*sigh*
You know how much I love art (all different kinds of art), you know how hard I fall in love with some book covers, then imagine my disappointment when they get changed mid-series and I end up having them unpaired on my shelf!
I admit, I am being such a drama queen (it’s part of my charm), but I have to complain a bit about it, I just have to!
Case scenario: #1
Some publishers decide that they need to take a different approach (books didn’t sell well, people prefer other kind of covers OR maybe they had troubles with some copyrighted images), so they change all book covers when the last one comes out. And my series look like this:
Oh, the joyful joy!
I have many feelings, none of them are nice… The truth is I really loved those covers and it really saddens me to have to get a book with a different cover. With Stephanie’s series is not such a big deal as they are companions after all, but when it comes to “Shades of Earth” by Beth Revis I can’t believe they didn’t make a beautiful cover to match the other two (as for me those are some of the most beautiful covers and I love them to pieces). *cries in a corner* I even bought the hardcovers for the beautiful artworks alone (and you know about my feelings when it comes to the covers printed only on the jackets – I hate them, as I need to find ways to protect the piece of paper that ‘protects’ the books, which is just as crazy as it sounds *sigh*)
Of course, Isla is not out yet, so I still hope that they will release a cover that will match my other two (not that they look alike, if I think about it, but still).
Case scenario: #2
Some publishers decide that the first cover does not fit the story well OR for some reason they can’t keep the same style through the series, so they design all covers in a completely different one. Isn’t this a lovely view?
No, please, do not agree with me, I am being sarcastic here. *double sigh* I must confess that I like the ‘remakes’ (not that I have other covers to compare with, but they fit the story really well). I didn’t like the first cover for Delirium from the very beginning (come to think of it – it’s not that the girls with the flowers do a better job representing the story either, but at least they look nice), as for Ashfall and Legend series even though those first covers are lovely I might like better the simple, clean and meaningful look of the new ones (those hands speak loudly about the relationships between the characters in Mulin’s series, and there are so many little clues on the cover of Champion, I simply love that too). Still, my problem remains the same: together, they don’t look like a series anymore.
“Case scenario: #3
This is a personal and very painful decision, when I do not like a cover in a series and I have to replace it with another one:
Because the US cover of “Quintana of Charyn” must be the worst photo-manipulation in the history (this might sound really mean, but I can’t be less critical when it comes to it), I decided to get the UK/AU edition which looks better and not made in Paint by a two years old blind kid (note that the one from above is the Aussie cover and the book itself is absolutely amazing, you should read the Lumatere Chronicles like right now. Finish with my useless rambling and go get this series! ^_^ ).
First-world reading problems…
Maybe I am a bit crazy when it comes to this (it sounds a bit ridiculous even to my own ears), but the thing is that I want all the books in a series to match with each other, because for me that’s the definition of “series” in the first place and I think that one should know it simply by looking at the covers. Most of you probably won’t give a damn about my silly complaint, but it bugs me to no end. It also makes me sad, really 🙁
SO… What’s your ‘first-world problem‘ when it comes to reading? Paper-cuts? The books feeling too heavy? The e-reader not smelling/feeling like a real book?… See, your problems sound just as silly 😀
LOVE this post! I must agree!
Since it’s really hard to get “real” books in my country, most of us buy the kindle editions. When it’s time to order (waiting 1 month and days… from TBD) the books we really want to have on our shelves it is because of the covers!
So, yeah, I HATE when they change it.
Sadly we are not rich to buy again the not-matching book 🙁
*** And I hate hardcovers as well! Sometimes the jacket is just too delicate and can be ruined by my dirty hands so easily 😀 ***
I just received a book after 2 months. I can’t imagine what in the world took it so long, but what can I do? *sigh* I am so used to it, I am not even annoyed anymore (though I feared that something might have happened to it when days and days and more days passed without it getting here – I so didn’t want to wait 2 more months to have it, LOL)
So yeah, I understand your point, as it’s the same as mine. It’s not like I can get into a book store and choose another book in a few minutes. Not to mention that I really do prefer getting OTHER books instead of the same ones with a different cover.
The things is, these creative people work in the publishing world, but they don’t necessarily ‘love books’; they just happen to work with books (seen as products) and they sell them. That’s why they don’t understand how it feels to be in my shoes (or ours).
Also – not many people are affected by these changes, so why should they care that much? *sigh*
Oh my! I so very, completely agree with you!
I know the cover doesn’t change what’s under it, and that the story is what really matters. I know this, yet I can’t help but be disappointed anytime publishers decide to make big cover changes. Especially on the last book of a series. Beth Ravis’ is the perfect exemple of that. Ugh.
Interestingly though, my hardcover copy of Delirium matches the rest of the series, as do Legend’s. I had never seen this cover of Legend! I like it though, but it’s definitely different from the following books.
That’s the UK edition for Legend (or used to be, as they have it now with the yellow symbol to match the other ones). As for Delirium I really don’t remember where did I get it from, but that’s the cover it had back then.
For me the cover is quite important, I got a few books only because of the artwork, LOL, and I choose the edition I get based on my cover-preferences, so yeah.. when they decide to change it feels like a slap in the face *sigh*
I haven’t had that issue with series, but I’m really picky about my covers also. The Australian version of Quintana is sooo much better than the US version. But I LOVE the copy of Froi with his back rather than his face, even though the face one is still a good cover.
The biggest cover trauma I had was The Night Circus. I read it and loved it and never really liked the cover. Then I saw the UK cover and it was brilliant and fit the story so well and I was so bothered by it, I refused to by the book until the US publisher came out with the paperback that had a cover similar to the UK. It was really petty but I didn’t want to buy such a beautiful book with such an ugly cover.
I know the feeling.
For Daughter of Smoke and Bone I got the UK edition I think, with the door and the hand print – which was so great (I was not a big fan of the masked girl in that one, not sure why), but then came the cover for the second book and I liked the one with the face better. I sticked to the one that matched the first book, but I still have a crush on the other one.
Same goes for Unravelling by Elizabeth Norris – I love the copies I have but my love for the other ones (with full bodies) is just as strong.
I wish I had a sort folder/portfolio with my favourite book covers, for me to admire all different covers no matter what edition I actually have on my shelf.
The truth is a friend of mine searched for such thing, as she knows my passion for beautiful artwork, but there is no such thing available – or not yet *sigh*. If it ever becomes reality, I will be the first to buy it 😀
Or, I just thought of this with your idea of a portfolio of book covers (which would be awesome!) it would be cool to be able to have book covers as posters. I have a friend who loves decorating her home with the movie posters she really loves – but to be able to do that with awesome book covers would be really cool.
Maybe that exists somewhere and since I just thought of it now I’ve never seen it…
It would be a dream come true (I thought of it more in the format of a book-sized photo album, filled with beautiful covers, but posters would work just as well – I wouldn’t put them on the walls though, as I am protective like that, but I would deeply treasure them). It would solve all my problems regarding book covers and it would make me so happy ^_^
If you ever find something similar to these ideas, oh please let me know.