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/lit/ - Literature

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File: 51 KB, 500x500, 51lQnG3MX-L._SS500_.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1725824 No.1725824 [Reply] [Original]

Why do science fiction and fantasy novels more often than not have the shittiest book cover designs?

>> No.1725826

Sturgeon's law.

And personally, I think thrillers tend to have the worst covers. PHOTOS OF GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS AND MISSILES ALL DAY ERRY DAY.

>> No.1725827

I appreciate the gawdy cover design because it lets my eyes skip past them without reading at the bookstore.

>> No.1725832

Quite simple actually it's because
E-E-E-E-Magin-n-NatioOoOon
I'm not jerking your chain,thats my real answer

>> No.1725834

>>1725832
>Pic

>> No.1725835

Nevermind,its not working for some reason...
Just imagine a fantasy world.

>> No.1725848

That's actually way better than a lot of the more embarrassing fantasy book covers.

I mean, that one's just a color palette and an object. It's not like you're reading a book with pictures of dancing elves or dwarves waving their hands in the air on the cover or anything.

>> No.1725870

Publishers don't want to or can't afford to hire good graphic designers for them.

>> No.1725874

That's actually a pretty good cover, as far as SF/Fantasy goes

>> No.1725900

>>1725824
They hire cheap artists - until the series is a success and they do reprints.

You should see some on the sci-fi and fantasy ebooks on Amazon. They look like they hired an artist off the street for $5.

>> No.1725907

"yeah, the drop shadow on the text and using the dodge tool behind the sword were my ideas... sure it took a little longer in photoshop but art's all about sacrifice right?"

>> No.1725917
File: 19 KB, 400x325, Betty.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1725917

If it was my book i would have that sword being impaled into someones face and the book would be completely covered in real pigs blood.Bestseller status immediately.

>> No.1725933
File: 144 KB, 400x651, thrones51[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1725933

Finnish cover

>> No.1725939

>>1725824

And why are they all exactly the same size?

>> No.1725942
File: 479 KB, 821x477, tomclancycovers.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1725942

>> No.1725945
File: 24 KB, 400x315, bklolz..jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1725945

>>1725933
fuck, that's actually awesome

too bad the text inside isn't

>> No.1725949
File: 180 KB, 400x572, thrones40a[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1725949

Hayakawa Paperback (Vol. I of 5) 2006
Japanese

>> No.1725950
File: 219 KB, 400x573, thrones40b[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1725950

Hayakawa Paperback (Vol. II of 5) 2006
Japanese

>> No.1725952
File: 118 KB, 400x576, thrones40c[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1725952

Hayakawa Paperback (Vol. III of 5) 2006
Japanese

>> No.1725953
File: 142 KB, 400x575, thrones40d[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1725953

Hayakawa Paperback (Vol. IV of 5) 2006
Japanese

>> No.1725955
File: 135 KB, 400x579, thrones40e[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1725955

Hayakawa Paperback (Vol. V of 5) 2006
Japanese

>> No.1725956
File: 119 KB, 398x567, kings35a[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1725956

Clash of Kings now
Hayakawa PB 2007
(Vol. I of 5)
Japanese

>> No.1725958

Vurt is a good example of a sci-fi/fantasy book with a shitty first printing cover that later became a not so shabby "oh shit this book actually made a profit time for a reprint" cover.

>> No.1725961
File: 154 KB, 400x578, kings35b[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1725961

Hayakawa Paperback 2007
(Vol. II of 5)
Japanese

>> No.1725965
File: 194 KB, 400x578, kings35c[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1725965

Hayakawa PB 2007
(Vol. III of 5)
Japanese

While these covers are great, man it would have sucked having to buy fucking five books to read each book.

>> No.1725966

What would you all prefer in a cover then?

I like the idea of one solid color with a simple but pointed graphic image + title/author but that would get pretty boring after awhile perhaps (plus indistinguishable from other OMGEDGY teen novels or something...). I don't know.

>> No.1725969
File: 214 KB, 400x581, kings35d[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1725969

Hayakawa PB 2007
(Vol. IV of 5)
Japanese

>> No.1725976

These japanese covers are gorgeous, but 5 different purchases for 1 book is ridiculous.

>> No.1725980

>>1725965

Oh lawd, carry on fellow.

Do they have some sort of "bundle" edition?

>> No.1725982
File: 201 KB, 400x584, kings35e[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1725982

>>1725966
While a minimalist cover is more reminiscent of those "literary" books I had to read in high school and college, I do prefer covers with actually images depicting characters or events from the book.

It gives you something to reflect on as you read it.

>>1725933
Also fucking love stuff like this, kinda best of both worlds

>> No.1725991
File: 185 KB, 400x572, swords33a[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1725991

Storm of Swords got a 2 part release

>> No.1725994
File: 133 KB, 400x564, swords33b[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1725994

>> No.1725997

>>1725982

Yeah this is true. I enjoy what Penguin does with their covers because it seems to have personality without being full blown overkill like everything found in this article:

http://www.cracked.com/article_14790_the-best-worst-fantasy-science-fiction-book-covers.html

I personally love the monkey things doing extreme skiing

>> No.1726019
File: 187 KB, 500x725, thrones15[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1726019

>>1725997
There are some pretty bad Game of Thrones covers

I don't remember the part where Conan goes beyond the wall and battles wolves with a hand axe. But it's been a few years since I've read them

>> No.1726042
File: 19 KB, 300x300, GameofThrones.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1726042

>>1726019

Yeah I don't doubt that, especially in the older covers (as others have said, before the reprints). I got into that series about 5 years ago during a hospital stay so I got to collect them with these covers. I saw the supposed cover for Dance with Dragons....I did not like it.

