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Suite Scarlett
Martin family birthday breakfasts followed a strict tradition. First, there were Belgian waffles, made by Belinda, the beloved Hopewell Hotel cook. These were served up with an array of toppings: chocolate syrup, fresh lemon whipped cream, stewed strawberries, and powdered vanilla sugar. The air should have been thick with wafflely perfume. Instead, there was an acrid, confusing smell, undercut by a light touch of smoke.
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Writer in Residence
Changing Covers
Breaking news: Scott was just sent the brand new US Midnighters covers. We rejoice!
Scott: One of the rituals of publishing is to change old covers into new ones. This isn’t because the old covers are bad, necessarily. But you never know how many copies a book didn’t sell because someone just didn’t like the way they looked. So maybe a new look will give you a shot at a new audience.
New covers usually appear when a book moves into a new format (hardcover, paperback, or trade paperback).
As an example of this, here’s the first cover for the new US trade paperback version of the Midnighters series:
Pretty cool, huh? Series readers will recognize Jessica of the red hair and green eyes. The other two books will feature other characters, but I’m not sure who yet.
For comparison, here are the old USian cover, the UK/Australian cover, and the new US cover all together.
I guess the most obvious change is that the new design is less murky and horror-looking. In fact these are a bit more like my Uglies series (the US and Australian version), which will mean all my books will tend to look more alike—and that’s a good thing.
I also like the flame-bringer symbol on the front. I invented those symbols myself, so it’s like I’m finally having direct input to one of my covers!
Anyway, hope you like it. Feel free to lolYA it!
Note: These aren’t available until early January 2008, so don’t go looking for them yet.
Justine: I’m not sure which of those covers I prefer. The new ones are probably the most commercial, but my Jessica doesn’t look like that. Yes, I’m one of those daggy fans who hates it when the cover shows one of the characters and they don’t look how I imagined. I know I’m not alone on that, right?
One of the nice things about living in Australia is getting to choose between covers. I like going into Gleebooks, Abbey’s, or Galaxy, or wherever and choosing between the English, USian, and sometimes the Australian edition of a book. When I’m broke I choose the cheapest, but when I’m not I’m seduced by the coolest cover. What can I say? I’m shallow.
So what do youse lot think of the three different Midnighters covers? And what are your favourite covers of all time? (You could always LOLcat them.)
39 Responses to “Changing Covers”
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My favorite covers so far are The Chronicles of Faery by O.R. Melling, very mysterious and so pretty-making I had to buy it in hardcover even though I didn’t really have the money for it at the time. I like the new Midnighters cover, but I think it reveals to much, which is why I like the old USians best, mysterious enough to pick it up and wonder why everything is blurry. Plus I have to agree with Justine, that doesnt look like my idea of Jess, but I guess it would atract new readers.
Oooooh. I love the new cover. Maybe it’s just the shiny newness of it, but I think it’s awesome. I especially like how the “g” has been turned into a clock at midnight.
I wish USian bookstores carried multiple versions of the books. I like the UK covers for some of my favorite books a lot better than the US ones.
That looks really cool! First one is the version I have, second one’s text makes it look like one of those fancy novels, and third one reminds me of the uglies cover.
You should probably do Dess and Jonathan on the next cover, and Melissa and Rex on the third one just to get all the midnighers in.
But anyways. To me, the first one is more mysterious, I just love the random creativity to it, which is probably why it is my favorite.
wow. I’m the first to comment. if only this were on Scott’s blog a couple weeks ago…
I like the first cover better. normally i like the style that is on the newer covers, but in the case of Midnighters, the first were better. and i agree with Justine. that just isn’t what Jessica looked like to me. though i do like the symbol.
I’m not sure what my favorite covers are. i tend to ignore covers because they always give me an image of the book different from what i get reading it. i do love the cover of Peeps though… i actually redid that eye on the computer (making it look cooler) this is the USian version of the cover. the Aussie covers are normally cooler though.
I love the new one! Like Scott said its a lot less horror looking. On the older ones I always thought they looked like ghosts or something so I’m glad they changed.. I like change.
I think my favorite cover is the one from Specials just because of her face and how perfect her skin is. I could stare at it forever. I also like Stephenie Meyer’s New Moon cover with the rose and the blood.
