When Creativity Takes A Wrong Turn: Lousy Book Covers

Aptly titled new Tumblr "Lousy Book Covers" collects the delightfully dubious achievements in jacket design. The book Spending Christmas With a Yeti is already at a marketplace disadvantage, what with that title, but then there’s the book cover. Oh boy, where to start. The real-life snowcapped mountain intruded upon by a clip-art Ford Explorer and what looks like an albino King Kong drawing? The puke-green background behind the title? Fortunately, for our amusement at least, it was efforts like this one for which the "Lousy Book Covers" Tumblr was made. In an age of consumer-as-creator, it’s sometimes fun to see the self-generated works that aren’t soaring aesthetic achievements. Creator Nathan Shumate is a writer and artist who also--wait for it--designs book covers. This expertise gives him special insight into what makes these book covers so bad, but anyone can plainly see that perhaps Chip Kidd was not called in on these jobs. Most covers featured on the site look like self-published works gone horribly wrong. Of course, the major publishing houses are also capable of putting out the occasional clunker every now and then.Read Full Story Continue reading at 'Fast Company'

[ Fast Company | 2013-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #book cover #book covers #chip kidd #covers featured

Other Publishing stories related to: 'When Creativity Takes A Wrong Turn: Lousy Book Covers'


Dead Good Books creates crime awards

Penguin Random House’s crime community Dead Good Books has created six awards to be presented at this year’s Theakstons Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival by authors including Lee Child and Val McDermid. Each award has been created in collaboration with the Dead Good Facebook community and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #val mcdermid #crime writing


Carroll joins Pedigree Books

Phil Carroll, former head of book buying for Sainsbury's, is joining Pedigree Books Ltd as its interim head of sales. Pedigree Books, sister company to Pedigree Dolls & Toys, publishes annuals, yearbooks, learning and seasonal activity formats for children. Carroll will join the company on... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pedigree books #sister company #sales team #book buying


Coutts wins Wellcome Book Prize

Marion Coutts has won the Wellcome Book Prize 2015 with The Iceberg (Atlantic Books). Bill Bryson, chair of the prize judges, said the book was “painful to read, but beautifully expressed”. Coutts’ husband, art critic Tom Lubbock, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2008, and died in 2011.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bill bryson #prize judges #brain tumour


Why Russia is calling a book by a holocaust survivor 'Nazi propaganda'

In preparation for Russia's Victory Day celebration, to be held May 9 to commemorate the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany, the country is cracking down on anything displaying the Nazi swastika – including the cover of Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel 'Maus.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #holocaust survivor #soviet union #nazi germany


Tumour memoir wins £30,000 book prize

A memoir written by the wife of an art critic who died of a brain tumour wins a £30,000 prize for new books about medicine, health or illness. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2015-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #memoir written #art critic


Wildcard Award: Win a Stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair

Enter to win the Frankfurt Book Fair's 2015 Wildcard Award, a competition for creative companies to win a free, 8-square-meter stand at the world's largest book fair The post Wildcard Award: Win a Stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Fourth Estate signs blues book by Peskin

Fourth Estate has acquired on proposal a book about American blues music that is “part travel, part memoir and part oral history” by Natasha Peskin. Louise Haines at Fourth Estate signed world English language rights to A Soft Place to Lay: Stories of the Blues from Kirsty McLachlan at DGA Ltd. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #natasha peskin #fourth estate #part travel #part memoir #soft place #kirsty mclachlan


Virgin Books signs history of The Who

Virgin Books, an imprint of Ebury Publishing, has acquired the official history of rock band The Who. Editorial director Lorna Russell bought world rights from Robert Rosenberg at Trinifold Management. She said: “The Who is one of greatest bands the world has ever seen. They shaped the story... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebury publishing #virgin books


Bookings deadline for Bookseller Industry Awards

Table and seat bookings for The Bookseller Industry Awards will close in one week’s time (Tuesday 5th May 2015 at 5pm). There are a very few tables and seats left for the event, which takes place at the Hilton Park Lane on May 11th. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #takes place


Bluebird buys happiness book by Google's Mo

Pan Macmillan has pre-empted a book by the v.p. of business innovation at Google [X], the company behind Google Glass and the self-driving car. Carole Tonkinson bought UK and Commonwealth rights to Solve For Happy: Engineering Your Path to Uncovering the Joy Inside by Mo Gawdat, who likes to be... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #google glass #pan macmillan #self-driving car #julian alexander #inkwell management


Picture book nonsense from Eric Carle

Puffin is to publish a new picture book by The Very Hungry Caterpillar author Eric Carle. The Nonsense Show will celebrate surrealism, and will be published in October to coincide with US publication. Jo Hanks, editorial director at Puffin, bought UK and Commonwealth rights excluding Canada to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #eric carle #picture book #bought uk #motoko inoue


Frankfurt Book Fair Announces Incheon EduContent Fair 2015

The city of Incheon and the Frankfurt Book Fair will organize the Incheon EduContent Fair on November 12-15, 2015, to focus on education in Asia The post Frankfurt Book Fair Announces Incheon EduContent Fair 2015 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Crowdfunding as a Source of Book Marketing Power

More than money, crowdfunding offers valuable feedback to authors, as they learn the fundamentals of speaking directly to readers, argues Deborah Emin. The post Crowdfunding as a Source of Book Marketing Power appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post crowdfunding


Maine Coast Book Shop on the Block

Founded in 1964, the store now occupies 6,000 square feet in Lincoln Hall, an historic storefront in the town. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


How the book trade will be voting

The Bookseller is conducting a survey into the book trade's opinions on the May 7th general election. Share your views with our quick, five-question survey on your voting intentions and how this year's election affects the book trade. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book trade


5 Takes on the Challenges and Opportunities of Digital Video

In advance of the fourth annual Digital Content NewFronts, Adweek, in partnership with the Interactive Advertising Bureau, convened a panel of five industry thought leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities Web- and mobile-based video pose for traditional media companies, digital... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #two-week period #constant state


Book Marketing Today: It’s Not B2B or B2C, But E2E

Publishers need to focusing on developing fans for books, not merely marketing them, argues Lance Fensterman, founder of ReedPop and producer of BookCon. The post Book Marketing Today: It’s Not B2B or B2C, But E2E appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Cereal Café book to Ebury

Ebury Press has signed a gift book from the founders of the Cereal Killer Café, twins Gary and Alan Keery. The brothers opened the café, which specialises in breakfast cereal, in London's Brick Lane last year, making newspaper headlines following a Channel 4 interview which questioned the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebury press #brick lane


PW Picks: Books of the Week, April 27, 2015

This week: Werner Herzog walks on ice, Oliver Sacks's new memoir, and the golden age of murder. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #oliver sacks #golden age


Obituary: Courage Books Publisher Donald H. McGee, 76

Donald H. McGee, former president and publisher of Courage Books, an imprint of Running Press passed away in Sarasota, Fla. on April 20. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |