Those following along at home will recall that some Kindle users, after downloading Fortune’s Favors, found that the Kindle had helpfully opened the book to “Interludes,” which those readers quite reasonably understood to be the first chapter of the book, and so started reading.
In fact, “Interludes” is. . .a series of interludes that take place between Chapter One and Two*. I could not replicate this error, either on my own Kindle app or on Amazon’s publishing tool on-site. I therefore wrote to Amazon, asking them to fix the error which they had clearly generated.
I have this morning received Amazon’s reply, which I reproduce below in its entirety.
Hello Sharon, I hope this email finds you well! I checked the uploaded and converted content files of your eBook and can confirm that there is no issue with it. The content is opening on the cover of the book. If any of the customers are facing any issue with their devices, then I would request you to inform them to contact our Kindle Customer Service team directly for assistance. They can contact our Kindle Customer Service team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week using the below links: www.amazon.com/clicktocall www.amazon.com/clicktochat ***** Further, if you can provide us with some screenshots of the page where the error is appearing, then we can reach out to our Technical team for investigation. Thanks for your understanding and support. Regards, Nathan Kindle Direct Publishing
The lesson we receive from this is! Do not — DO NOT EVER — assume that your Kindle device has opened a book or a story to the correct first page. ALWAYS page back to the front of the book, or the cover, then page forward, just like you would if you were reading a paper book. You cannot trust your device to be working in your best interests in this.
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*We are skipping lightly over the authors’ feelings regarding the fact that Amazon essentially served a broken story to those readers — an aspect of the case that we have no hope of making plain to Amazon, though, in my opinion, the worst wrong done in the whole muddle.
I will contact Amazon. It is so frustrating when they (Amazon) just blows you off. I still have a J D Robb In Death book that shows “cover to come” after two years. Amazon sees no issue. Upside, I have Fortune’s Favors and I’m happy.
This error occurs on both my Kindle and in the Kindle App on my iPad. I just contacted Amazon to let them know just how disappointed I am in their response to you and their lack of effort in fixing this error!
I had not even realized that this had happened to me. I had already removed it from my device but I put it back and yes it starts at interludes I will contact them
Update – Customer support is going to bring the problem to the attention of the developers – in other words I thin I was given the brush off. I can and did get to the start of the book by picking the menu and selecting chapter one. I also downloaded the book to my phone and it also goes to Interludes.
A screenshot won’t demonstrate this behavior; it requires a video. Would you like me to email one to you?
I was saving this book and savoring the anticipation, but after reading your warning, I went ahead to my Kindle app to check it out. I don’t know what time you posted, but it hadn’t been fixed yet. Sure enough, the same issue occurred for me.
I can send you a screenshot if you’d like…although frankly, I cannot imagine how that would actually help them.
I also just called and reported the problem myself, providing the Location Number AND percent complete shown on the page, as well as the title “Interludes.”
No, a screenshot’s useless. Amazon is being faux-helpful, OR, they really don’t understand the problem.
It actually looks like I might have a working email address for Nathan. Sure, let’s send him a video. Thanks so much, Elizabeth.
THanks to your post at FB, when I opened my copy and found it at “Interludes”, I went to the “go to” button and chose ‘Beginning.” If I have more spoons later, I’ll post about the problem at Amazon.
I noticed on the Table of Contents page that Fortune’s Favors / One were listed together on the story title line rather than separate lines with Interludes then showing as the “first” chapter. Maybe that will help your battle.
I will contact Kindle Customer Support also.
I have that happen with lots of books but I always page back to the cover because that’s where you start a book, right? I will start calling and complaining. Some books start at the first page of Chapter One, but you miss the dedication, maybe a map or other good stuff. This is not right.
One more data point: When I open it in my kindle for PC app it goes directly to the interludes. So I’m in good company here. Haven’t tried it on the actual kindle yet, but it sounds as if it wouldn’t work there either. 🙁
I’m still using a rather old k4PC app. But from the sound of things people with a current one are having the same problem.