Think And Grow Rich PDF
One of the things that’s always bothered me about reading PDFs online is that they always seem to be formatted for 8-1/2 x 11 paper, in portrait mode (up and down). By the time I increase the document magnification enough to comfortably read it, I can’t fit the whole page on the monitor. So I have to scroll, and I lose all sense of where I am on the page.
So I’m conducting an experiment. I’m redesigning Napoleon Hill’s classic, Think and Grow Rich, to be more readable onscreen, and enhancing it in areas with pullquotes of passages I find important. This book is in the public domain, and you can find it all over the Internet, but not in any easily readable format.
It is designed to be read in full-screen mode, but can also be easily read with the window at less than full-screen size. In the Adobe Acrobat Reader, ctrl-L (on PCs) or cmd-L (for Macs) toggles between full-screen modes. In full-screen, click anywhere on the page to advance, shift-click to go to the previous page. There are also icons at the bottom to change pages. In the final edition, I will include other functionality such as printing without background colors, bookmarks, highlighting, and possibly indexing.
What I am asking of whoever comes across this post is that you download Chapter 1, evaluate it, and share your thoughts with me. Download the file by right-clicking and choosing “Save As” or “Save Target As” in order to save it to your machine instead of reading inside your browser window.
A few things that you might consider:
- Are the colors and overall ‘feel’ good for screen reading?
- Is the type size and style easily readable?
- Do the pullquotes add to or detract from the overall reading experience?
- What do you think might improve the reading experience?
- Would it irritate you if I forced full-screen mode upon initial opening?
- And finally, if I decide to put the complete book out for public consumption, would you pay a small amount for the complete book (say, in the $5 - $10 neighborhood)?
Thanks in advance to all who take the time to look at this!
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Sarah Lewis on January 27th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Hi, Steve–
I’m a new reader of your blog (via Wendy Piersall, who pointed out that you’re also in the Treasure Valley) and I’m glad to give you my feedback on your PDF.
Are the colors and overall ‘feel’ good for screen reading? and Is the type size and style easily readable?
I found the colors and font to be easy to read. No changes needed here, in my opinion.
Do the pullquotes add to or detract from the overall reading experience?
I don’t like pullquotes, as a rule. I’m too easily distracted. I’d prefer some sort of appendix with highlights if you conclude that readers in general find the quotes valuable. Just my preference, of course!
What do you think might improve the reading experience?
I’d love to see the all-caps words turned into bold instead. This could be done fairly easily with regular expressions and would improve readability and the experience as a whole, particularly in the web-savvy “CAPS MEANS YELLING!” mindset.
Would it irritate you if I forced full-screen mode upon initial opening?
No. I think it would make it easier to understand the layout. I would suggest warning people and explaining how to toggle, though. I’m actually using Foxit Reader, so the full-screen modifications don’t work as they would in Acrobat Reader, but I expected that.
And finally, if I decide to put the complete book out for public consumption, would you pay a small amount for the complete book (say, in the $5 - $10 neighborhood)?
I would consider it if I was in the market for this book. If I was to buy it on Amazon used, the least I could expect to pay would be $3.50 (for shipping, mostly), and you can capitalize on both the quality of your offering and the instant gratification factor.
That said, I wouldn’t buy the book until I knew for certain I’d take the time to read it, so pricing is a moot point to some extent.
Gleb on January 27th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
Hi Steve,
I think it’s a great idea you’re working on! Everything is very easy to read indeed, and I like a lot the way you’ve styled the pullquotes. I wouldn’t mind the fullscreen at all, as that was the first thing I did anyway
As for paying a small amount - I’ll have to skip on this one. Your effort definitely deserves some appreciation, but I’ve just bought a paper edition of the book a few weeks ago.
All the best with the idea, I think it’s great!
Lyman Reed on January 27th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
Nice Job, Steve. Probably one of the best on screen pdf’s I’ve read. One of the biggest reasons that I print out so many ebooks (next to portability) is ease of reading, and you’ve done an excellent job fixing that.
