The saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” is meant to imply that you shouldn’t judge things based on superficial characteristics. While almost anyone would agree with that sentiment, the literal meaning of the saying actually doesn’t make that much sense. If you publish a book, part of the process is finding a design that reflects the mood of the work, you can’t just slap some random image on the cover that has nothing to do with anything.<\/p>\n

Everything from the typeface<\/a> and the cover design, down to the feeling of the book in your hands contributes to the experience of reading something. To say that the object and the words inside it are separable doesn’t make any sense.<\/p>\n

Perhaps in a few generations when everybody reads on Kindles and Kobos rather than paper, the artistic object of the novel \u2013 like the artistic object of a vinyl record \u2013 will be forgotten, or relegated to museums. In the meantime, however, authors and publishers should do their best to make books look good, to sell more copies and to make the world slightly more beautiful.<\/p>\n

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Books as Fashion Accessories<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Something that is lost with E-readers is the pleasure of carrying around a book with a beautiful cover and flaunting it on the subway or in a caf\u00e9. Books are a great way to start a conversation and discover common interests, and you’ll be more inclined to remember your book if it actually makes you look better.<\/p>\n

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Advice for Young Writers <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you’re about to publish your first book, first and foremost: congratulations! Secondly, a word to the wise: you may be tempted to design your own cover or ask a friend to come up with some art, but this is rarely a good idea. The chances that you’re a brilliant writer and <\/em>visual artist are slim, and working with friends can cause stress and tension. Hiring a collaborative company like Cosmic Design graphic design services<\/a> to develop a great cover may be your best shot at getting something slick and meaningful for your project \u2013 typically, publishers like to bring in third-party designers in any case, so doing your cover art in-house is seldom on the table anyway.<\/p>\n

Without any further ado, here are three great covers that will have you reaching for the bookshelf:<\/p>\n

The Idiot <\/em><\/strong>by Elif Batuman <\/strong><\/p>\n

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This novel by Turkish-American writer ElifBatuman<\/a> was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. It is a coming of age story about a young woman in her freshman year at Harvard. The book is funny and thoughtful and its cover, featuring a rock set against a soft pink backdrop, is oddly beautiful.<\/p>\n

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The Catcher In the Rye <\/em><\/strong>by JD Salinger <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Apparently the original edition of this novel \u2013 featuring a painting of Holden Caulfield in his infamous red hunting cap \u2013 infuriated Salinger, causing him to throw a full-blown temper tantrum. More recent paperback editions feature the book’s title in a simple font with rainbow stripes in the top corner. Simple, but effective.<\/p>\n

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The Unbearable Lightness of Being <\/em><\/strong>by Milan Kundera<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The floating bowler hat on the cover of most paperback editions is a striking image that evokes Kundera’s poetic writing and the surreal setting of Prague under Soviet rule. An iconic cover that is bound to spark a few conversations.<\/p>\n

We hope that reading this post has helped you realize that sometimes it’s okay to judge a book by its cover!<\/p>\n

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The saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” is meant to imply that you shouldn’t judge things based on superficial characteristics. While almost anyone would agree with that sentiment, the literal meaning of the saying actually doesn’t make that much sense. If you publish a book, part of the process is finding a design […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7311],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n