Book Pages vs. eBook Pages
I know this is an odd post, but I wanted to talk about book pages vs. eBook pages. The Magic of Finkleton paperback has 185 pages, however the eBook on my snazzy ereader (Nook) is only showing it to have 99 pages. I LOVE my Nook, don’t get me wrong, but recently I’ve noticed when I read an eBook, I’m having to swipe/turn the page 2-3 times before the page number changes. So, in the case of The Magic of Finkleton, I had to turn the page twice before the next page number changed. Isn’t that odd?
When I noticed this strange page numbering thing happening, I took a look at a few other eBooks I have on my Nook. The same thing held true for Heaven is for Real. It’s also happening for a Hardback book that I currently have on my shelf and on my Nook. The book has 1,000 pages, but on my Nook it’s only showing to have 400 pages. All of the content is there (nothing is missing) but I had to swipe/turn the page 2-3 times before the page number would change.
I’m not sure how the page numbers show up on a Sony ereader, but I do know on a Kindle it shows percentage instead of page numbers.
Has anyone else experienced the same page numbering issue? Just curious 
Hi KC,
I recently acquired a kindle and have found the percentages instead of page numbers difficult to get used to, but I had never heard of the multiple swipes until you get to a new page with nook. I’m not sure which would be more difficult to get used to. Guess it’s all an adjustment.
I’ve enjoyed your blog. Best wishes.
Amy Joy
Hi Amy Joy,
Thank you for commenting 🙂
I agree, percentages would be difficult to get used to. I’m curious if the Nook will follow suit with the Kindle, by way of showing a percentage instead of page numbers? I’ve just finished reading Vanish (the sequel to Firelight) by Sophie Jordan, a wonderful book by the way. My Nook shows the eBook to have 198 pages, however the actual book has 304 pages. Turning/Swiping the page two or three times to get to the next page number is something I’ve recently noticed, but it won’t stop me from reading eBooks 🙂 I tend to read the eBook faster than I do a book in hand. Strange, isn’t it?
Thanks again Amy Joy! All my best.
KC
Hey!
I have a Kobo (the Chapters / Indigo e-reader) and I’m having the same issue. It seems to have the same pages listed as the original paper book though. So if a paper copy has 321 pages, so will the e-version. The strange thing is to have to swipe past 3 pages to get to the “next page.” Of course if you increase the font size, then this just increases the number of swipes. I went to a writers’ conference and there was a woman there who was a typesetter. She felt that the layout and typesetting has a long way to go on e-books, and I’m starting to see the details she was mentioning. It interupts the flow when things are misaligned or laid out badly.
I think it will be a pleasure to watch this new tech unfold though. And I love the dictionary function! Priceless! Ideally, I’d like to see my own work as both e-books and paper. That’s the dream!
Michele
Hi Michele! Thanks for your comment! I can’t wait to see how it all pans out. I’m sure once all eBooks use a standard layout, they’ll be more welcomed by consumers. I LOVE the dictionary function! It’s so easy to use and I’m totally spoiled now, lol. Dreams do come true! Reach for the stars! Your very own fairy tale 🙂
On the first few things I read on my Nook, including “Pride and Prejudice,” which came loaded for free, the page number changed with each page swipe. However, when I loaded “The Count of Monte Cristo” I noticed it took a few page swipes before the page number changed. I researched online and per Barnes & Nobles website they state they try to have the page numbers match the real books. Obviously there are different editions of some books with different page numbers. It did throw me that some are like this, but not all. I was thinking “The Count of Monte Cristo” was going to be 1000 page swipes,( “Pride and Prejudice” was 900, but I imagine around 300 real pages) not real pages. Anyways, I think they are trying to make them follow one of the real editions for citing purposes.
It would be nice if the ebook would follow the real pages of the actual book. But I understand that some people change the font and font size, so that could make a huge difference. I, for one, keep the settings normal. I’ve noticed on a few books that I’ve had to swipe 4-5 times to change the page number. I know on one of my books, The Magic of Finkleton, the Nook showed it to have only 99 pages. The actual paperback book has 185 pages. It’s strange. Maybe that’s why Kindle does so well with simply using the percentage. I think I would miss knowing what page number I was on though, lol. Thank you for commenting =)