I have mentioned in the previous post that I would start a second literary review series, this time involving a book's exterior rather than its interior. And here it is.
I will be reviewing the covers of books that I have read or that I have happened to find, from cheap books to expensive books. Do not be surprised if this series happens to run parallel to my book review series, Impressions, and to my reading challenge, which I do not plan to update in separate posts.
We learn early on in life that you should never judge a book by its cover. This proverb is not so often used with actual books as it is with people or situations: you can never tell how a person really is just by looking at them, nor can you tell if, say, a planned conference will be boring just by hearing its announcement. Basically, you should not judge superficially and hastily. It will rarely turn out right. As my mother frequently tells me: "You meet a person and notice first their looks, but when you leave a person you remember only their personality."
My mother is a very wise lady.
Ironically enough, in the book biz a cover is quite important, as it draws the attention of potential readers and tries to induce people to buy it. A cover is important, and although people do not judge a book by its cover, people RECOGNIZE a book by its cover, rendering the cover an essential part of a book's design. There are books out there that have iconic covers that are immediately recognizable, and there are trends and fashions in the field of book covers as there is in any other field.
For instance, imagine the following book cover: in front of a black background there are two hands, in color, descending from the top of the cover, holding in their palms a bright red apple, as if presenting it to you.
If you have a perfect picture of the cover in your head right now, I am sure you can also recognize it. Yes, it is the cover of the currently popular Twilight book by Stephanie Meyer.
Adversely, imagine the following: An abstract, almost Picasso-esque rendition of the bust of a man, using various colors, chiefly red. The man's face is like a pale coffee bean with a straight nose and an indifferent expression. Surrounding his eyes is a cloud of red, like a mask, with dark, eye-less holes where the eyes are supposed to be. Above the mask is bronze hair, parted neatly. He has no ears, and his mouth expresses neither joy nor anger. He is wearing a dark blue suit with a yellow necktie.
If you can picture this cover, you will probably recognize it as well.
Yes, it is one of the various well known covers of Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho.
As a cover artist, graphic artist or illustrator, it is important to have an eye on the latest popular book covers, but it is equally important to be able to come up with an innovative book cover on one's own. Of course, a cover is not enough to actually sell a book, but it helps. For this reason, and also for the benefit of book-cover-fanciers such as myself, I will be posting reviews of book covers - but don't expect them to be from the perspective of an expert artist. Perhaps, you and I will both gain more artistic knowledge as we go along. We can only hope.
I should further explain the examined criteria, namely the appearance, the ability to grab attention, the degree of innovation or uniqueness, and the symbolism or style in relation to the contents of the book itself. Furthermore each criterium has as score from 0 to 5. However, a cover does not have to reach a rating of 5 on each criterium to be of excellent quality. Then again, it also should not have 0 or 1 on each criterium. It can score high on some criteria, and lower on others, and still be a great cover.
Here are the four scales:
Appearance scale:
0: The cover is completely blank.
1: It would be better off completely blank.
2: Not much effort was put into this.
3: Some effort was put into it, but the outcome could have been better.
4: A considerable effort went into the artwork, rendering it pleasurable.
5: I would buy the cover alone, frame it and hang it on my wall.
Attention-grabber scale:
0: If it was the only book in the room, I might still overlook it.
1: It has a very generic look.
2: It might draw attention if it's in a group of five books, but it blends in when stuck in a crowd.
3: It sticks out like a sore thumb.
4: Very intriguing cover.
5: Immediately grabs the eye, leaving you staring open-mouthed as if in a hypnotic trance.
Innovation scale:
0: Blandest, most over-used cover imaginable.
1: Nothing out of the ordinary.
2: Belongs to the latest trend, but does not stand out.
3: Somewhat refreshing compared to other covers nowadays.
4: Unique and unfamiliar
5: So new and unique, that you immediately recognize the artist who created it and the book that it belongs to, without even reading the title.
Plot-likeness scale:
0: It has absolutely nothing to do with the story it contains.
1: Represents the novel very badly.
2: It is the reason why the proverb "You can't judge a book by its cover" exists.
3: Vaguely references the plot.
4: Undoubtedly references the plot.
5: Reflects the spirit and style of the book's contents perfectly
Should there be some intriguing alternate covers, I might post them as well, so that you can compare them with the reviewed cover. You can expect books that I have recently reviewed or mentioned in a previous post to also be reviewed based on its cover. This way I bundle up two series at once, which is easier and quicker for me to write.
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