diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/library/models.py b/src/calibre/gui2/library/models.py
index 36bfc97c24..182fd6866d 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/library/models.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/library/models.py
@@ -94,11 +94,9 @@ class ColumnIcon(object):  # {{{
                 if not rule_icons:
                     continue
                 icon_list = [ic.strip() for ic in rule_icons.split(':')]
+                icons.extend(icon_list)
                 if icon_list and not kind.endswith('_composed'):
-                    icons = icon_list
                     break
-                else:
-                    icons.extend(icon_list)
 
             if icons:
                 icon_string = ':'.join(icons)
diff --git a/src/calibre/utils/formatter_functions.py b/src/calibre/utils/formatter_functions.py
index 8fcc35e3bb..b8ff7b0387 100644
--- a/src/calibre/utils/formatter_functions.py
+++ b/src/calibre/utils/formatter_functions.py
@@ -589,7 +589,7 @@ class BuiltinCount(BuiltinFormatterFunction):
             'uses an ampersand. Examples: {tags:count(,)}, {authors:count(&)}')
 
     def evaluate(self, formatter, kwargs, mi, locals, val, sep):
-        return unicode(len(val.split(sep)))
+        return unicode(len([v for v in val.split(sep) if v]))
 
 class BuiltinListitem(BuiltinFormatterFunction):
     name = 'list_item'