.


Just what I was going to say! The experience starts with looking at the cover and opening the new book. I hate to start a new book and see that I am already at 3%.

I would also like to see the "back" because sometimes I have read an entire book, trying to visualize the layout of its world, only to find at the end that they had a map there. It was probably inside back cover in the print version. _Not_ a good way to format an ebook. It would be best to have that kind of thing appear right after the cover.



crebel said:


> I answered the cover as well, but I would be most happy if the cover of whatever I am currently reading were the sleep screen.


That's a great idea! I would love that!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

It's interesting to me how many people have said they want to replicate the experience of reading a paper book when reading on their Kindles (as far as the cover, back blurb, etc).  It's such a different experience for me that I don't really compare them.  But on the other hand, even in paper, I never spent that much time lingering over the cover or the front matter.  I guess, different strokes.

Betsy


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## storylover (Jan 26, 2013)

I prefer to open to the cover and start at the very beginning; you should always start a great story at the very beginning. But that's just me.


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Always the cover. I like to see the cover, then read or (TTS) listen to anything prior to the start of the story. I also feel cheated when there is no cover. Some books won't let you "go to" the cover, so I feel that I am waisting time having to click, click, tap, tap to go back to the cover. Even with samples, I like to go to the cover.


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

The cover.  I always want to start something at the very beginning.  won't watch a tv show if I don't get it from the beginning, either!!


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## Larrue (Jun 28, 2009)

When I start a new book I always go back to the cover and start from there.


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

I go to the cover, then forward to the first page where I can place a note and enter the price and whether the book is lendable or not lendable.  When I finish reading the book I go back to the note and enter the date finished.

I like seeing the cover first.  I buy so many books it may be a long long time before I read some of them.

I also love the idea of being able to tap on the cover and see the blurb without having to download the book.  Double tap to d/l.  Sometimes I have up to 10 books and want to decide which to read first but really didn't have to download them all.  But that's not a big deal, I suppose.


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## ElisaBlaisdell (Jun 3, 2012)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> It's interesting to me how many people have said they want to replicate the experience of reading a paper book when reading on their Kindles (as far as the cover, back blurb, etc). It's such a different experience for me that I don't really compare them. But on the other hand, even in paper, I never spent that much time lingering over the cover or the front matter. I guess, different strokes.
> 
> Betsy


It's not that I necessarily want to spend a lot of time 'lingering over the cover or the front matter.' I just want to know what's there, in case there's something interesting or important.

I'll admit, I love it when the table of contents of a novel is tucked at the very back of the book. Scanning through page after page of Chapter 11, Chapter 12, doesn't do anything for me.


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## geniebeanie (Apr 23, 2009)

Most of the time you get attracted to a book by the cover.  It is the doorway into the book.  So even without the prolouge it is the cover for me.


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## SandraMiller (May 10, 2011)

I've had a K3 for years.  This Christmas I asked my husband for a Nook (the one with the glow light) so that I could check my formatting there firsthand--and read without a separate light)  I was kind of astonished to find that there were several things I actually liked better about the Nook, once I had one.

One of those things?  When I open new book, it goes to the cover.  I <3 that more than I ever knew I would.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm finding this all really interesting.  I've had a Kindle since October 2008, and I've never once missed seeing the cover of a book....not even the first time I used it.  I must be really weird....  

But then, I've never considered the cover part of the reading experience. Even with paper books. The cover, to me, was someone else's interpretation of the book.  I never much cared about someone else's interpretation--that had nothing to do with me.  For me, the cover, only was about being able to pick it out on a shelf so I could read.  Kind of like a distinctive hat on a friend.  To my friend, the hat might be a statement of their personality; to me, it's just a way to pick them out in a crowd. 

Betsy


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

storylover said:


> I prefer to open to the cover and start at the very beginning; you should always start a great story at the very beginning. But that's just me.


Well, of course, I prefer to start the book at the beginning, great story or so-so story. But what constitutes the beginning? The copyright page and the table of contents? Or, the first line of the story?

It does appear that for most here, the cover constitutes that beginning, which I find really interesting.

