How Fonts Affect Readability on E-Readers

Zero2Cool_DE CC BY-NC-ND via Flickr

I most often read on my Kindle Paperwhite. This is my preferred reading device for several reasons I've spoken about recently (and do not feel the need to reiterate, since this post isn't about the reasons I like the Kindle so much).

Recently I've run into a problem of fonts. The Kindle allows the reader to change the font of a book in order to make it easier to read, but this appears to be dependent on the formatting the book received from its author. 

I've been reading Crybaby Bridge, by J. Weinhardt and though I've very much been enjoying the book, the serif font is terrible on my eyes. I downloaded this novel quite some time ago, and so imagine that there has been an update since I first obtained it, but since I cannot get an update from Amazon, I'm forced to read the book with an unbearable font or to stop reading it altogether.

Since I'm enjoying the book and find the story more compelling even than I'd originally hoped, I'd rather not have to stop reading in order to relieve myself of the horrific formatting. This is a tremendous problem for me as a completionist. 

My advice to indie authors is to check your formatting before you upload. I find that a sans-serif font is easier for me to read, and that I prefer justified edges to my text. (In fact, the left-alignment on Hubpages drives me up a wall when I read it!) Obviously everyone is different and individual preferences will vary, but it's safe to say that Courier New and similar fonts aren't the best choices for books.

If all continues as it is right now, however, I plan to rate this book on its content rather than on its formatting (since I believe that is fair to the author) and as of right now it's shaping up to be a 4 or 5 star book. My many thanks to the author for allowing the book to be downloaded for free in the first place! There's no room to complain.

You can purchase your Kindle Paperwhite on Amazon.

Setting Blogging Goals and Doing it Right

Ed Donahue CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Via Flickr

Sometimes I swear that I am the world's worst blogger. I'm terrible at keeping up with things, fail to post often enough, bore my readers, and do little to attract an active audience to my blog. I want to do better, and I know that I'm capable of doing better, but it's difficult without having goals in mind.

This is really about "doing it right" for me. I've never been able to keep up with reading goals. I'm a completionist, and so if I run into a book that I find particularly long and can't finish, it can put me off my reading goals. 

Writing goals are easier. I've kept up with three months of daily writing before. It's possible to write a blog post every day, and it's even easier to keep up with five posts a week. This is something that I can do, but I have to set the goals small or I'll fail to begin with. So if you're reading this and you're considering following me here on my blog, expect a regular update on goals. 

It helps to have something to write about every day, so I'll be looking up writing prompts as well as working on keeping up with personal memes that allow me to plan what I'll post every day. These will be marked in the categories to the right to make it easier to find everything. I hope this simplifies things and that you find something here you enjoy reading and that you choose to follow.

My current goal is to write five posts a week for two weeks, beginning on Monday, February 23rd until Friday, February 27th. Weekend posts don't count toward this goal, but I will post on the weekends as long as I feel up to doing so.

I will also be posting on Tumblr, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus in the meantime with book updates, discussions, and more. 

If you like what you see, please follow!