A response to an online discussion
While I am spending a lot more time reading and far less on social media sometimes a discussion there will spark some really interesting conversations and debate. There was one fascinating chat a few months ago about the use of quotes from authors appearing all over book covers rather than a summary of the book, this in turn took a look at what we mean by 'book blurb.'
The one that has caught my eye and imagination is one about book covers/jackets.
A small independent press has decided to stop using illustrations on their book covers and instead is giving them all a distinctive look with the publisher logo, book title, author, and if appropriate the translator, on the front cover. All the books are a different colour but they have a very uniform look.
This hasn't been popular!
I however really like the style - which harks back to the original Penguin paperbacks and also reflects the current style in French publishing.
Books that give nothing away from a quick glance at the cover always intrigue me and I am far more likely to pick them up and find out more - I've always said that the best proofs I read in my bookselling career were the ones that were almost blank with just the title and author visible.
This really worked for new authors, and to encourage me to read new genres. We do judge books by their covers and I confess that I'm not drawn to some styles used for several genres but when I've read them from a blank cover they've (occasionally) been better than I expected and I've been pleased I tried them.
The uniform books also look really good as a collection on a shelf - my Persephone Books bookcase is my pride and joy, and I love how my new books from Foundry Press look.
The books from the
British Library Women Writers series are another example of a house style looking stunning when put together, and these are more like the books that sparked the debate, in that they are all different colours but uniquely form part of a series via their branding. My love of the style has led me to buy all of these books as soon as they are published, despite only having read about a quarter of them so far.
I'd be very upset if any of these publishers changed their style and started to put illustrated scenes on their books, and I really dislike the more mass market books that Persephone have produced
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I'd never have picked this up off a display, unlike the grey covers
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Some readers in the online discussions made the point that when publishers just use one style of cover it can put them off picking a book up. The reasoning here is because they've read one from that style before and disliked it and so assume that they won't like anything from that publisher/series.
This argument resonated with me far more...
Although they come from a whole variety of publishers books in certain genres are all given similar (and interchangeable) covers. I am guessing that the aim here is for people (possibly not frequent readers) who have enjoyed a book to easily find another one they've enjoyed.
For me however they act as a warning that they are books that aren't to my taste and I instantly gloss over them and look for the more intriguing covers!
Loosing imaginative covers for completely plain one has the downside that publishers will no longer need as many cover artists and designers, but also it might just stop the rise of the AI designed book jacket, and also images that in no way represent what is the content of the book...
We do all judge a book by the cover, and no book jacket is going to be loved by everybody - just like its contents won't appeal to everyone - but it has to be said that I am with the minority here. I like the plain covers and the distinct publisher brands as these introduce me to some real surprised, and in a way I even like the distinctive genre branding as it helps me avoid books I know I'm likely to not enjoy!
Now enough pontificating about the look of books and time to read some - it is now August and thus time for one of my favourite campaigns - Women In Translation Month!
