tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post7437234971844801788..comments2024-03-06T08:34:00.361+00:00Comments on Narratively Speaking: The Great Book Cover DebacleLynsey Newtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565424842334968772noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-35842755258556859802012-10-27T16:52:38.039+01:002012-10-27T16:52:38.039+01:00I totally agree, I hate my series covers not match...I totally agree, I hate my series covers not matching. Why change them? There's no need for it. And to do it mid-way through a series? They did it to Harry Potter, but at least you can get the entire series in any of about 4 cover styles. What I'm most annoyed about is the change to the Septimus Heap books, and the originals looked so much better than the new ones. For the first change they altered the spine so now it is gold leaved, I could put up with that, but the latest move has a completely new design, for the last 2 books in the series (bk 6 & 7)! I refuse to buy them if they don't match my 1-5. Not only are the designs different, but the book is a completely different size and shape?! Another one they've changed is book 4 of the Inheritance Cycle. Completely unnecessary. They could at least do readers the courtesy to continue the series in the original cover designs for the original fans. The printed word is going out of fashion, and moves like this are just going to diminsh their customer base further. Those who are buying books nowadays are those who collect them, like the look and feel of the books in their hands and on their bookshelves, having a mis-matched series on the shelf is not going to promote more book-buying.Alexandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09940633208646713424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-5706051109096367652012-07-18T11:28:55.342+01:002012-07-18T11:28:55.342+01:00OK, all your comments are AWESOME and I haven'...OK, all your comments are AWESOME and I haven't really found anyone who disagrees yet. I'm just hoping that publishers sit up and take some notice!Lynsey Newtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01565424842334968772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-65043410314592899672012-07-16T20:20:08.295+01:002012-07-16T20:20:08.295+01:00I feel you. This totally upsets me, even though I ...I feel you. This totally upsets me, even though I really am not all that bothered when my books don't match. Cheap as I am, I had to give up on consistency ages ago. <br /><br />if they would go from a crappy design to a better design then cool, whatever, fine. However, they so often go from a really cool design to something boring and awful. Why? They put so much money, I'm sure, into those new Across the Universe covers FOR THAT? Oy.<br /><br />The ones that upset me the most are the redesigns for Jackson Pearces fairy tale series. Originally, she had the coolest covers pretty much ever. And now they're just lame. WHY????Christinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00370486039531015541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-41212178017240015052012-07-15T11:19:09.145+01:002012-07-15T11:19:09.145+01:00Love this post so much. It's so freaking true....Love this post so much. It's so freaking true. Annoys the hell out of me. Wish publishers would just wait until the whole series is out. Another thing that annoys me is formats!!?! I have a few series, where they start in paperback and then release hardback first. ANNOYING! I'd prefer all paperback. <br /><br />Alex Rider series, went paperback for 6 books, hardback for 2 and paperback for the final one. So annoying! Publishers need to be consistent with this sort of thing.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05616610721357106095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-89639893293237744742012-07-15T00:31:37.372+01:002012-07-15T00:31:37.372+01:00Totally agree! It's always good to know that I...Totally agree! It's always good to know that I'm not the only crazy who will get mad when my books don't match part way through the series. I also hate when they change the size of the books part way through the series... Case in point Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate which the first two are normal paperback size and the final three are big paperback size!! Grrr.<br /><br />I try not to get too peeved, but I totally support this post, I want to hug it! I just don't understand the need for it. (Very with you on the Stolen Night one, I couldn't believe it when it arrived!<br />One of my friends point blank refused to buy any more of The Mortal Instruments series after the first two books came out with a uk cover, and then from that point on it was switched the to the us covers. ( I did eventually coax her into reading them though...)<br /><br />Anyway, mini rant over, I am completely with you on this and would love for someone to actually take notice of how irritating this is for buyers!<br />Great post, and thanks :)Rosyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06460676250901770530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-39706181033024198202012-07-14T23:13:03.022+01:002012-07-14T23:13:03.022+01:00*Claps*
