to preview a few pages of the print-on-demand books?

I am one of those who cannot abide a print book with a space between each paragraph -- I know, it doesn't bother everyone but makes a book, especially a novel, unreadable for me -- and so avoid purchasing a book whose formatting is incompatible to the reader?

available. For the paperback version it takes a few days after publication for the preview to be visible. I just checked mine, and it's accurate.

The formatting for the paperback version depends on what the author delivers. That's unlike the Kindle version, which is formatted based on Kindle's preferences. Actually, the device being used and the reader's preferences can drastically change the appearance of any Kindle book. Readers can choose what typeface, font size, etc. they want to see.

Paperbacks, though, must be formatted as print-ready documents. That means that the author decides on formatting, including typefaces, font sizes, leading and paragraph styles. Whatever the pages look like in Word is what they will look like in the printed book. The issue is that most authors are probably not book designers, so I imagine there are some clumsy-looking books out there.

So, it's probably a good idea to look at the preview if you have specific preferences.

It's easier to see tables and charts, flip to the index and skip around or refer back to a section.

book with interactive links in it. That can make tables of contents and indexes completely active. I've done eBooks, using links, and readers have liked them very much. People are so used to browsing websites, that it can work OK. I used that technique in the current marketing book I have out. The paperback has no links in it, obviously, and I find it more difficult to use due to that.