I, personally, wouldn’t like it much if you forced the full screen mode (although it is easier to read that way). I’ve come to expect my reader to behave in a certain way, and I don’t like it when it doesn’t :).
I can’t think up any ways to improve the formatting… we may have to wait to see the final version for that.
When it comes to paying for it… sorry, I’m with Gleb on that one. I’ve already got multiple copies of the text, both on my computer and in printed form. You said it yourself… you can find it all over the internet. Although the formatting is great, it wouldn’t be enough for me to open up my wallet on this. But as an incentive for a newsletter subscription or a bonus I think it would be fabulous.
Thanks for giving us a chance to preview it!
Steve on January 27th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
Gleb, Lyman, thanks so much for the feedback — it’s very much appreciated! Lyman, I like your idea about using it for a bonus or incentive…
Rick Cockrum on January 27th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
Hi Steve,
I like the colors, formatting, and the pull-quotes (though I’m not so sure about the red/pink as bolding in the quotes). The blue background makes it a lot easier to read than white is on screen.
I wouldn’t be put off by forcing to full-screen, but I get as close to a full page on the screen as I can get anyway.
You’ve put a lot of work into this, and it shows. If you want to charge for the complete version, just do it. Don’t ask our opinion. You can buy pdfs from online retailers. Most seem to be around half the price of the print version - though that’s just from a quick look.
Michael Jahn on January 28th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
Are the colors and overall ‘feel’ good for screen reading?
- No, not at all. Nor is you web page, but that is not all your fault,
as I am on a small laptop or a palm pilot or a treo - you see, that is the main
problem that you can solve - iTunes can configure the music so it plays without
major difference on an iPod - you, on the otherhand, have no contol of what I
might use to try and read this horribly formatted mess on.
Is the type size and style easily readable?
– yes, it sucks - sorry, not your fault but it still sucks.
Do the pullquotes add to or detract from the overall reading experience?
– what distracts me is your blogs in ability to respond without forced returs.
What do you think might improve the reading experience?
– invent reloadable digital paper.
Would it irritate you if I forced full-screen mode upon initial opening?
yes.
And finally, if I decide to put the complete book out for public consumption,
would you pay a small amount for the complete book
(say, in the $5 - $10 neighborhood)?
.99 cents might work, if I could not get it for free
– but i can read it for free here;
http://books.google.com/books?q=Napoleon+Hill&btnG=Search+Books&as_brr=0
Steve on January 28th, 2007 at 10:20 pm
Well, Michael Jahn, I definitely got my evening chuckle! Thanks!
Question, though, if you come back — why in the world would anyone want to try and read something of any length on a palm or treo?
Manuel on January 31st, 2007 at 8:44 am
Hi Steve,
The colors are okay (with the exception of the pink text), and I’ll appreciate it more if the body text used the Calibri font.
The pullquotes would look better if they had some kind of border (top and bottom?), and if the background were of a different color.
Please don’t force full-screen mode. It will help to automatically maximize the window in view whole page mode.
As far as payment is concerned, I would not pay for a nicely formatted electronic version, because I already have the printed one.
Reinis on February 7th, 2007 at 3:40 am
Hi!
* Are the colors and overall ‘feel’ good for screen reading?
No. White background puts a strain on eyes.
* Is the type size and style easily readable?
No, I’d prefer one columnt and different fond. Like calibri.
* Do the pullquotes add to or detract from the overall reading experience?
Pullquotes are OK, as long as you chnage the colour and put a differenc colour background to distinguish form the main text.
* What do you think might improve the reading experience?
Try to look for some good formatting examples at http://www.changethis.com
* Would it irritate you if I forced full-screen mode upon initial opening?
Yes, definitely.
* And finally, if I decide to put the complete book out for public consumption, would you pay a small amount for the complete book (say, in the $5 - $10 neighborhood)?
No. I prefer to read long texts in printed form. And there are lots of good ones out there. For example, you can download a good copy of book from http://www.thesecret.tv for free.