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'


Book Launches Get More Creative

Authors, shut out of holding in-person events at bookstores, have adapted to the digital book event, and book launches are getting more creative and collaborative as a result. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-07-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book launches #digital book


The book industry needs to take responsibility for transforming itself

It would have been hard to have missed last week’s digital launch of Rethinking ‘Diversity’ in Publishing. The report - the first of its kind on diversity in trade fiction - not only landed noisily, but put the publishing ecosystem in the dock. So what's next? Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-03 09:58:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #rethinking diversity #publishing ecosystem #book industry


‘Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why’ takes hilarious aim at the current administration. But it’s not all fun and games.

Alexandra Petri’s new essay collection makes our current sociopolitical dumpster fire not just very funny but stingingly poignant. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-06-15 08:18:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #current administration


We’ve Got Your Kids Covered: 20 of the Best Kindle Books for Kids

We're bringing you the 20 best Kindle books for kids. All are either free for all or free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-06-12 10:33:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle books #kindle


Workers Across Book Business Take Collective Action Against Racism

On June 8, a group of more than 1,100 workers across book and media industries, most of them junior staffers, will take a day off from work, donate a day's pay to one of a number of fundraisers, and use their time to engage in acts of service in an effort to protest the killings of George Floyd,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #collective action #media industries #george floyd #breonna taylor #ahmaud arbery #book business


Sinead Burke's debut children's book takes shape with Hachette Children's Group

Wren & Rook, an imprint of Hachette Children's Group will publish Sinead Burke's "empowering" non-fiction children's book Break the Mould: How To Take Your Place In The World. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-28 21:49:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut children #hachette children #wren rook #non-fiction children #hachette #children's book


John Cleese's 'practical and amusing' book on creativity to Hutchinson

Hutchinson has acquired a book by John Cleese offering advice on the nature of the creative process. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-19 16:21:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #john cleese #creative process


Anna Solomon’s ‘Book of V’ will please fans of ‘The Hours’ with its sprawling take on a biblical tale

Anna Solomon’s retelling of the Purim story entwines the past and present beautifully. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-05-04 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Nosy Crow’s Free Digital Book for Kids About COVID-19 Takes Off

With Axel Scheffler's illustrations and Hugh Bonneville's narration, Nosy Crow's 'Coronavirus: A Book for Children' is a free download. The post Nosy Crow’s Free Digital Book for Kids About COVID-19 Takes Off appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-04-21 11:52:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital book


Variations on Penguin Book Cover Mugs

All the variations you could ever want of those iconic orange and white Penguin book covers on your favorite medium: mugs. Duh! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-03-23 10:35:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #penguin book


Canadian publishers turn to e-book discounts to entice readers amid COVID-19

Some Canadian publishers are offering special deals on e-books in a bid to entertain readers and pay authors during the COVID-19 shutdown. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2020-03-23 09:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #canadian publishers #pay authors #e-book


Authors and publishers get creative as book launches are moved online

In response to the coronavirus outbreak and government advice to socially distance, authors, readers and booksellers are thinking of new, exciting and creative ways to launch their books and keep readers engaged after in-person-events get cancelled.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-18 11:27:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #creative ways #book launches #moved online #coronavirus outbreak


Curbside Pickup. Bicycle Deliveries. Virtual Book Discussions. Amid Virus, Bookstores Get Creative.

“We’re going to operate like a pizza takeout place,” one independent bookstore owner said. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-03-18 03:53:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #curbside pickup #independent bookstore


Publishers take stock following the cancellation of the London Book Fair

Publishers and agents react to the cancellation of one of publishing’s most significant events and seek new ways to host meetings scheduled for the fair Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-05 08:52:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


HarperCollins Children's Books takes two more from Gregory

HarperCollins Children’s Books has landed two young fiction titles from Philippa Gregory, build on the fairytale world of The Princess Rules. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-03 09:19:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #books takes #harpercollins children #fiction titles #harpercollins


Austin Kids Take on the Battle of the Books! (shelftalker)

Kids go head to head in a competition inspired by the Texas Lone Star Reading List. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-28 13:00:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Mountaineers Books Names New Publisher as It Turns 60

As Mountaineers Books—the independent publisher of outdoor recreation, sustainable lifestyle, and conservation books—turns 60, it shifts around its staff. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-25 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #independent publisher


Barbara Remington, Illustrator of Tolkien Book Covers, Dies at 90

Her work for the 1965 paperback editions of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” achieved mass-cult status. But she hadn’t read the books when she got the job. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-02-17 17:30:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #barbara remington


Barbara Remington, Illustrator of Tolkien Book Covers, Dies at 90

Her work for the 1965 paperback editions of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” achieved mass-cult status. But she hadn’t read the books when she got the job. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-02-15 22:27:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #barbara remington


How 12 authors turned their book dedications into grand romantic gestures

Maeve Binchy, Carl Sagan and Fredrik Backman have all professed their love in indelible ways. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-02-11 18:15:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #maeve binchy #fredrik backman