The new cover looks quite girly, verging on chicklit, like their aiming for a different market maybe? The other two look more sci-fi. I like it, and it’s an nice clear image. I’m getting too old for shadowy figures in the background, they make me squint.
I LOVE the covers of Uglies, Pretties and Specials - and Extras too.
I love the Australian covers of MY books (because it’s all about me), Undine and Drift but wasn’t so enchanted by Breathe because a) she wasn’t MY Undine and b) I thought it was misleading since to me the book was about Trout, a boy character.
The cover I remember loving the mostest was the big format of The Secret History by Donna Tartt, way back in 1993. I think it was the first time I encountered black matt, back before I knew what fingerprints did to it.
I’d like to see more illustration and fewer (photoshopped) photographs on covers.
they’re. they’re aiming for a different market. Oops.
i like the first us cover the mest. murky-horror looking suits it.i like the colors of it too.
she looks to old
You are totally right justine, that is not how my jessica look like and im furious! grrr haha i imagined her a lot younger too she looks like she’s 25 in this cover :/ even though the new cover actually shows one of the character’s face, i like the old one better, but hey thats just my opinion.
The current cover is a lot easier to sell than the new one will be. Most of the boys who shop in our store won’t buy a book with a giant girl’s face on it, no matter how good we say it is. If the MMP will still be available, we’ll definitely be sticking with it.
Great covers: the paperback ed. of The Lightning Thief, Elsewhere, the new (spring ‘08) David Wiesner Narnia covers, the HP books, Whales On Stilts, Magyk, H.I.V.E., Spiderwick, the current Roald Dahl editions, the trade pb UK Diana Wynne Jones covers.
my fav. is the original USian cover but i like the new one because of the fire-bringer simbol. over all my favorite cover is Wicked Lovely By Melissa Marr. Im not shure why i think its the flowers that are all frosted
okay, this isn’t covers, but… is Extras going to have an audiobook?
I really like the new cover the best, mainly I think because it shows the symbol prominently.
I also really loved this series and I don’t think I would be alone in hoping that you’ll add to it as you now have to the Uglies series. Some sort of a trend that I think I see in your series is that your endings are bittersweet. It’s as if you were to say “yay, good conquers evil, but even the good guys pay a price for being in the battle.” Sometimes it can be so maddening!
Back to the covers, though, it was the whole idea of Midnighters that really drew me in, not the covers. But they do help at times.
I was wondering if you had any sketches of your characters. Cause’ some writers like to draw out their characters just to get an idea of what they look like.
Or maybe you could put your artistic skills to work and draw them out =]
that is such an fawsome cover. though i have to say i still like the other ones better. there’s not at much..mystery in this one. although on the upside, this one is not over photoshopped like the others.
YA bri like! really cool, yet kinda creepy. definitely not what i pictured jess like but still super cool. personally i think she looks like scar from the lion king. he he.
I think the new one is my fav cuz personally the first one looks like a horror movie (i see dead people, er, darklings) and the second one… well i dont know what i dont like about that one. I also like how the new one looks like Uglies.
The Abarat covers, the illustrated editions, are some really good ones because they have characters and certain place on them, which makes you wonder “who are those people? what’s that supposed to mean?” And they’re colourful!
I like the new one, but I think the current ones are cool too. My favorite cover is Specials, the tattoos are just full of awesome.
i think i like the old cover better… but i’m going to buy the new covers when they come out!
Cool covers!
scott, i figured out what a couple of the simbles mean, but could you tell me what they all mean, im a little confused.
Time to read my ramble about covers. I really don’t like the UK/Aussie cover of the Midnighters. To me they resemble to much of one of those novels written by one of those author that write stupid romance novels that all of them are exactly the same. Sorry Scott. My favorite is the old cover because its mysterious and make you wonder who those people are. In the middle of the UK/Aussie edition and the old one is the new one (duh). That one looks wicked awesome but is so comiercal. I agree with Justine, I dont like when covers show a character not the way you imagine them. To me Jess looks to movie star/modely. Yah well this is really long now so im going to stop. Oh and dont get me wrong im very critical to everything.
