A Book By Any Other Cover

The book looked like a thriller.

The cover was black and had a sinister feel to it. There was the required two-word title that shouted, “This book is a thriller,” and the cover copy included words like “high-stakes thriller” and “heart-pulsating.”

There was one problem. When I began to read the book, I discovered it wasn’t a thriller; it was a romance. There were pulsating hearts, but they sure weren’t pulsating from danger.

Needless to say, I was disappointed and irritated. If I wanted a romance I would have picked a romance. (I have nothing against romance, by the way. I was just in more of a thriller mood than a romance mood.)

I’d been caught in the classic bait-and-switch. Someone decided that since thrillers were hot, this romance would sell better if it looked like a thriller. The reasoning must have gone something like this: “Sure, readers think they want a thriller, but what they really want is a romance.”

Wrong!

The bait-and-switch packaging ploy is nothing new in publishing. Remember when chick lit first shook the publishing world? There were plenty of straight mysteries that suddenly had pastel covers decorated with an assortment of impossibly small-waisted women, lipstick tubes, cute dogs, and/or high-heels.

Authors really don’t have much power when it comes to their covers. I can make suggestions, but it’s ultimately the publisher’s choice. Covers are supposed to give readers clues about the book’s tone and I can understand playing up elements that are currently selling. If you’ve got a fast-paced book with lots of suspense, it makes sense to sell it as a thriller, but don’t force the issue. Otherwise, readers feel like they’ve been duped.

Has anyone else been the victim of book cover bait-and-switch? Have you ever read a book that you normally wouldn’t read, but did read it because of the cover?

6 Responses to “A Book By Any Other Cover”

1. I don’t usually pay attention to covers because they so often have nothing to little to do with the content. I almost always choose a book because of the author (reading reviews for new authors), or the title (keywords and cleverness will make me pick it up). I was actually pretty ticked off when my library turned half the shelf space in the new books section into ‘face-outs’ (because the actual number of titles decreased).
   (However, when I see a good book, or a Good Girls & Friends book, I now turn them out to attract others:D)

   by Kate Hathway on September 24th, 2008 at 8:25 am
   
   

2. During a signing, somebody picked up my book, looked at the cover (1967 Mustang with dark sky and ominous clouds rising behind (like old faithful blowing steam in the air). The title A Reason For Dying.

   He asked if it were a book about Mustangs. I replied that it was a Thriller. He said, that’s deceiving, put it down and walked away.

   On reflection, I think the cover and title have more a Horror Novel quality. But as you said, Sara, the author has very little input.

   by Wilfred Bereswill on September 24th, 2008 at 9:49 am
   
   

3. Ah, the old “face-out” trick–thanks, Kate! It does draw a more attention.

   by Sara on September 24th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
   
   

4. Hmmm…can’t say I’d want to read a book about dying mustangs, but you never know. I’ve had some interesting questions based on people looking at the cover, too. “Is it for children?” is the one that really surprised me.

   by Sara on September 24th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
   
   

5. Sara. It’s funny and I’m sure you’ve experienced it. You live with a story for a year or more. Somewhere deep in your mind you have a mental image of what the cover looks like. Or what it should look like.

   Then you get an e-mail saying, “Here’s your cover art!” You excitedly double-click the file and…

   While it’s not what I expected, it has gotten a lot of attention and in general, people are either being nice, or they seem to like it.

   by Wilfred Bereswill on September 24th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
   
   

6. I think covers are real important. Especially since ppl are so visually stimulated now adays. I just picked up TSUNAMI the other day because it’s cover and title were so simple and self-explanatory. It was just what I was looking for. A thriller novel. Didn’t regret my choice one bit. A definite pulse thumping page turner.

   by Melissa on September 26th, 2008 at 11:50 am
   
   

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