I completely agree! I bought the Vampire ...*Claps*<br /><br />I completely agree! I bought the Vampire Academy series and the first 5 books are Black with a girl on it and then the last one is red. RED! I would have to re buy the first 5 books which would cost me £34.95!<br /><br />We discussed Divergent at a reading group I go to and the leader brought up the book covers. She works at Waterstones and said that the new copies actually put off male readers whereas the old design encouraged male readers!<br /><br />Great post!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-51010078372824575922012-07-14T08:30:02.036+01:002012-07-14T08:30:02.036+01:00I'm so glad you ranted about this debacle. I&#...I'm so glad you ranted about this debacle. I'm incredibly frustrated when they change covers. Sometimes change is good, but not all the time. My books don't match and when you look at it on the shelf it's out of order. I'm anal like that but it seems most people are. I just don't understand why they change the books so often. They should wait once the paperback version comes out.Giselle @ Book Nerd Canadahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00220976183733996936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-84775216319605929052012-07-13T20:37:50.277+01:002012-07-13T20:37:50.277+01:00Finally someone who is as irritated as me as cover...Finally someone who is as irritated as me as cover over hauls. <br />Another series they are doing is House of Night, the next book out is completely different to the previous 9 or 10. I also have the old cover for Blood Red Road which has now changed and will match the second book in the series. The same for Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts, the UK cover has be overhauled to match Rage Within. They did this for Vampire Academy too, I got to the very last book and when it was released it was red, and not black like the previous ones >_<<br />Kelley Armstrong Women of the Other World did this too, they changed the style on book 10!!!<br /><br />I feel your pain in books not matching, all mine have to match and I will go and buy the new covers if it is a book I will re-read. MY old ones get given to friends or sent to my local library. I am still replacing a few books in series that I read. It would be nice for publisher to finish a series before changing the covers, or at least printing books with old and new covers so we get to make the choice ourselves and not have it made for us.Michelle @ Much Loved Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13057263386213486676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-30063467920299143102012-07-13T18:13:58.162+01:002012-07-13T18:13:58.162+01:00This post is great and I couldn't agree more w...This post is great and I couldn't agree more with everything that's been said above. I love my books matching and go to great length to get it done - sometimes it's completely futile... :(<br /><br />Lately I have started to wait out a whole series until everything gets released with the same covers. I'm sorry for the authors whose initial sales will drop (which has negative effects on bestseller lists), but I'm not buying the same book 3 times just to get a matching set in the end >.<DarlingNickeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05774129203425400491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-15079844629285084872012-07-13T17:43:39.691+01:002012-07-13T17:43:39.691+01:00And shame on me for forgetting to say... this is a...And shame on me for forgetting to say... this is a great post and I'm glad you addressed the issue because I know it drives a lot of people crazy!Jamie Krakoverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16808802721340647047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-59967881997842789902012-07-13T17:41:04.167+01:002012-07-13T17:41:04.167+01:00This is one of my biggest pet peeves with books. I...This is one of my biggest pet peeves with books. I love collecting series and I love when the covers match. Many series I like to buy and read as they come out and it's almost as the publishers are punishing readers for being on top of book releases. It makes me want to wait until series are out in full to buy them just so they all match. <br /><br />That said I really appreciated when Penguin did a special offer to get the new Nightshade dust jacket when they changed the covers. I was originally really upset when they changed the book covers because I thought the original was gorgeous but after reading the series I see why they changed it and think the new covers fit a bit better.<br /><br />Now the latest to do this is the Across the Universe and I already have the first two. So like you said I hope they do some sort of dust jacket offer for the last book.<br /><br />The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series in the UK is now on its third set of covers. They redid them not once but twice! And the second time they went almost back to the original designs. <br /><br />So I don't understand why they keep changing things up. If they think its going to help sales then they should just do the paperback designs or release a new cover set when the full series is out. Stop punishing your loyal readers with a hodgepodge of covers!Jamie Krakoverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16808802721340647047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-72773749154279490632012-07-13T17:40:30.271+01:002012-07-13T17:40:30.271+01:00Some redesigns or US versions, like Delirium and P...Some redesigns or US versions, like Delirium and Pandemonium, I like. But why switch styles half way through a series!! And the Nightshade cover was perfect, and the redesign made the sequel look so boring. Same with Insurgent! I wish they would just stick with one style, so you don't end up with oddly matched books.Hannah Mariskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16619039217059753515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-10676692182422548522012-07-13T17:29:25.514+01:002012-07-13T17:29:25.514+01:00God I hate it when they do this to! I want my seri...God I hate it when they do this to! I want my series' to match! I am so disappointed by the covers for Shades of Earth. I also feel that by changing the covers to appeal to another type of reader they are actually ignoring their target audience, I mean what teenager would pick up those new books they don't look YA at all! Another example of this is Jackson Pearce's fairy tale re-tellings series, I loved the originals covers and now I won't be able to get Fathomless in a cover that matches. I understand why publishers change covers, and I know that authors have no say, but I don't know why they do it in the middle of a series. They should either wait till the whole series is released and so a whole re-brand, or they should do two types of covers so that the fans have a choice. Especially if the new covers are to attract adult audiences, I know there are plenty of books out there that have been relesed in both a 'teen' cover and an 'adult' cover, why can't they do that?! Enough with changing covers in the middle of the series.<br />Such a great post, and definitely something that needs to be said!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-36398170857194194622012-07-13T17:06:35.380+01:002012-07-13T17:06:35.380+01:00As an author who changed her own covers, I can und...As an author who changed her own covers, I can understand why, you know, people change their covers, but man it's irritating. I think Beth Revis has changed her covers three times now and I keep thinking how much I really liked the original.<br /><br />Good posts, it's nice to see how bloggers really feel about things.Maganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14045036129073244749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-53315742128587863322012-07-13T16:22:43.064+01:002012-07-13T16:22:43.064+01:00Ditto with Laura!
I'm not a cover snob. When ...Ditto with Laura!<br /><br />I'm not a cover snob. When I look at books, I always read the back first. As books on a shelf, you usually see the spine first, and if I haven't heard of it already, that's what I first see. If I like the title, I grab it. I read the back first, then I have a look at the cover.<br /><br />This is where I become a cover snob. I'm OCD about it - my covers have to match. More on that later.<br /> <br />In all honestly, I see why marketing departments change the cover on books. It's a great idea for new people to be interested in a series. A picture tells a thousand words, and a book cover speaks volumes. Having an appealing cover will generally boost a book's sales. Plus, with more readers comes reprinting of books, which means you get different editions. Which leads the publisher to question, should we change the book cover?<br /><br />In my opinion, changing the cover is a bad idea. Different covers for hardbacks and paperbacks I get. But changing paperback covers just irritates me. <br /><br />I'm based in Australia, but lived in the UK for three years. While I don't want to sound liked I'm bigheaded or anything, I've probably been hit hardest by cover changes - in Australia, you get both US AND UK covers of books. When I first read Vampire Academy, it was about 2008 (or 2007, I can't remember). When I moved to the UK, the next VA book was released. It was at this time, that the UK decided to bring out its new style of covers. So I chose instead to read my friend's copies, who was willing to buy the books with the red covers. Why buy a series that don't match? I was happy to wait until I get back to Aus. Fastrack 3 years, and I get back, and even the Aus covers have changed - none match my 1st edition any more. Which means that I have covers that don't match AND are the wrong size. Irritation much?<br /><br />The next one that gets me - and probably the most - is Delirium. I absolutely love the US redesign of the blue cover with the girl's face, as you've posted above. This is my copy, which I got over Christmas in Australia. When I get back to the UK, the cover for Pandemonioum is released - and it doesn't even match ANY of the gazillion covers that have been released for Delirium. Where did I end up finding a cover that matched mine? Austria. Not that I went there just for that...but it is annoying.<br /><br />All in all, after my rant is over, cover changes can be good. What publishers should realise, however, is that it is not good when you change a cover in a series either one or two books in. It's irritating and pricey for those who will actually go and spend money to make their covers match (I WILL admit to that.) Cover changes should happen after a series is finished. That way, fans can have the covers they want, and publishers can still try and entice new readers in as well with different designs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-14088213710326181862012-07-13T16:05:29.080+01:002012-07-13T16:05:29.080+01:00OK I didn't realise quite how long that rant w...OK I didn't realise quite how long that rant was until after I'd posted it! In case you hadn't guessed already this is something that really p*sses me off though!! LOLSarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07491718306784046961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-14008720975792263142012-07-13T16:04:08.094+01:002012-07-13T16:04:08.094+01:00I love this post & I feel absolutely the same!...I love this post & I feel absolutely the same! I HATE it when my books don't match on my shelves. I'm sick to death of feeling like I'm being taken advantage of by publishers who know that book addicts like us will end up re-purchasing the books we've already bought once so that they match.