Jedi Council Forums - Size of Outcast Hardback v Omen Hardback

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Author	Topic: Size of Outcast Hardback v Omen Hardback
Jedi_Taylor Registered: Jun '09	Date Posted: 7/6 7:51am Subject: Size of Outcast Hardback v Omen Hardback
	I just got my copy of Omen and saw that is was the size of a normal hardback however outcast was a small (dimentionally) hardback. about several inches smaller then the other one. did i get a bootled or is it writers choice on the dimentions of their book?
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patchworkz7 Registered: Mar '04	Date Posted: 7/6 9:45am Subject: Size of Outcast Hardback v Omen Hardback
	Jedi_Taylor posted: I just got my copy of Omen and saw that is was the size of a normal hardback however outcast was a small (dimentionally) hardback. about several inches smaller then the other one. did i get a bootled or is it writers choice on the dimentions of their book? It depends on every thing from how the binding is laid to how Production uses white space to the fonts to line spacing between the lines on the page to...well, there's a load of stuff. Once upon a time I was the head tech writer for a company that produced manuals for contractors working on certain jobs, and I was responsible for creating the manuals all the way from the writing to production and binding, and keeping things like diagrams on the same page, etc. I once knocked off almost 100 pages off a book by going through and adjusting the line spacing and opening up the margins on every page to get the manual under budget. This included literally shaving .25 inches here and there on the white space and learning how just reducing the line spacing by 10% could alter the look of a page, and I had to go through every page and play with the lengths to keep diagrams together and keep info flowing properly. There's a LOT to it, to the point that while people complain about paying X number of dollars for a hardcover, it really is hard to judge how many words are on a page, as I could smoosh almost another half page into some pages with some creative spacing work. Karen Traviss has a rather good FAQ on the subject, as her books run about 80~90K longer than most SW novels, and yet they have to try to keep her books looking about the same because production likes a generally uniform look: http://www.karentraviss.com/html/pagewordcounts.htm -----signature----- Original Fiction & essays "Does God Limp?" in HOUSE UNAUTHORIZED http://www.smartpopbooks.com/allbooks/2007.html#house Now in German and Polish Editions! James A Gilmer
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ATimson Registered: Nov '03	Date Posted: 7/6 9:51am Subject: Size of Outcast Hardback v Omen Hardback
	Jedi_Taylor posted: I just got my copy of Omen and saw that is was the size of a normal hardback however outcast was a small (dimentionally) hardback. about several inches smaller then the other one. did i get a bootled or is it writers choice on the dimentions of their book? It sounds like you got the SFBC edition of Outcast. -----signature----- "Actually, VIPs are more important [than other users]." --The2ndQuest It's nice to know that those who make the board possible matter. If someone other than me edited this, please don't attribute anything in it to me in quotes. It's not mine anymore.
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patchworkz7 Registered: Mar '04	Date Posted: 7/6 10:08am Subject: Size of Outcast Hardback v Omen Hardback
	ATimson posted: Jedi_Taylor posted: I just got my copy of Omen and saw that is was the size of a normal hardback however outcast was a small (dimentionally) hardback. about several inches smaller then the other one. did i get a bootled or is it writers choice on the dimentions of their book? It sounds like you got the SFBC edition of Outcast. Does SFBC have their own printer? I've always wondered why their editions vary so much. -----signature----- Original Fiction & essays "Does God Limp?" in HOUSE UNAUTHORIZED http://www.smartpopbooks.com/allbooks/2007.html#house Now in German and Polish Editions! James A Gilmer
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Zorrixor Registered: Sep '04	Date Posted: 7/6 11:27am Subject: Size of Outcast Hardback v Omen Hardback - Date Edited: 7/6 11:33am (1 edits total) Edited By: Zorrixor
	I often end up with different sizes depending on which edition I end up with. I always order things from Amazon.co.uk but sometimes they have limited copies of US editions a couple of weeks before the official UK release. That means some books I get in US format, others in UK format. They're 90% the same, but occassionally the runs are a bit different in format as they are printed under different Random House imprints (i.e. not under Del Rey).
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ATimson Registered: Nov '03	Date Posted: 7/6 11:27am Subject: Size of Outcast Hardback v Omen Hardback
	patchworkz7 posted: Does SFBC have their own printer? I've always wondered why their editions vary so much. I assume so; that said, the SFBC reprints (not omnibuses) that I've seen have just been optical reductions of the full-sized versions, and not a completely redone layout. -----signature----- "Actually, VIPs are more important [than other users]." --The2ndQuest It's nice to know that those who make the board possible matter. If someone other than me edited this, please don't attribute anything in it to me in quotes. It's not mine anymore.
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neo-dragon Registered: Apr '04	Date Posted: 7/6 6:19pm Subject: Size of Outcast Hardback v Omen Hardback
	SFBC hardcovers are cheaply made compared to the standard editions. They're smaller, the pages and dust jackets thinner, and raised lettering on cover is flat. So yes, the original poster most likely has the sfbc edition of Outcast.
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JediMatteus Registered: Sep '08	Date Posted: 7/6 10:26pm Subject: Size of Outcast Hardback v Omen Hardback
	both novels are solid, but too short, and Omen is ridiculously short, can't you people think of more to write? give leia, han and Allana something more to do then blow up Kessel and deal with escaped animals? at least there was a cross plot in Omen. thank God Abyss is 352 pages; that is still not much, but something with some meat!! -----signature----- "Every generation has its challenges to face, its own battles to win. Why should yours be any different? Running away from your responsibilities won't solve anything." -Luke Skywalker
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Excellence Registered: Jul '02	Date Posted: 7/7 2:45am Subject: Size of Outcast Hardback v Omen Hardback
	I'll say it bluntly, because all this talk looks ridiculous belly dancing Hutts. Don't complain. You wanted it, you bought it. You knew what you were buying. -----signature----- Rock-a-by baby, on the treetop, Beaming with pride, the filth they hold, But when the wind blows, my temper implodes, High above a pit, filled with sharkticons, Down will come hardcover addicts, beaming no more. ©
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Jedi_Taylor Registered: Jun '09	Date Posted: 7/7 9:51pm Subject: Size of Outcast Hardback v Omen Hardback
	Well now i know what questions to ask when buying from Ebay. And yes they are too short but we have a great new author and Abyss is coming up with the guy that wrote star by star behind the wheel so it ill be good!!!!!!!!!!!!
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