Jul 12

BOTNS Podcast #137: Covering Book Covers

By Michael Kindness Podcasts Add comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:19 — 19.7MB)

Consuming books across multiple media; the power of a good (or bad) book jacket; and two books we can’t wait for you to read!

Reading Back and Forth

John, from Kuwait (!) emailed us with the book he’s most looking forward to reading this Summer (yeah, John, we don’t blame you for not calling!), which is Norman Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead. We forgot to read his email last time, so we wanted to be sure to include it here.

Lately I’ve been reading George RR Martin’s A Game of Thrones (thanks for making me commit to it Jeff!), and it’s amazing. Via HBO On Demand, I just got access to all 10 episodes of the series, so I’ve been watching the show as well – never watching beyond where I’ve read. I’ve found it an interesting way to experience the book. Ann and I have both read a book and listened to the audio at the same time (picking up where one leaves off). And you? Any cross-media reading/experiencing a story?

"robopocalypse" "daniel h wilson" "maps and legends" "michael chabon" "the secret history" "donna tartt" "gone-away world" "nick harkaway"

Yeah, We Judge

Barbara sent us an email about book jackets, specifically about two covers she felt did not accurately reflect the story inside. Ann and I talk a bit about our experiences from the publishing side; how hard it can be to pick the perfect jacket that is indicative of the story, is eye-catching to someone who hasn’t read it, and that will stand out in the crowded bookstore setting. A few recent and not so recent jackets we’ve loved include those for Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson, Maps and Legends by Michael Chabon, The Secret History by Donna Tartt and The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway. For more information about book jackets and some of the production techniques used to make them irresistible, check out this video we made last year.

"supergods" "grant morrison" "the last werewolf" "glen duncan"

Two Books We Can’t Wait for You to Read

Supergods by Grant Morrison is a deep and often philosophical look at the creation and mythology of superheroes, stretching from Superman to today. In addition, Morrison talks much about his own fandom and career in comics. (The only cover images I could find online were of the book without its jacket, so that’s what is shown above.) Ann finally gets to rave in full about The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan, a book she briefly mentioned on our show about literary horror. Jake Marlowe, the titular lycanthrope is tired and ready for death, but some very powerful people want him to stay alive. Be sure to check out this page for more info on the book, its soundtrack and a video trailer!

 

  • Stan Hynds

    RE: Nick Hardaway’s book “jacket”. Repulsive.

  • Louise Trolle

    I have a linen bound edition of the Divine Comedy that I LOVE, and Penguin makes some really lovely editions of the classic Austen Dickens etc, that I’m purchasing one a month of :-)

  • http://whenlibrariansattack.blogspot.com/ Cynthia Karabush

    A cover makes all the difference in my school library. I could make a list of books that never left the display – but later, with a new cover, they flew off the shelf!

    Once I spoke with a student who seemed to be browsing aimlessly, and she explained that she only picked books that had pink covers. She showed me what she had read recently, and confirmed that she was never disappointed with what she found by that method. Made sense in a “niche market” way.

  • http://matthewdicks.com Matthew Dicks

    Ann and Michael,

    I’ve been reading JANE EYRE for my book club, and thanks to the well-formatted audio book, with tracks broken at the chapters breaks, I have been going back and forth between the actual book, the audio book, and reading it online via The Gutenburg Project (when my wife became annoyed with me for stealing her copy from the car). And I have to say, the transitions have been seamless.

    In addition to the ease of reading, each format offers a different benefit. Thanks to the audio book, I have a clear, English voice set in my mind to represent Jane, and I don’t think I could have established this specific sense of voice, and especially a female voice, without listening.

    The book itself is wonderful, of course. Portable, easy to read, and I love the feel of a book, but reading online has been excellent as well. Rather than indented paragraphs, there are spaces between each, which has made reading easy on the eyes and perhaps a little faster than reading from the physical page. A little easier to scan through the enormous blocks of physical description that inundate the book.

    I kind of wish the purchase of every book included the audio and online version as well, and I suspect that I’d be willing to pay a little more for access to all three.

  • Sherrill Pattee

    My round-trip to work takes one hour and ten minutes and I always have an audio book going in my car. What often happens is a book is SO GOOD that I have to have a hard copy in hand. If the hard copy is not available through my library, I’ll download to my Kindle or Nook. I have no trouble with the transition between audio and hardcover. The only trouble I have is getting from my garage to couch fast enough! :)

  • Tania

    I must say, you get nicer book covers than we do (in Australia). I don’t think they bother sending us the super-nice ones.

    But last year Allen & Unwin republished some Australian classics with beautiful covers, which almost made me want to rush out and buy the lot. Having difficulty finding a page with all the covers, but this one has four, at least: http://www.readings.com.au/collection/allen-unwin-20th-birthday-editions

    Just read this (over on The Guardian website) about different book covers for different markets: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/may/09/judge-book-by-cover

  • http://www.facebook.com/KingClayshonFanClub sci-fi authors

    The Tick, and his partner The Moth are good ones. Also, The Mad Bomber what Bombs Madly.

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