Dear Diary: Confessions From A Blogger (6) Cover Changes


We all know what goes on behind the scenes at our own blogs but rarely do we lift the curtain and share those experiences with others. Dear Diary: Confessions From A Blogger stems from the curiosity. This week I want to talk about Cover changes!!


Here is my Confession:

If I had one pet peeve nay one veritable bane of my bookish existence it is the dreaded cover change. Not much is more infuriating than a cover I like getting a redo especially considering they very rarely are an actual improvement. I used to feel guilt, when I disliked a cover change. I'd seethe quietly and accept it. Until that fateful day one of my favorite series had a cover change. If any of ya'll follow me regularly you'll know which one I'm going to say already but for those who might not *frowny face* the series that pushed me over the edge was The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa.

When I heard about The Immortal Rules cover change, I actually denoted the series in my mind. Not to read of course but how I purchased subsequent books. I don't want to own covers I don't like. As it stands I have a strong dislike for the new covers they are plain compared to the beautiful bloody tear drop one. Sure the girl wasn't 100% Japanese looking but I watch plenty of J-Dramas and a lot of those girls don't either. While the cover change itself was annoying what really made it frustrating was the decision to change them after the first book had already been released. A book should NEVER be sent to print if satisfaction isn't guaranteed. To me, Book covers should be like vaccines. First you have a trial and test them over and over until 99% of subjects don't die from it or in a covers case you distribute Arcs with several cover contenders, collect the feedback on them and then print the one with the most positive response.

Sadly since The Immortal Rules cover change many other series have jumped on the bandwagon as well. Some have had the courtesy to do it before the book released (YAY for them!!), some have kept the covers close just tweaked the design a smidgen, then you have others(Boo,hiss!!)that waited til the second or in some cases 3rd book to change! That to me is clearly unacceptable. I firmly believe that both covers should be sold if the series has been started even if they only sold the old cover special print through the publisher. I know plenty of people would pay sticker price just to ensure that their series matched.

If it was within my power I would take all the people who make cover change decisions put them in a room together and lock the key. Of course that could backfire and they all end up conspiring together brainstorming up even more ways to tick off fans all the while exploiting the fact most die hard book lovers will inevitably break down and buy the repackaged product just so their series match.

Thankfully, I have found one saving grace to the cover change madness and that is the simple fact not every country changes the covers. So yup, When The Eternity Cure or any other series whose cover I dislike is released I'll be tracking down those covers from a country who decided to stick with the original. I've done it before in the case of Susan Winnacker's The Other Life (preferred UK over US cover) and I'm perfectly happy doing it again if it gets me something I'm happy with.

Anyway.... I know this week was mostly a rant but after finding out ANOTHER series pulled a cover change yesterday morning I just knew I had to vent and confess my annoyance about it all.


Now that you've read my confession, Tell me some of yours:
Do you mind cover changes?
Do you feel guilt if you don't like them?
Has a cover change ever stopped you from buying the book or continuing a series?
If not, Has it influenced what format you bought it in?

Leave your responses in the comments below, I love reading them. Have a question? Leave that as well and I'll try and answer it.

_________________________________________


That about wraps up this weeks confessions from a blogger. Thanks for stopping by and reading,sharing, or commenting on this post. As always, it is appreciated.

Comments

  1. I hate when covers change too! Jeri Smith-Ready's Shift trilogy changed covers after the second and pissed me off because my books don't match.

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    Replies
    1. Oh, I completely forgot about that series change since I started after the switch. I get what you mean though it's really annoying when it happens after a series starts.

      Delete
  2. I agree, it seems to be happening more and more frequently. I really loved the first cover of Across the Universe, I'm not sure who made that decision...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know the originals from that series were really eye catching. I really don't see why that series was changed.

      Delete
  3. I find cover changes really annoying, unless they're correcting inaccuracies. So I'm glad they're changing the covers to The Immortal Rules (because Alison didn't seem all white as portrayed on the cover) but agreed that it's not normally an improvement. What really annoys me is cover changing midseries-a pain for those who have book one of the original and can't get the rest- and and when they change covers to fit a trend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah I really hate the "trend" cover change especially when it doesn't fit what the series is about.

      Delete

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