Book cover clichés: have you spotted recurrent designs?

Certain themes and stories seem to be packaged with a particular aesthetic. Have you spotted this trend? Share your examplesWhy is it that books about Africa always look the same? A recent article on the blog Africa is a Country demonstrated that "the covers of most novels 'about Africa' seem to have been designed by someone whose principal idea of the continent comes from The Lion King" - reducing it, no matter the subject, geographical area or writer, to an acacia tree and a sunset. This followed a Twitterstorm triggered by a tweet from SimonMStevens:Like so many (wildly varying) writers on Africa, Adichie gets the acacia tree sunset treatment... (@AfricasaCountry) pic.twitter.com/zMQtirfrQ9.@SimonMStevens @AfricasaCountry See also soulful-black-woman-with-colourful-smudges e.g. UK pb eds of Adichie's bks. pic.twitter.com/bt7kUcaP06There is a peculiar phenomenon in English-language publishing in Southeast Asia: a ubiquitous genre perhaps best thought of as Asian sleaze. It spans fiction and non-fiction, but the cover generally features a partially clothed woman with long black hair, either in silhouette, or viewed from behind. The title is usually something along the lines of Bangkok Velvet. The author is always a white man. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #english-language publishing #southeast asia #white man

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Book cover clichés: have you spotted recurrent designs?'


Book cover clichés: have you spotted recurrent designs?

Certain themes and stories seem to be packaged with a particular aesthetic. Have you spotted this trend? Share your examplesWhy is it that books about Africa always look the same? A recent article on the blog Africa is a Country demonstrated that "the covers of most novels 'about Africa' seem to... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #english-language publishing #southeast asia #white man


Anatomy of a Book Cover: The Process of Book Cover Design

How does book cover design work? Find here an introduction to the process, both in self- and traditional publishing. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-07-10 10:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #traditional publishing #book cover


Tor Books Criticized for Use of AI-Generated Art in 'Gothikana' Cover Design

The use of AI-generated assets in the cover art for the dark academia novel 'Gothikana' by RuNyx, originally self-published and reissued by Tor Books' romance imprint Bramble, has set off a debate about the role of AI in publishing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cover design #cover art #originally self-published #tor books


40+ YA Book Cover Artists and Designers to Follow on Instagram

Love YA book covers? You'll want to follow these YA book cover artists and designers on Instagram for a peek behind the scenes. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-01-11 11:33:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ya book


Book Cover Design Trends for 2020

Maybe you can't judge a book by its cover but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy one and anticipate upcoming book cover trends. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-11-07 11:41:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #upcoming book


The Art of Books: An Exhibition of Shobunsha’s Star Cover Designer Kouga Hirano

From the Japan Times: The Kyoto DDD Gallery's exhibition of Kouga Hirano's work includes his book covers for Shobunsha, a 30-year body of designs. The post The Art of Books: An Exhibition of Shobunsha’s Star Cover Designer Kouga Hirano appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #work includes #book covers


What Are Book Cover Designers and Editors Earning? The Freelance Reality

Ninety-five percent of freelance pros at the Reedsy Marketplace have worked for the Big Five. Now we know more about what they're making. The post What Are Book Cover Designers and Editors Earning? The Freelance Reality appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Edward Gorey: cover star of book design

The author and illustrator is much revered for his own weird and wonderful books, yet his 200-plus jacket designs are virtually ignored. Steven Heller celebrates his contribution to a unique era of publishingDeliciously and subversively cryptic, Edward St John Gorey’s books, plays, postcards,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #art director #large portion #art department


Book Designers Judge Go Set a Watchman by Its Cover

Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee’s retro-facing sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, hit bookshelves this week. The story of its discovery—it was actually Lee’s first draft of Mockingbird—and publication reads like a novel of its own, and the whole affair has been mired in controversy. But now it’s... Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2015-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #harper lee #cover appeared


Paul Bacon dies at 91; he revolutionized the design of book covers

Paul Bacon's name may be unfamiliar, but anyone who has browsed the bestseller racks over the last 60 years knows his work. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book covers #paul bacon


E-books will "blow apart" cover design

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Thu, 30/06/2011 - 09:28 E-books are set to "blow apart" cover design, with designers looking to create "identity packages" that can work for both print and digital editions, The Bookseller Cover Design Conference 2011 was told. Marketing strategist... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cover design #digital editions #british library


Judge a Book by Its Cover and Get a Perfect Book Recommendation

Got strong opinions about what makes a great book cover? Judge a book by its cover here to get a new read perfectly suited to your tastes. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-05-11 10:36:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #strong opinions #great book


Classic Book Covers Get Charming Redesigns for the E-Book Age

750 artists redesigned the covers of classic books. Now 50 of them are going on tour. The post Classic Book Covers Get Charming Redesigns for the E-Book Age appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2016-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #classic books


How Pelican Books Is Reimagining The Cover In The Age Of E-Books

Penguin's storied non-fiction brand is trying to redefine the book cover, as well as bridge the gap between physical books and ebooks.The covers of our favorite books are doors that lead into their internal literary worlds, and that's enough to make their designs important: a book's cover is the... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-11-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #physical books


At 75, Thames & Hudson Rolls Out New Publishing Programs, Book Design Prize

The illustrated book publisher will launch a new series of small-format titles, gift program, and book design prize, alongside unique branding, to commemorate its 75th anniversary. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing programs #75th anniversary #illustrated book


PRH Led in Children’s Picture Book Bestsellers in 2023, While Scholastic Took Top Spot in Fiction

Penguin Random House strengthened its grip on the picture book lists and made gains on the frontlist fiction lists, which Scholastic still rules. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-02 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #penguin random house #scholastic #picture book


Announcing the Best Book Cover of 2023

Last week, we asked our social media followers to vote for the cover of year from the best 32 designs of the year. This year’s tournament was fierce, with surprise twists and crowd favorites that bowed out early. The winner edged out the competition by a mere 6 votes. From 32 cover designs, here... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-12-29 12:05:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post announcing #electric literature #book cover


The Art of Paperback Cover Design

Redesign? Relaunch? Regret? Take a look at the ways publishers aimed to seduce new audiences by changing up the covers of notable books. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-12-27 10:02:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #notable books


2024’s hottest book cover trend is . . . pastel skies.

The reign of the color-blob book cover has slowly come to an end over the last several years, and various pretenders to the throne have taken their best shot at being the next trend—sans-serif minimalism (The “Cusk”); brightly-colored paper-cut-out illustrations, usually involving women (The... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-18 15:14:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book cover


Chose the Next Book Cover of the Year 

It’s the festive season, which means our fourth annual book cover tournament begins today! We had a tough job winnowing the hundreds of thousands of book covers published this year to the best 32 designs, so we need your help to crown a winner via an interactive poll on our Twitter and Instagram... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-12-18 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #year appeared #festive season #interactive poll #electric literature #book cover