Paizo Charter Superscriber, Pathfinder Comics Deluxe Subscriber
Does Paizo already have a plan to publish more of the web fiction in epub format? Since the last batch in August I think, there have been quite a lot of new stories finished, as well as "Guilty Blood" from the Carrion Crown Adventure Path:
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Paizo Charter Superscriber, Pathfinder Comics Deluxe Subscriber
Chris Lambertz wrote:
Zaister wrote:
The new ePubs don't seem to have covers the way the previous ones did. Is that intentional?
No... it isn't. How do you mean, exactly?
I've uploaded the new epubs to iBooks on my iPad. The older epubs show an illustrated cover, while the new ones just have the default cover that iBooks generates. They also show no cover in iTunes.
Here's a link to a screenshot from my iPad showing the effect.
I haven't had a chance to check into it thoroughly, but I can't seem to find anything that would cause this at a first glance at the setup of the ePub. I'll have a more definitive answer (and a fix!) early next week when we're back in the office.
Paizo Superscriber, Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber, Pathfinder Comics Deluxe Subscriber
Hey - Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents that this is not an isolated issue. I am also getting only the "generic" covers for the seven new epubs. ePubs of the oldert titles are showing up fine even after deleting and re-impoting. Thanks!
Sorry it's taking so long to figure this out, folks--Paizo's been knocked down by snow, so most folks are working from home, but the issue hasn't been forgotten!
Take your time to fix it thoroughly as it doesn't hinder actually reading them. It is just an aesthetic thing for me, I am very OCD when it comes to organization and appearance. I have my bookshelf on my iPad alphabetical and organized by type of book (Journal, Book, Web Fiction, Community Fiction).
I looked into the file structure comparing the older ePubs and the new releases and couldn't find anything preventing the cover from showing up. They all display properly in Calibre. However, a bit of searching resulted in this. It looks like there might be something in iOS causing it with the most recent update. I'd take a look at that thread and see if that fixes the problem.
This isn't an answer to why the covers aren't showing up. But this isn't a problem isolated to Paizo's epubs. I encountered the same problem when I put Valdia's Tale from Jon Brazer Enterprises into iTunes. I think it's an iTunes problem, not a Paizo problem. Anyway...
Here's a fix (that's more work for you the user).
-In iTunes get to where you can edit information about the ePub (I use the funny command key + "I" on my macbook).
-The tab on the far right should say "artwork" or "cover" or "image," something like that. Click on that one.
-Now find the appropriate ePub here on Paizo's website and click on the cover image so that it pulls up just the cover art in it's own window or tab.
-Copy the artwork and paste it into the appropriate place for the cover in iTunes.
-Repeat for each ePub that doesn't have cover art showing.
-Resync your device and BEHOLD THE AWESOME COVER ART FOR YOUR EPUB!!!
Sorry that I didn't have all the correct names for tabs and such. It's been a while since I did this. I still need to take advantage of the Three for all to pick up some more ePubs.
This isn't an answer to why the covers aren't showing up. But this isn't a problem isolated to Paizo's epubs. I encountered the same problem when I put Valdia's Tale from Jon Brazer Enterprises into iTunes. I think it's an iTunes problem, not a Paizo problem. Anyway...
Here's a fix (that's more work for you the user).
-In iTunes get to where you can edit information about the ePub (I use the funny command key + "I" on my macbook).
-The tab on the far right should say "artwork" or "cover" or "image," something like that. Click on that one.
-Now find the appropriate ePub here on Paizo's website and click on the cover image so that it pulls up just the cover art in it's own window or tab.
-Copy the artwork and paste it into the appropriate place for the cover in iTunes.
-Repeat for each ePub that doesn't have cover art showing.
-Resync your device and BEHOLD THE AWESOME COVER ART FOR YOUR EPUB!!!
Sorry that I didn't have all the correct names for tabs and such. It's been a while since I did this. I still need to take advantage of the Three for all to pick up some more ePubs.
Thank you for detailing this. I found something similar after I posted the iOS link last night. I'm hoping there's a fix in the next update.
Paizo Superscriber, Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber, Pathfinder Comics Deluxe Subscriber
Chris Lambertz wrote:
Thank you for detailing this. I found something similar after I posted the iOS link last night. I'm hoping there's a fix in the next update.
Funny you should say that...
iBooks was updated to 2.0 today. Same problem though on iPad. I also checked on the iPhone - Same issue there too, as well as in iTunes for Windows. Looks fine in Calibre. How do you like them Apples! -Pun absolutely intended.
D'oh! Ross was back in office and helped me with taking another look at the file structure for the ePubs. We made a minor change to the content.opf template that seems to have interfered with the cover image. I'm going to try to have the fixed versions up within the next few hours.
Paizo Superscriber, Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber, Pathfinder Comics Deluxe Subscriber
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Chris Lambertz wrote:
Looks like this will happen on monday. An e-mail will go out notifying people who purchased the ePubs that they've been updated.
You guys at Paizo are awesome. Can you imagine having a minor display issue with an ebook from say Apple or Amazon and having it personally addressed by an employee browsing the forums? During a snowstorm that nearly shut down the company? This is why fans are so dedicated to Pathfinder. Keep up the good work. You guys prove that good customer service with a personal touch really is possible in the internet age.
Paizo Charter Superscriber, Pathfinder Comics Deluxe Subscriber
Very cool, thanks! There's a slight problem with downloading one of the updates, but I thought it better to send an email to Customer Service with an exact description.
Very cool, thanks! There's a slight problem with downloading one of the updates, but I thought it better to send an email to Customer Service with an exact description.
I just sent over a response. Thanks for bringing that to our attention!