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Sunday, June 26, 2011

Books for Thought: Do you like when a cover changes when it is released on paperback?

Previously known as Monday's Question of the Day, Books For Thought is a feature where I post a book-related question up for discussion. I am open to all opinions and enjoy reading diverse comments from my lovely followers. I look forward to picking your minds!

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What do you think about the publisher's choice to sometimes change a hardcover's cover when it comes out in paperback?

My Response: It really depends on how the paperback cover looks. Unfortunately, there's been times where a hardcover is stronger than the paperback version. But, it could also go the opposite way where the paperback is better. I do understand why they might want to change it though. It keeps the book fresh no matter how much time passes between the first release.

What are your bookish thoughts?

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I personally don't mind if they do it :) I usually like it, such as with Nightshade by Andrea Cremer. The paperback is beautiful, but I like the hardcover just as much!
Sometimes I don't like the paperback cover though, such as with Elixir by Hilary Duff. I just saw the paperback version at the book store and I decided that I liked the hardcover so much more.
I think it's fun to see the paperback versions sometimes though :) It keeps in interesting!

Laura (All the Word's a Page) said...

I prefer that they stay the same just because I've run into so many problems trying to buy a series and the covers don't match if one of them happens to be a paperback. Unless the whole series is being re-released with new covers, like The Uglies series in 2011, then I don't like changes in covers.

For standalones I think it's interesting to see what publishers come up with for the paperbacks but like the above commenter said, it can sometimes deter people from reading the book.

Mariya said...

it depends, sometimes it turns out better than the hardback and it improves but if you have a very strong cover art and change it I get really mad. Like for Nightshade series. I was beyond pissed and I take cover art more personally than others b/c I am a graphic designer and it drives me crazy when they change covers to something that is worse/not as good as the first cover they had.

I think I would be okay with it maybe it they had two sets like one set with all the first covers and then another set with the new covers.

Jill the OWL said...

I honestly don't care. I hear everyone talking about wanting the covers to match, but that really doesn't matter to me. The only thing I don't like is when they seem to change the cover like 50 times! I've seen this happen - it's like they can't decide what cover would be best.

Rhiannon said...

Yah I have to say I fall into that geeky category of reader who hates her books not matching. Some cover changes have been so ugly it's actually stopped me from buying the book (terrible I know!).

TheDiaryofaBookworm.com

Nikki (Wicked Awesome Books) said...

I'm perfectly fine with it if the book is NOT in a series. I'm generally fairly happy if the new cover is better, but if it's a series, I'm a little irked. I'm anal and want my books to match, so a new paperback cover means that the series is getting a new cover design. Meaning: my hardcover will no longer match the upcoming books.

That, drives me crazy!

Riv Re said...

I love seeing the softcover! It's great to see something new, and I'm usually pretty optimistic about covers; they're all "gorgeous" for me, mostly. If I don't think they are, it usually means that I love the book enough to analyze it.
What I hate is when covers are changed in middle of a series. For example, I own Wolfbane with the original cover, but I don't want Nightshade with the new one, because they're so different. Also the Iron Fey series; the third was printed in a different size than the first two, and the first two were reprinted.
Anyway, I'm rambling. Covers are awesome!

Alexia561 said...

Interesting discussion! I understand that the publishers want to keep things fresh and maybe entice new readers, but I also sympathize with people who want their series to match.

Switching covers doesn't bother me as much as switching from paperback to hardcover midway through the series. I want my series books shelved together, and it drives me crazy when they're different sizes!

Emily said...

I'm weird about my series books matching - so when say, the 2nd book in a series is released with a matching cover to the paperback of the 1st book in the series but doesn't match the hardcover of the 1st book....that bothers me :)

hehe - did that make any sense at all? :)

And I'm cynical about things sometimes so when I see a cover change all I can think is that someone is out to make more money :)

Brittany said...

Sometimes if the change is for the better I'm glad of it, because then the book is cheaper and prettier. I hate it when they change it if it's the 2nd book in a series that's and you have some paperbacks with one cover and others with the new cover.

Fiktshun said...

I love the idea of different covers for HC and PB. It gives you a choice to buy the cover you love. But they have to be consistent. Similar styles for all covers in HC, similar styles for all covers in PB.

No change-up midway through a series. I tend to like HC or Trade PB's versus the Mass Market, so as long as either of those has a great cover, I'm cool with 2 choices.

Angela @ Reading Angels said...

I like it in some cases, like The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson paperback cover is AMAZING!
My thing is I want my series to match, so as long as the hardcovers match, and the paperbacks match, I'm happy :)

Ashley said...

It depends on how it's done. I honestly don't mind, as long as they keep it consistent- I do NOT like it when they start changing the HCs to match the new PBs in a series, but if all the PBs look the same, and all the HCs look the same, I don't really care. :)

Christina T said...

I prefer the paperback versions of If I Stay and The Forest of Hands and Teeth. I like the hardcover version of Nightshade but found the paperback to be odd because it looks like a girl with a wolf snout. As a teen, I'd have picked up the the hardcover but passed on the paperback. I also loved the hardcover version of Silver Phoenix but was disappointed by the change for the paperback (though I understand why it was done).

I think that the release in paperback gives publishers the opportunity to reach a new audience and make changes if there has been negative feedback about the original. Sometimes YA books can be made more appealing to teens this way (The Prophecy of the Sisters and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks are examples of this).

Casey (The Bookish Type) said...

Like you said, it depends on whether the change is for the better. I love the change in the If I Stay series, but hate the change for Nightshade. Sigh.

Jessica ( frellathon ) said...

I don't tend to mind but as you said sometimes the original hardcover will be the better or the two and sometimes the new paperback cover will be the winner. It all comes down to individual preference.

Anonymous said...

I don't like to say I judge a book by its cover, but if it is a book I've read or have been recommended to read, I will end up choosing between the paperback and hardcover based on which cover I prefer. For example, when I purchased The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, the one cover was completely plain- just the title and author. So, I picked the one with the artistic cover.

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