Thoughts about books and their covers

 

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 

I'd never have picked this up off a display, unlike the grey covers

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!

Micro Reviews 73, 74 & 75

 

Women in Translation Month

August has been designated Women in Translation month and I've managed to read a few books that fit this brief - well two books written and translated by women and the third just being translated by a woman.

Marzahn. Mon Amour - by Katja Oskamp and translated from German by Jo Heinrich (Peirene Press)

This has recently been Radio 4's book at bedtime but to my annoyance I kept falling asleep while listening. I did however have a copy of the book on my shelves and decided to 'read along' as it were.

It's a strange little book, set in the former East Germany and focusing on a woman who's retrained as a chiropodist and her clients. The book is a series of vignettes about the people who come to the clinic where she works, or those who live in the area. It meanders and repeats key phrases but was wholly compelling and like nothing I've read before.

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The Easy Life - by Marguerite Duras and translated from French by Emma Ramadan (Bloomsbury)

Incredible The Lover by Duras was one of our French A Level set texts but since then I've not read or heard anything about her books. This one isn't out until December but while it was beautifully written and translated I am not sure I understood it at all. I'm not sure that I hugely understood The Lover either but that might just have been my French - I'm going to reread it again (in English) soon to see if it does bear any resemblance to my memories.

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Tasting Sunlight - by Ewald Arentz and translated from German by Rachel Ward (Orenda Books)

Another quirky tale with two strong female voices thrown together by circumstance and yet perfectly suited. Each has her own traumas to battle and these are unfurled slowly and convincingly.

I had my heart in my mouth on more than one occasion and wouldn't have minded if the book was twice as long!

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So in month that has seen me battle to find novels that capture my full attention it is literature in translation from independent publishers that has seen me though!