Betsy


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## storylover (Jan 26, 2013)

For me, the cover does constitute the beginning. The cover (usually) sets the stage and our expectations of the book. So much is/can be conveyed with the cover.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I want to start at the very beginning.  It's a very good place to start. 

So, I vote Cover.  I like to page through the front matter and see if there's anything interesting -- like a list of other books in the series or something useful like that.

As it is, mostly they open to the beginning of the story and I ALWAYS use GoTo Cover -- just to make sure I don't miss anything.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I want to start at the very beginning. It's a very good place to start.


I think we are all agreed on that; it's just what constitutes the beginning that differ amongst us. Oh, if only Amazon would let us have choices...



> like a list of other books in the series or something useful like that.


I like to look that up afterwards...and I usually do it outside of the book, because if the book is early in a series and hasn't been recently updated, it's unlikely to have the full list.

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Well, I certainly understand others' points of view. As others have mentioned, 'beginning' is often defined as the first chapter. If there was a prologue or 'what has gone before' section, you won't see that unless you go back. And a lot of the sorts of books I read have that. Which is why I routinely 'Go To Cover' just to make sure I don't miss it. 

I admit that, if I could _count_ on prologues being included, that'd probably be my choice in the poll. But, as it is I can't.

Now, I don't fault Amazon for that -- it's my understanding that the publishers specify where the book's 'beginning' is for kindle purposes. I think they're foolish to specify the first chapter if there's a prologue. But because they so often do, I can't be sure that there isn't one. I suppose if I was really worried about it I could keep track of which publishers include the prologue as 'beginning' and which don't, but that' seems like a _whole_ lot more work than just habitually going back to the cover whenever I start a book.


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## Troy Jackson (Sep 7, 2012)

As I mentioned in another thread, I'm an "old soul" who likes a physical book in my hands.  However, if I were to read one on a Kindle (which I'm
considering buying for my wife), I would say that I would like it to open up at the cover to give me more of a "real life" feel of a book in my hands.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Well, I certainly understand others' points of view.


Oh, I do too.



> I admit that, if I could _count_ on prologues being included, that'd probably be my choice in the poll.


Well, for the purposes of my poll, as defined, then, you should probably have picked that. My intent was to find out who wants to see the cover for the cover's sake. Not for the sake of seeing other stuff. Just sayin'.

Betsy


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

I've come to a conclusion.  I don't care where a book opens to, but i wish all all books would open to the same place!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

telracs said:


> I've come to a conclusion. I don't care where a book opens to, but i wish all all books would open to the same place!


Wouldn't that only be possible if they were all the same book?


I wish Amazon would allow us to determine it, but I do think that would be complicated to implement.

Betsy


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Wouldn't that only be possible if they were all the same book?
> 
> 
> I wish Amazon would allow us to determine it, but I do think that would be complicated to implement.
> ...


okay, rephrase.... i would be happy if every book would open to location 0.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

telracs said:


> okay, rephrase.... i would be happy if every book would open to location 0.


 

Betsy


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## ireadbooks (Jan 11, 2011)

Atunah said:


> I want to open at the cover so I am getting in the mood of the book. Most of the time I read long after I bought the book. The cover just sets it for me. I remember when I bought the book, or why. Then I can page through like a paper book until the story starts.


This pretty much sums up my opinion.

I'm very big on covers...they are sometimes the deciding factor in whether or not I purchase a book. Looking at the cover gets me in the mood and excited all over again.

I also like how purty they look on my screen 

And I always browse the TOC first. For a fiction book I suppose that's not so beneficial. However, if it's nonfiction, it's a glimpse at about what's in store. Again, it's all about the anticipation.


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## wholesalestunna (Aug 5, 2011)

ireadbooks said:


> This pretty much sums up my opinion.
> 
> I'm very big on covers...they are sometimes the deciding factor in whether or not I purchase a book. Looking at the cover gets me in the mood and excited all over again.
> 
> ...


Me too.... The only thing I don't like about the kindle is that the book doesn't start with a cover... I hate missing out on good cover art.