>> No.1726056
File: 26 KB, 303x500, The_Eye_of_the_World_UK.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1726056

I prefer covers like this. Simple and no god awful hacks fantasy imagery

>> No.1726063

I've never understood why the author's name is larger than the title. Seems like they're trying to piggyback off the author's previous success by advertising who wrote it more than what the fuck it is. Fantasy isnt the only genre guilty of this.

>> No.1726076

>>1725933

Fuck, that's brilliant.

>> No.1727116

>>1725991
>>1725969
>>1725956
>>1725961

Who the fuck are these supposed to be?

>> No.1727127

>>1726063
That's literally exactly what publishers are doing.
If you look at an author's first book, their name is generally much smaller than the title. Once they grow in popularity/get second editions and such, the name size increases.
I guess it's a pretty simple marketing thing; if you're looking at a bookshelf you won't notice a random title, you'll notice the author if you've ever read any of his works.

>> No.1727131

>>1725824
I like that book cover. Since I'm just hopping on the bandwaggon, my cover has a picture of Ned on it.

>> No.1727138

>>1727116

Isn't >>1725956 Arya?

>> No.1727151

>>1726056

urgh... I really dont' like covers that tell me how the book is a #1 best seller and all that shit. Simple and plain is fine... but taking on a bunch of quotes and rankings ruins it for me. That said... the new Wot e-book covers are really nice. That also said.. the original ones are absolutely horrible... the only thing that makes them better is pretending that they're actually ironic covers, mocking the usually terribleness of Tor releases.

>> No.1727158

The main reason is because authors do not have control of the cover. Publishers want you to notice the cover for as cheap as possible, so they hire artists to put on eye-catching covers (such as the millions of nearly naked women on fantasy covers). This is especially common for unknowns, who have even worse bargaining rights. Also, most publishers probably think of sci/fi fantasy as pulp, and therefore advertise it as such.

>> No.1727211
File: 35 KB, 304x500, 51xkadsewrl-_sx500_.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1727211

The absolute worst, just look at how gay it looks. And its supposed to be a novel about assassination.

>> No.1727373

>>1727116
Margaery Tyrell?

Bronn

Arry

Theon

>> No.1727379
File: 169 KB, 450x684, bookssouth.gif [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1727379

The new Black Company omnibuses have some great fantasy artwork.

>> No.1727382
File: 45 KB, 354x496, a guerra dos tronos.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1727382

Brazilian cover. (Not that bad)

>> No.1727383

>Why do US science fiction and fantasy novels more often than not have the shittiest book cover designs?

Fixed OP.

>> No.1727385

ITT: People who clearly haven't shopped at a supermarket.

>> No.1727387
File: 105 KB, 397x600, DestinyDead_lge.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1727387

It's just American-published covers; the American SFF market has different expectations of the way the genres are presented

>> No.1727388

>>1727385
http://www.google.com/search?q=romance+novels&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&s
a=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1920&bih=936

What this guy said.

>> No.1727390
File: 45 KB, 356x542, Tetrarch_lge.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1727390

>> No.1727391
File: 156 KB, 334x500, Discreet_Young_Gentleman-728579.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1727391

>>1727388
>mfw

>> No.1727393
File: 25 KB, 250x400, fabio points towards space.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1727393

>>1727391
>mfw

>> No.1727399
File: 60 KB, 350x350, shitcover2.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1727399

Wanna see the german cover designs of A Song of Ice and Fire? You are well off compared to that.

>> No.1727405

>>1727399
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwP5dkfGmlI

First thing I thought of after seeing that cover.

>> No.1727447
File: 57 KB, 309x475, the-eye-of-the-world.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1727447

If my friend hadn't recommended this to me I would have thought it was one of those trashy romance novels you get at the grocery store book isle.

>> No.1727448
File: 44 KB, 341x518, 341px-WOT_Shadow_final_hi3[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1727448

Some of the more recent re-imagined covers for e-book version of some of the older stuff are really well done.

pic related - best Wheel Of Time character on his own book cover art.

>> No.1727488

>>1727399
I first read "Preishit" as "Frei-shit" and laughed.

>> No.1727495
File: 374 KB, 450x684, the-great-hunt-by-robert-jordan-ebook.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1727495

>>1727448
yeah E-book covers are the shit

>> No.1727505
File: 46 KB, 500x500, 51ma8ZJ3H7L._SS500_.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1727505

>>1727447
I got part 2 of that book except it's a separate book.

>Howdoesthishappen

>> No.1727506

>>1725949
Holy fuck how do the Japanese read anything.

>> No.1727512

>>1727506
WELL, OFTEN IN TRAINS THERE'S NOT ENOUGH ROOM TO READ AT ALL, SO YOU'RE EVEN LESS LIKELY TO BRING A BOOK TO READ THAT'S THICKER THAN MY CLENCHED FIST, AND I HAVE BIG HANDS.