Ever since I moved to the UK two years ago I’ve been obsessed with book covers. Book covers can vary vastly between North America and the UK. It has made me realize that I do judge a book by it’s cover. Take MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood for example. I am Canadian and an Atwood fan, so I’m going to read her latest book no matter what. But based on the covers I’d be much more likely to pick up the UK version. Let’s take a look.
But why is this the case? And what drives book cover design?
For the most part I have found that I prefer the North American cover of most books. I suspect that after years of book buying and working in a book store I have been conditioned by the North American book industry about what to expect. But then a book like The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer comes along. Two very different covers, both of which I’d pick up.
Some have noted that the North American cover of The Interestings is a bit too feminine for a book that would appeal to both men and women equally. The UK cover resolves this nicely, but what’s the deal with those clouds? Just distracting.
In a new weekly feature called Cover Wars I am going to look at cover design a little more closely. For the most part it will involve cover comparisons and polls, but I will also be looking at what experts like Chip Kidd have to say and how iconic cover designs like those from Penguin came about. I can’t wait to see how this evolves over time.
52 books or bust 
I often wonder there are more than one cover to many books, and very different ones. What’s the whole idea? I can’t wait to see more of this!
So much thought goes into to covers. It’s crazy. If the PB has a different cover than the HC, then they usually have changed it because a) it didn’t sell well in HC or b) they are trying to attract a different audience in PB.
I always find this interesting, especially when there is a difference between Canadian and American covers. I often wonder if we favour a more UK or American cover. Good choices there, I wouldn’t pick up the Margaret Atwood UK cover (if I didn’t know who she was) but neither Wolitzer cover would grab me.
I think we tend to go for the American version, or at least publishers often do. It’s funny, I wouldn’t likely pick up the NA version of MaddAddam. I far prefer the UK edition.
I’ve read both these books, I’m in the US so I have the versions on the left, and I think aesthetically myself overall I prefer the left covers for these two. The egg on MaddAddam makes sense to me, but the UK version is stark and dynamic and I like that too. I think since this is a trilogy I’d want all my copies of the three in the series to be the same design! It kinda bothers me that my copy of MaddAddam is hardcover and doesn’t match my copies of O&C and Flood. 😉
I’m with you that those clouds just don’t belong on the UK Interestings cover. Maybe is it supposed to be skyscrapers against blue sky (NYC, after all)? I’m not sure the color scheme really works for me either. Both covers look gender-neutral to me.
I’m really interested to see your future posts in this series! I really love the UK versions of the Hunger Games books, and tend to gravitate towards starker (or minimal) covers in general. I’m curious if some book covers that have been made more feminine in the US (like Sylvia Plath’s Bell Jar http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/feb/01/the-bell-jar-new-cover-derided) have had similar treatments in the UK.
Thanks for the link to the Guardian article. That was actually in my head but i couldn’t remember where I’d seen it. I like the starker covers as well.
You’re welcome! I know that my preferences come from my (amateur) work in digital design and scrapbooking. I’d rather have one photo with a lot of white space and minimal elements than a more intricate design.
I think it’s so weird when there are a ton of covers for each book. I don’t get it! Although personally, I prefer both of the “left” book covers 😀
Yay for cover wars!!!
Thank you for linking up to the Spread the Love Linky Party! Even though it’s my last week of hosting, April @ The Steadfast Reader will be taking over, which is super exciting! More info to come. . . 😀
I don’t know The Steadfast Reader. Will have to check it out. Great job at hosting! I’ve never participated in anything like Linky Love before. Thanks for introducing me.
Well good! It’s been nice to connect with you through it, but it won’t stop now 😀
I really love comparing the different covers for books, though I find myself preferring the UK versions. I wonder if it’s because they seem so refreshing and different to me? Looking forward to seeing what you show us!
In cover comparison posts, I often like the American cover better.The publishing industry here has definitely gotten to me!
This has always confused me. Why are multiple covers even necessary? I usually think the UK versions are prettier, but it varies book to book. In MaddAddam’s case I prefer the North American cover. I’m so confused about my own opinion. Gah!
Thanks for the response everyone! American covers seem to be winning out, but no one from the UK has responded yet. Next week i think a poll is in order!
I understand multiple covers when the subject matter is viewed differently in two different countries. Like if a cover is all about baseball in the US, I understand switching it up for an International audience. Other than that, no clue why they do this. I generally just order whichever cover appeals to me most.
Yes, I also find this so interesting! The NY times has a series where they ask book designers to talk about the process of designing the cover. They show different iterations of the cover and explain how they ended up with the final cover. Here’s a link if you haven’t seen it already! http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/11/20/books/20before-after.html?_r=0
Thanks so much for letting me know what the NYTimes is doing. Sounds interesting.
I do so love seeing the different book covers from around the world. So interesting!! (The Atwood UK cover is crazy bizarre and both covers for The Interestings would (and have) made me make a pass on reading them, It is true, we do judge many books by their covers! 😉
I wasn’t aware of US covers at all until I started blogging and like you I’m a bit fascinated by ‘cover wars’ now. US books feel different to read, too.
As for me, I judge all the books by their covers and end up being disappointed more often than not.