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## Dragle (Dec 10, 2011)

[soapbox]

I just opened a new book today. It started on the prologue.  I hit Go To, and there was no Go to Cover option available.  I started paging back. By starting with the prologue they skipped (going backwards) a quotation by Nietzsche, the book's title page, list of other books by the author, an About the Author section, copyright page, and finally the cover.

AFTER paging back through all this to the cover, only then did Cover and Front Matter appear on the Go To menu. That's crazy. Besides the inadequate book organization tools (my pet peeve), book navigation really needs improvement, regardless of which page the book first opens to. I have sent feedback to amazon about both those topics.

I love the idea of showing the current book's cover as the screen saver and would happily pay to remove ads if that option was available. We should start a petition or something for that.

[/soapbox]


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Sometimes, especially if there are a fair number of chapters, you have to scroll up to find the Cover.  You'll see a sort of scroll bar at the right of the menu when you tap 'Go To' but touch in the actual list to scroll.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

I had to vote for Somewhere Else because I'd like them all to open to a story summary - the kind of thing you see on the back cover or flyleaf of a paper book. It's not important for a book I just bought, since I've just been on Amazon and read the summary and that's why I bought it. For a book I don't get to right away or for looking for something for rereading - I'd like that. If nothing else, I'd like to be able to Go To a summary as a distinct thing like the cover.


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## Dragle (Dec 10, 2011)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Sometimes, especially if there are a fair number of chapters, you have to scroll up to find the Cover. You'll see a sort of scroll bar at the right of the menu when you tap 'Go To' but touch in the actual list to scroll.


Yes, I did scroll, but it wasn't there-- although I sometimes have trouble with the PW touch screen so I won't swear with 100% certainty.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I'd guess it IS there.  Swipe down for the scroll bar to move up. . . 'Cover' is the very first option in every book I've ever opened on the PW.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

ellenoc said:


> I had to vote for Somewhere Else because I'd like them all to open to a story summary - the kind of thing you see on the back cover or flyleaf of a paper book. It's not important for a book I just bought, since I've just been on Amazon and read the summary and that's why I bought it. For a book I don't get to right away or for looking for something for rereading - I'd like that. If nothing else, I'd like to be able to Go To a summary as a distinct thing like the cover.


I'd be OK with this, too...if it's been awhile since I bought a book, seeing the cover doesn't really tell me very much, other than MAYBE genre, though I don't always make those connections.

Betsy


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## Not Here Anymore (May 16, 2012)

I'd love to have a default setting for where my books would open. Mine would be on "cover."


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

I voted for 'somewhere else'.

I don't have any particular need to see the cover again, but when reading paper books I always used to read all the front stuff - the foreword or introduction if there was one, dedication, maybe a family tree of the characters in the story etc. and I confess I've become lazy about reading all that now I'm using a Kindle, since virtually all books open on the first page of the story.

I'm surprised that when authors/publishers have gone to the trouble of providing all that stuff, that they don't encourage readers to look at it by having the book open at the appropriate place.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Linjeakel said:


> I'm surprised that when authors/publishers have gone to the trouble of providing all that stuff, that they don't encourage readers to look at it by having the book open at the appropriate place.


Yes!

I can even understand not opening to the copyright info and all that. But if, for example, there's a prologue, or 'dramatis personae', why in the world would they specify the 'beginning' as the chapter after that? Makes no sense to me. . .but I'm guessing it's growing pains and just a matter of they've used amazon's suggestions without really analysing if somewhere else would be better for _this_ book. I expect it will get better as time goes on and they figure these things out.

As it is, since I never know if there's something interesting before the 1st chapter, I'd prefer it to open at the cover: that way I'm sure I don't miss anything. Since it doesn't, I always go there anyway just to be sure.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm pleased that so many members have been interested in this poll, and I'm sure it's of interest to our author members to see the results. (And, Amazon, are you watching? )

I've edited the poll to clarify that in the poll, I'd like people to answer their preference, not necessarily what you do now, but what you'd like to do. Then, of course, in your post, you can say how you achieve that now....

So, if you'd like to open at the cover, for the cover's sake, that's #1. If you only go to the cover now because you are afraid you'll miss something, then it's probably #2 or #3 for you.

