How common is it for a ongoing series with multiple volumes out already to have no corrections notifications updates in well over a year?
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In 2022 I happen to notice something odd in my bought books listings. Almost every series I had even ones long finished including short run series had corrections notifications except one. The one series was actively having new volumes put out and already had several out. I couldn't even remember when I last seen it had one.
Later someone just happened to comment on noticing the same thing without me actually mentioning it previously. I already know it has some issues and just kind of kept my eye on it and all through 2023 it didn't have a single notification. Now that it has been announced it is getting a physical release I'm really wondering how common this is?
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Define "correction notification".
Different series have different rules about corrections. Some get updates while in process (Bookworm gets a lot). Others, not so much. Just today, I got a notification that a book I downloaded several months ago was updated, so I downloaded it again. It wasn't via email - it was in my list of books.
I've gotten more updates for JNC books than I have for Amazon books, but I haven't bought a JNC book from Amazon in a LONG time.
The electronic copies of books online do not always get updates. An example is a book from Lazy Dungeon Master... If I read it online using the "weekly interface", it is as it was when it was being run... but several of the books have had updates I could download "as published". I suspect that a printed version would be done from that copy, rather than what's on the "weekly version".
So, I guess it's what version you're pulling as to whether or not you're getting updates.
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My impression is that there need to be a certain amount of changes before they push out an updated version.
There's a fair amount involved in that.
Folks have to send in suggested edits (via email to support)
Whoever is currently assigned to that title has to evaluate those suggested edits...depending upon the title the folks who were involved in translating it may not be available so someone less familiar with it gets involved.
One they'd agreed that changes need to be made, they have to decide on what those changes are, and then adjust the 'master' file accordingly. Likely editing a copy of the master, and only replacing the master when ready to create new publication files.
There's work involved in making the publication files from the 'master,' and different venders have slightly different requirements.
Then they have to push the updated publication files out to the different venues.I suspect the reason we get a bunch of updates at a time with varying lengths of time between them has to do with there needing to be enough ready for being pushed out as updates to make it cost effective; while pushing out updates to those who purchase direct from JNC doesn't look too tricky, think about their needing to work with Amazon, GooglePlay, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, BookWalker, Apple, and various others depending upon the title.
That's not taking into account anything else that might be impacting their priorities.
I'm amazed at how much effort JNC puts into revising already published works, and how easy they make it to contact them with suggested edits; this isn't how the publishing industry does things, it reflects to at least a degree their background in fan translations before starting this venture.
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@SomeOldGuy The ones you see on the j novel site next to the books you own on the site.
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@Geezer-Weasalopes said in How common is it for a ongoing series with multiple volumes out already to have no corrections notifications updates in well over a year?:
My impression is that there need to be a certain amount of changes before they push out an updated version.
There's a fair amount involved in that.
Folks have to send in suggested edits (via email to support)
Whoever is currently assigned to that title has to evaluate those suggested edits...depending upon the title the folks who were involved in translating it may not be available so someone less familiar with it gets involved.
One they'd agreed that changes need to be made, they have to decide on what those changes are, and then adjust the 'master' file accordingly. Likely editing a copy of the master, and only replacing the master when ready to create new publication files.
There's work involved in making the publication files from the 'master,' and different venders have slightly different requirements.
Then they have to push the updated publication files out to the different venues.I suspect the reason we get a bunch of updates at a time with varying lengths of time between them has to do with there needing to be enough ready for being pushed out as updates to make it cost effective; while pushing out updates to those who purchase direct from JNC doesn't look too tricky, think about their needing to work with Amazon, GooglePlay, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, BookWalker, Apple, and various others depending upon the title.
That's not taking into account anything else that might be impacting their priorities.
I'm amazed at how much effort JNC puts into revising already published works, and how easy they make it to contact them with suggested edits; this isn't how the publishing industry does things, it reflects to at least a degree their background in fan translations before starting this venture.
I know people have sent in emails about issues with the series including missing lines that have caused confusion for many readers. That is for several volumes ago but has never been fixed. The series is activly having new translated volumes released.
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@heimdal7 Do you mean like the user page? Where you can view what you've purchased?
The DOWNLOAD button should always be the latest release of the book, but the READ button in the side like will take you to the copy kept in the public section of the site. That does not necessarily have the most up-to-date text. I just verified that there are differences between the READ page and the download (and updated) section.
The READ links generally take you to the pages as posted on the website, rather than the "finished" book you get on the DOWNLOAD link. There aren't any extra illustrations or comics (like found in Bookworm) on those links, for example.
But you SHOULD get a link when books are updated, and downloading the updated link will get you the "corrected" copy. For example, yesterday, "i-surrendered-my-sword-for-a-new-life-as-a-mage-volume-4.epub" was posted.
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@SomeOldGuy Yes I'm talking the user section.....
Yes I'm talking for update notifications on the download version. Why would there be even a notification for the prepubs that is on site let alone why would anyone be updating them for volumes that are years old. The point for the prepubs on site that members can read is for crowdsourcing quality checking for errors before the downloadable version you buy is released. They aren't meant to be perfect final drafts.
Though some translatorers are less willing to listen to the feed back from the prepubs than others.
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@heimdal7 said in How common is it for a ongoing series with multiple volumes out already to have no corrections notifications updates in well over a year?:
The point for the prepubs on site that members can read is for crowdsourcing quality checking for errors before the downloadable version you buy is released.
It sounds like you've drunk a bit too much of the koolaid. The point of the prepubs is primarily to give members an early preview of the translation, quality be damned.
True, early on JNC could leverage it for crowdsourced QC while developing their processes. But now that they're no longer a particularly small publisher (at least in the JP LN translation space they compete in), crowdsourced QC is only one small factor of many. Which, as you note, means that it doesn't factor into some translations.
