Monday, March 29, 2010

International Covers: Or, "What Up With the Covers Being Bosom-ified to Catch the Stupid People Audience?"

I was just on Vanora Bennett's website, and was noticing how different the covers for the UK and US, not to mention hardcover and paperback, versions of her books are, and I thought it would be an interesting (for me, anyways) topic to explore and then talk about here.  Then, not even thinking about it, I went to Lauren Willig's website, and when I was reading about her upcoming book tour stops, I noticed she had a blog posting of her own about the ways the covers of just one of her books have changed based the audience they're being marketed to.  Really, really interesting.  I hate to say it, but it's all about snob factor, I think.  Which I just remarked in the comments on Willig's blog, whoops!  Hope she does not remember I emailed her a while ago, because the covers only disappoint me because I think they don't even HINT at the awesomeness inside...maybe I should have written that, lol!
I think the whole cover issue becomes even more convoluted when you have genre-crossing books, like Willig's - historical fiction, mystery, contemporary fiction, romance.  And they do seem to emphasize the "romance" (a/k/a bosoms and beads) on the covers of the paperbacks and mass-market offerings.
Let's take a look.
This is the version of the Secret History of the Pink Carnation that I first picked up years ago, at the little bookstore kiosk in South Station, while I was on my way to D.C. for a work trip (I think).  I remember being drawn to the matte cover, as I always am, and liking the old-fashioned illustration, and the title line with the parchment & seal kind of look.  When I turned it over and read the back, I was hooked when I heard "graduate student," even though the romance parts made me a little wary, but I wouldn't even have turned the book over in the first place if the cover hadn't caught my eye while I was casually browsing.  If, however, I had seen the cover below, which will be the "mass market paperback" cover (October, 2010 release), I wouldn't even have paused - I would have thought "romance schlock" if I had thought anything at all about it, and kept moving on.  Plus, I mean - it looks Victorian, so how are the spies supposed to be fighting Napoleon??

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