Betsy


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## Harriet Schultz (Jan 3, 2012)

The cover, definitely. I must be part of the move visual  "you judge a book by its ... " group. Most of us have spent the majority of our reading life with "real" books where the cover is right there, before you ever get to page one. 

My one gripe with covers (and this is off topic, sorry Betsy) is when the people pictured there look very different from the way they're described in the novel.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Harriet Schultz said:


> The cover, definitely. I must be part of the move visual "you judge a book by its ... " group. Most of us have spent the majority of our reading life with "real" books where the cover is right there, before you ever get to page one.
> 
> My one gripe with covers (and this is off topic, sorry Betsy) is when the people pictured there look very different from the way they're described in the novel.


No, that's fine...the nice thing with a poll is that you can do the poll results (you did vote in the poll itself, right?) and then make comments......

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Well. . . .given the clarification of the intent of the question. . . . .

I'm now torn between 2 and 3.

I don't _need_ to see the cover just to see the cover.

BUT, I also don't want to miss _anything._ I definitely want to begin at the beginning of the important stuff. So, yes, I'd want it to start at the prologue if there is one. OR, if there are character lists or maps at the beginning, I'd want it to start there. If there's a relevant quote from Shakespeare or whomever, I don't want it to start after that -- the author picked the quote for a reason and I want to see it before I start reading the book.

I guess where I'd want it to start, if I could make it the same for every book I ever bought, is immediately after the title page. So I guess I could change my vote to #3.

Or, arguably, I'd probably still go to the Cover, just because I want to make sure that my idea of 'the beginning of the important stuff' is the same as theirs.  See, that's the thing: I can't see there ever being a setting on Kindle that lets a user specify a particular point to start. Or if there was, I don't see it being that 'fine-tunable'. Not every book has maps, or character lists, or quotations, or prologues. So I'm sort of assuming that the option I really want would never be available, really, so 'cover' it is.

But if I was Bill Murray (you know, a 'god', but not 'the God') I'd say 'the beginning of what *I* think is the important stuff.'

That said, I don't mind checking out the cover. Though, somewhat off topic, I'll note that some ebooks don't seem to actually have 'real' covers, they're more generic. That does, I expect, affect my reading -- gee, they didn't even bother to make a cover image that reflects the story; wonder how much work they went into to get the story right. I probably read such books a bit more critically.  And if it's by a major publisher and I've paid a bit of a premium for that, I do feel a bit ripped off.


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## ElisaBlaisdell (Jun 3, 2012)

In a perfect world, where I could have exactly what I wanted, I'd have the book open to the inside front cover--the blurb. I've already clicked on the cover to open the book, and now I'd like to glance at the blurb, and remind myself of what book this actually is. Of course, there's no guarantee that there will be a blurb in the e-book.


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## Dragle (Dec 10, 2011)

OK, so combining everyone's comments, a good overall compromise might be:

A book first opens to the page right after the cover which contains the blurb and a link to jump to the first page.

That way, on opening the book, you see its description so you can remember what it's about. Then you have the choice of: back up one page to see the cover, jump to the first page, or read through the front matter.  And if you opt out of ads, you should be able to pick your preference of book cover or pictures for the screen saver.


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## skyblue (Dec 23, 2009)

I currently read on my Kindle Fire HD.  When I open a book for the very first time I want to see the cover first, then proceed as if i were reading a real book.  

The covers look absolutely amazing on the Fire HD.


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## Shapeshifter (Dec 22, 2009)

I've never understood why it automatically goes to the first page of the story, that isn't the way books are read.  

I like to see the cover first, I have books I haven't read yet, from over a year ago, the cover reminds me why I picked those books.


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## holgalee (Apr 26, 2012)

I don't have OCD, but I must always start with the cover if I'm opening the book for the first time. Just so that I can page through the book and see the preface, table of contents, etc, if they exist. This helps me to orientate myself better in both the physical and mental sense!


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## Todd Young (May 2, 2011)

The cover, definitely. For all the reasons people have already pointed out. But aside from that, I also want to see the date the book was first published, so I can get some feel for the time period it was written in.


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