tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post8709591889843158431..comments2023-07-03T00:46:29.189-07:00Comments on Pen On Fire / Writers on Writing: Judging a book by its coverBarbara DeMarco-Barretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11407113008901754361noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-12592527977974913702008-05-27T20:17:00.000-07:002008-05-27T20:17:00.000-07:00I've actually read books purely on the cover...and...I've actually read books purely on the cover...and was not happy with them...so maybe i should judge them by their covers...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-40549741668915350752008-05-23T10:33:00.000-07:002008-05-23T10:33:00.000-07:00No. I judge a book by its thickness or by its heft...No. I judge a book by its thickness or by its heft. I judge wine by it cover, i.e. its label. I especially like the labels of the new Australian wines with the crazy animals and colors. They make me happy even before I open the bottle. As for books, it doesn't matter what the cover looks like as long as I like the opening line.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-29356375822798698732008-05-23T09:37:00.000-07:002008-05-23T09:37:00.000-07:00It's a time thing. We need everything bullet-point...It's a time thing. We need everything bullet-pointed and a book cover is just another way of doing this. It is a visual summary, if not of the book <I>per se</I>, then the style, the flavour of the book. Tacky cover = tacky book. I put a lot of thought into how I would present my first novel to the world and opted for simplicity and familiarity: a Rorschachian inkblot. I reduced the book to a logo. It is also the kind of image that can be redone for the next books creating an identifiable design. I like when you can collect a set of books by an author and they all have that kind of stamp on them. Iain Banks' publisher hit it right on the nail with his black and white (followed by white-on-black) covers: immediately recognisable.Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-70673514771730954882008-05-23T09:03:00.000-07:002008-05-23T09:03:00.000-07:00And it may not be PC of me to admit that I'm sick ...And it may not be PC of me to admit that I'm sick of everything having to be PC! (And I'm also using exclamation points more than ever!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-92131941484399841012008-05-23T08:51:00.000-07:002008-05-23T08:51:00.000-07:00Oh, absolutely. I never quite got the phrase, "You...Oh, absolutely. I never quite got the phrase, "You can't judge a book by its cover," because, quite honestly, if I don't like the cover, I don't believe I'll like the book. It may not be PC to admit it, but there you go....Virginiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07965042538225388563noreply@blogger.com