<br /><br />Well you know what - I'm getting to the point where I'm not going to play that game any more. When they change the covers I'm not re-buying books I've already paid for. In fact in most cases I've just started giving away my earlier books to a charity shop and reading the rest of the series from the library so they're actually losing themselves sales. <br /><br />The other thing is that I'm reluctant to buy books in a new series because I know that the chances are the covers will change by the end. Guess what - I just read them from the library (God I love my library!). If I adore the books then I may well buy the whole series when it has been released but since I very rarely re-read books any more then the chances are by that point I won't be bothered.<br /><br />So there you have it, constantly changing the covers isn't doing them any favours. I'm going to let my money do the talking and refuse to play the game any more!Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07491718306784046961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-56522042481146892272012-07-13T15:36:13.559+01:002012-07-13T15:36:13.559+01:00I love this post so much, cover redesigns mid seri...I love this post so much, cover redesigns mid series get me so angry! You would think that publishing people would understand how booklovers feel about these things but sadly they seem not to. I also loathe it when mid series they change format, for example I have all 18 of the Torchwood tie-in novels - the first 15 were all published in hardback and the newest three are in a completely different looking paperback. The tie-in fiction area of my bookcases now looks really odd :(Jennihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15937958243812857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-17109139973176005572012-07-13T15:27:39.353+01:002012-07-13T15:27:39.353+01:00When Holly Black's covers were redesigned befo...When Holly Black's covers were redesigned before the release of Black Heart, she said that the decision was under taken to entice NEW readers to the series. She said that The original covers have obviously attracted a certain percentage of the target market, and the new covers will hopefully increase that percentage. All well and good.<br /><br />But I agree with you, because it seems to me that in the above case, and in many other cases, the readers a series already HAS are taken for granted -- of course they will buy the new book in the mismatching cover because they're already hooked. I feel this is wrong, because I, like many of my friends and family, LOVE having matching books on my shelves. <br /><br />It seems that people coming LATE to a series benefit in this regard, rather than fans who discovered and spread the word about a not-so-famous series and got the author to the stage where people are buying the third / fourth / whatever book in a series. I don't mind them changing covers, but they should still make available matching covers for fans who already have a set. In the correct format too (hardback / paperback).speculatefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11577721682906192507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-63808405688967459002012-07-13T15:25:17.407+01:002012-07-13T15:25:17.407+01:00Totally agree with this post.. When I saw the new ...Totally agree with this post.. When I saw the new covers for Across The Universe I had a moment where I just sat in disbelief staring at my screen thinking "why do you do this to me??? WHY!!!!!".... lol!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17236738517298474774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-63026017999972128472012-07-13T15:22:29.887+01:002012-07-13T15:22:29.887+01:00I'm a bit OCD when it comes to book covers. Al...I'm a bit OCD when it comes to book covers. All of the book covers in a series must match on my bookshelf. I understand if they're trying to appeal to a different target market (e.g. Across The Universe series) but they should continue with the original design until the series is done. THEN have a new design from scratch.Liyanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03044426041937026894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-470360892758170652012-07-13T15:21:35.232+01:002012-07-13T15:21:35.232+01:00Definitely care about this. I have so many series ...Definitely care about this. I have so many series now that don't match and my bookshelves are not as pretty as they could be. With some of the above, the original version seemed so much prettier as well and something I'd be so much more likely to pick up. This is something I shall be bearing in mind as a publisher!Magemandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08986754628836562869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-90526616695709596892012-07-13T15:16:49.259+01:002012-07-13T15:16:49.259+01:00Rebel Heart has a different US title?! And I secon...Rebel Heart has a different US title?! And I second Laura's comment!So Many Books, So Little Timehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14044634459274703941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487330494921203451.post-9854818321763764832012-07-13T15:12:16.517+01:002012-07-13T15:12:16.517+01:00i want to hug this post, stitch it on a pillow and...i want to hug this post, stitch it on a pillow and then mount it on my wall for being so awesomeSisterSpookyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03455482753356400363noreply@blogger.com