Kindles & Hyperlinks

[Paul Whybrow]

Do Colonists who use a Kindle, Nook or other e-reader device use the highlighted hyperlinks that some ebooks have as a feature?
It's something that is supposed to be a desirable addition to a story, as it allows the reader to click on the link to find out more about a subject. It's the technological equivalent of footnotes in a traditional printed book. It's advised not to put too many hyperlinks in, as they might distract a reader from your book when they succumb to the temptation to wander the internet.
I spent a considerable amount of time finding the best hyperlinks for my books. It's easy to waste fifteen minutes searching for the ideal web page or image, and in some cases YouTube video.
I've found while submitting to literary agents and publishers, that some are aware of hyperlinks and mention that they can be included in the writing sample, while others prefer a clean copy. I was very surprised that when submitting to the digital publisher Tirgearr, they didn't seem to know what the highlighted words were for - which is probably another good reason to avoid signing with them.
My beta-reader used the hyperlinks sometimes, and didn't find them too distracting the rest of the time.
What do Colonists think?

 

[Karen Gray]

They irritate me. I don't use them.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

In a novel, i.e. eBook in this case, I'd use them sparingly. You don't want the reader going somewhere else to read, unless it will make them want more of what you have written.

 

[Frances Gow]

I'm with Karen - they irritate me as well.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

If any of my readers clicked on all of the hyperlinks in one of my stories, which has three characters with different mental conditions, then they'd end up reading double the amount of content. It's entirely up to a reader if they follow-up on something that's highlighted, but all the same I found myself wrestling with the ethics of not sharing information about treatable conditions, while trying to avoid sounding like I was giving a lecture! One thing that hyperlinks are very useful for, is saving having to explain, through the actions and speech of one's characters, what an unusual word means. For instance, I could say that 'Frank was dyspraxic, which wasn't going to help him during the company's team-bonding exercise at the paintball venue.'
One thing that's off-putting about hyperlinks is how they alter the look of a page. When I first applied them to a short story, and then browsed through it, I was reminded of the corrections made by a teacher using red ink. I almost expected to find a note at the bottom of the page saying 'See me afterwards.'

 

[Karen Gray]

If any of my readers clicked on all of the hyperlinks in one of my stories, which has three characters with different mental conditions, then they'd end up reading double the amount of content. It's entirely up to a reader if they follow-up on something that's highlighted, but all the same I found myself wrestling with the ethics of not sharing information about treatable conditions, while trying to avoid sounding like I was giving a lecture! One thing that hyperlinks are very useful for, is saving having to explain, through the actions and speech of one's characters, what an unusual word means. For instance, I could say that 'Frank was dyspraxic, which wasn't going to help him during the company's team-bonding exercise at the paintball venue.'
One thing that's off-putting about hyperlinks is how they alter the look of a page. When I first applied them to a short story, and then browsed through it, I was reminded of the corrections made by a teacher using red ink. I almost expected to find a note at the bottom of the page saying 'See me afterwards.'

Why not have the hyperlinks in a forward or afterward and not through the body of the text. That way you still have them but they aren't in the way of your story, they are in addition to your story x

 

[Bernard Stacey]

I read far more on paper than e-books, but I do use them (useful for looking busy during a dull meeting, in a queue, traveling, etc) and when I read them I don't want the text stuffed with hyperlinks and looking like it's been copied and pasted from Wikipedia.
Karen's idea of putting an addendum at the back is good so that those who want to can go and check stuff out later. The world's attention span is shortening so the last thing you want is another distractingly shiny toy within easy reach!

 

[Karen Gray]

I read far more on paper than e-books, but I do use them (useful for looking busy during a dull meeting, in a queue, traveling, etc) and when I read them I don't want the text stuffed with hyperlinks and looking like it's been copied and pasted from Wikipedia.
Karen's idea of putting an addendum at the back is good so that those who want to can go and check stuff out later. The world's attention span is shortening so the last thing you want is another distractingly shiny toy within easy reach!

I thank you *bows* I thank you

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Why not have the hyperlinks in a forward or afterward and not through the body of the text. That way you still have them but they aren't in the way of your story, they are in addition to your story x

Using an introduction or preface, or even a foreword written by someone other than me who knows about the subject of my book would be one way of highlighting the issues raised. An afterword could be used to contain hyperlinks , which a curious reader might investigate. I haven't seen any ebooks that use footnotes on a page, but it looks like it might be possible. There are several alternative ways of using hyperlinks described in this interesting article : http://newkindofbook.com/2011/10/a-look-at-links-help-or-hindrance-to-ebook-readers/
One thing that is unknown, and I can't find any surveys that have been done on it, is how much readers actually use hyperlinks. The links are in theory a way of enriching the reading experience, but could be seen as unwanted clutter. So many devices these days have features that aren't used. This sounds like something that Big Brother Amazon would know.