I already posted this at the blog.. But since you’ve decided to post here more often ( Even though the other has your name XD) I’ll add to that remark and say I’VE always imagined her with a rounder face… ( *Cough. Only Because I Look That Way .Cough*
Justine, i hate that too because it always messes with how I see the charecter in my head,and the picture just never looks right to me. I like the symbol of the flame bringer on her eye though
mm. I agree: she totally doesnt look like te Jess I imagined. Besides the age thing she looks sort of secretly evil/confident, which I dont think she is. She’s sort of shy and.. less out going than say, dess.
the spookiness!
So I do like the old covers better
My fav cover is probably one by Isabelle Allende, can’t remember the title tho. something like forest of the pygmies? beaautiful.
I like the middle one best, but that’s only because that’s the cover I have on my copy.
Anyways, I know how you feel Justine, I detest it when they make movies of my favourite books and completely destroy my version.
oh, and I like the ‘G’ being a clock
i like the new US cover the best. it’s probably because–well, like scott says–it’s similar to the Uglies covers. that is a good marketing idea, though; the uglies trilogy is the most popular of scott’s books, so if people see other books of his with that design, they’ll be more likely to recognize it as one of his books before even seeing his name on it! wow yeah i just realized that.
of course, ^^that^^ was all blatantly obvious, but i state the obvious on a daily basis, so don’t mind me! lol
can’t wait to see the other two covers! if scott gives us a sneak peek of those, anyways…
I like the new covers because they have a “westerfeld” look to them. having a girl’s face on them certainly didn’t hurt the sales of uglies, pretties and specials!
couldn’t resist messing with the prettyful new midnighters cover. i think it’s pretty cool, but i still prefer the original US covers.
it okay if i link it here? i might add it to the other one two, just to make sure
http://www.flickr.com/photos/89827496@N00/944899184/
Your covers are all pretty cool but I do agree with Justine. Sometimes I get angry when I watch movies and the person is nothing like I imagined….because then I can’t think of the book again without thinking of that person, rather than the character that has created itself in my mind, from your descriptions. A photo on a cover is someone else’s interpretation of your description.
Loved the English cover for Kiffo and the Pittbull.
O I hate it when people make a movie out of a book and it like ruins how you imagined things. But I do like the cover!!
I like the AUS cover, purely becuase that’s the cover I’ve got.
And the new cover is making me angry because it makes me want to buy it…it looks new and…new!
My favorite covers were those by the late, lamented Trina Schart Hyman because I knew there’d be a good book between the pages (’Struth. Not something likely to happen again anytime soon, but cool whilst it lasted) My two all time favorite seductive covers though are… (Ah sweet intramanets, what did we do without you?) and Wouldn’t you want them* as a posters for your room? The Chris Van Allsburg covers for the Narnia books are also good, but they could be painted pink with little blue unicorns and dancing smurfs on their covers and I’d still want ‘em…
I’m with Justine on the other American cover of Midnighters, v. 1 being to my taste, but I think the new covers are more booktalkable.
[*They're also fabu books by Robin McKinley and Pamela Dean. But you knew that]
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Links! Dawin Wilson’s Secret Country cover
Knot in the Grain Cover
I always hate covers of books drawn people on it. It just doesn’t look good at all!
I also don’t like this new cover, if i went into a book shop and saw this cover, i wouldn’t want to get it.
I think it gives the wrong impression of the book. I LOVE the first cover.
It has a mysterious feel to it, and makes you want to pick it up and read it.
The new cover is too new. Too modern. It doesn’t seem to suit the story…
I love the Uglies cover best in the Uglies trilogy. The other two are good, but Uglies captures it better…I don’t know how, but i could stare at it for ages.
The other two seem too serious, and seem to be giving the wronbg impression or something.
ps. The 19 years on thing in Harry Poter is Bloody Brilliant. Couldn’t stop laughing
Talking about Harry Potter, those covers aren’t all that good, too cartoonish.
lucinda! we’re not supposed to give anything away about hp7!!! mr./mrs./ms. moderator-person, why didn’t you take that out? maybe it’s not possible…maybe he/she/it can only let it go through or not let it go through. hmmm…what would happen if the moderator made a comment? would they moderate their own comment? or are there numerous moderators on this site moderating the other moderators comments?
yes, all of that actually went through my mind! lol
i think i should probably stop spazzing so this comment will be moderated. well i really like the clock in the title! i think that’s my favorite part, the new font/format/??? of the title and byline. i don’t know why, but i just like the style of it!
I like the new one with Jessica on It, she Is my FAVORITE character!!!