BOOK BY ITS COVER
I read like a maniac. It’s not really unusual for me to finish at least one book a week, during the winter months maybe two. I’m sure it’s thanks to being read to constantly as a child and having the importance of books engrained in me at a very young age.
I buy most of my books just like I buy my wine, by the art on the front of course. When I try to rationalize this it comes down to two things. One, that if someone gives the go ahead for the cover of their book to have something on it that I really like, well, then their taste and mine must be somewhat similar and I’ll probably dig their writing. Two, I have all of my books lined up on shelves in my living room so I of course want it to look cool.
I like the idea behind book cover design. That you have this limited amount of space to make someone pick up your book and take it home. It has to be eye-catching, but it also has to be relevant to the story being told between the covers. Lately I’ve started turning to book covers a lot for my day-to-day design inspiration. So yes, I really do believe you can judge a book by its cover, as long as it’s well designed.
PS: A really great source is http://covers.fwis.com/
A well-designed cover certainly makes a well-written book even better. In Holland, there is an annual 'best designed book' selection and exhibition. As I recall, all of the titles are Dutch, but worth a look: http://www.bestverzorgdeboeken.nl/
Oh, and two books a week (even during the winter months) is impressive!
Posted by: miss carly | September 06, 2009 at 09:52 AM