So, in March I talked about my opinion of copycat covers and showed off some of them (click here to see!). I have found more! Which do you like better? How do you feel about covers with the same images? Yes, they are stock photos... but this can be avoided if a publisher hires a photographer and copyrights the image. Of course, it costs more money, but I'd rather do that than have my book show up to a party in the same dress as someone else's. Sometimes they both look good in the same dress... but still. I'd want my cover to be completely unique. :) What do you think?
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Chosen by Sarah Swan
The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long
The Hedgewitch Queen by Lilith Saintgrow
The artist who did Treachery of Beautiful Things did a great job with this one! You can hardly tell! The other two are pretty similar.
The Hedgewitch Queen by Lilith Saintgrow
The artist who did Treachery of Beautiful Things did a great job with this one! You can hardly tell! The other two are pretty similar.
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Glimmerglass by Jenna Black
Die Stadt der verschwundenen Kinder by Caragh M. O'Brien
No, this is not the same book! We have twins here! Wow... Same fonts, same dots, same everything! To give them credit, we're dealing with two different countries... and I seriously love this cover. But wow! Do they sell pre-made covers anywhere?
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North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
Selena Penaluna by Jan Page
I completely agree with you! You need to put your book apart from other books and the cover is a really good place to start. There would be a whole lot of photographers who could do a photoshoot for you that wouldn't even cost that much, and it'd be so worth the original cover!
ReplyDeleteFor the first set I like The Treachery of Beautiful Things. I just like the composition of that one much better.
The second set, I'm like... seriously? O_O. I don't understand. They used the exact same stock image without editing it at all? Ehh... I'm a bit confused about this one to be honest. haha. I like the second cover better though out of those two, even though the only differences are in the fonts.
Definitely prefer the cover for Evermore for the last set. It's been edited quite a bit so even if the same image is being used on other covers, Evermore's cover will still stand out beside them.
Covers should be unique. I think it's even part of what consumers pay for - to have books with original covers.
ReplyDeleteIt's fascinating that the German title for Birthmarked is The City of Disappearing children.
ReplyDeleteI'm not too bothered by the third set, because the usage of the photo is so different. The middle two are the worst, because they are EXACTLY the same in color and treatment.
That's crazy. At least they aren't completely identical (with the exception of the middle two). Do the authors realize there are other books that look like theirs?
ReplyDeleteIt can be confusing because with a lot of books out there we sometimes take note of the cover more than the title. I am liking the title The Hedgewitch Queen
ReplyDeleteGood find!
Talk Supe
DANG IT! I don't like the reuse of these images. I think it's the lack of time they're obviously NOT putting into the covers. As a photographer, this kills me. I would love the chance to photograph a cover or do something fun like that. Instead, they're regurgitating the same pictures. :(
ReplyDeleteI LOVED North of Beautiful. How sad that such an incredible book got a recycled cover.
A web search revealed that a German publisher loved the Glimmerglass cover so much that it bought the exclusive rights to the art and the design to use in Germany. Unusual, but a deliberate decision, legal, and not a stolen or pre-made design.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy seeing this type of post from you because it always makes me think about books covers. I can't believe that they actually use stock photos for covers!
ReplyDeleteCheck out Gravity by Abigail Boyd. It uses the same art as the first group of 3 you posted!
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