Don't judge a cat book by its cover

Publishers may think a cute animal on the cover is what sells in the supermarket, but ask around online and those who buy pet books will tell you otherwiseThe moment of receiving your first book jacket is one that every author remembers. I was so excited when I got mine – a jacket, for a book, written by me, that was going to be published – it took me a while to realise it wasn't quite right. When the time came for the smaller, mass market paperback edition of the book concerned (a memoir about my golfing adolescence, called Nice Jumper) and my agent and I suggested a change of image, my publishers were only too happy to work towards something that suited everyone. That was 12 years ago, though, and the publishing industry has changed a lot since then, with supermarkets becoming increasingly dominant and power swinging away from editorial and towards sales. It had already changed a lot by early 2009 when Simon & Schuster, the publishers of my fifth book, Under the Paw, sent me their proposal for the book's paperback edition. I instantly knew I hated the cover and instantly knew there was not a lot I could do about it.In Under the Paw, I'd written about the chaos of more than three decades living at the beck and call of several of the world's most demanding felines. I was realistic about the book's marketing: although proper writers such as William Boyd, Kate Atkinson and David Sedaris had said nice stuff about it, it was, after all, a memoir about some cats, and no... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The New York Times | 2021-10-21 15:11:48 UTC ]
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Translators Fight for Credit on Their Own Book Covers

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Burton and Halls join Costa Book Awards judges

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[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-31 23:06:55 UTC ]
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Logan and Jackson among judges for Royal Society Young People's Book Prize

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[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-18 18:21:06 UTC ]
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How Inclusive Is That Diverse Book Cover, Though?

As more and more books for middle grade and YA readers showcase ensemble casts, why do they lack visible disability representation? Continue reading at Book Riot

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Infographic: The Most Instagrammed Book Covers

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Villarosa Joins Tattered Cover to Curate BIPOC Books

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-02-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Henry, Giedroyc and Rani to judge British Book Awards

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[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-31 12:08:17 UTC ]
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BBC Two book club series 'Between the Covers' to return

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[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-18 14:17:16 UTC ]
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Is the next book cover trend . . . rainbows?

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[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-08 18:00:44 UTC ]
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Pavilion snaps up new book from 'Junior Bake Off' judge Gill

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[ Electric Literature | 2020-12-07 12:00:36 UTC ]
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Help Us Pick the Best Book Cover of 2020

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[ Electric Literature | 2020-11-30 12:00:30 UTC ]
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[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-25 09:49:15 UTC ]
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[ The Washington Post | 2020-10-08 11:49:19 UTC ]
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2020 is the year of enormous pink lady faces on book covers.

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[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-01 15:33:42 UTC ]
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BBC2's Between the Covers book choices unveiled

Matt Haig's latest novel, The Midnight Library (Canongate), and Bolu Babalola's story collection Love in Colour (Headline) are among the seven books that will be featured on the new BBC2 book club programme "Between the Covers", hosted by Sara Cox. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-08 09:58:36 UTC ]
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