UK v USA: book covers (whose are superior?)

[@rogue_hitman6582]

You should definitely do this again, I could have watched this for an hour lol

[@jasminedoyle1724]

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[@lidiam1974]

The young girl from the cover of "Actress" is Carrie Fisher looking at her mother Debbie Reynolds on stage :) This picture was taken in 1963.

[@mr.icecream7880]

Oh wow

[@CM-pf1xc]

Wow definitely fitting fo the topic of the book then

[@erinpennington19]

I thought I recognised it!

[@sorel7342]

This was so interesting and I’d love to hear a bit more about the difference between the us and uk book markets. It never really occurred to me that they would be very different.

[@abigailos5210]

yeah I would also love to see a video about that!

[@MishelleLexi]

I really just prefer illustrative book covers to photographic ones. That's all I'm asking for! :)

[@Louisyed]

The worst is a film cover *shudder*

[@MishelleLexi]

@@Louisyed don't even get me started 😂

[@abacaxipineapple9147]

Same! I have a shortlist for the worst photographic covers. The real worst is ✨historical photography ✨ covers

[@9thgalaxy778]

This is great Leena! Would love a video of you doing a breakdown of "what makes a good cover"

[@laurajones7623]

Yes please I would love this!

[@rogue_hitman6582]

Yeah definitely

[@ryanneliza]

Agreed - I have no idea what to look for other than my own subjective opinion lol

[@no1inparticular487]

yeeeeeeeeeeppppp that would litereally be amazing

[@deenoekuekinjuhuujahaa1804]

Yeees especially since there are so many things you briefly mentioned here that I was aware of but I always thought it was 'just' marketing! Loved this video!

[@moppleinga7025]

So far the message of the story is… uk can’t handle reading things that look painful, americans are more likely to buy things that look traumatic and painful?

[@hannahdonovan6742]

I think we just understand a metaphor - we’re a bit less literal? They do have some cracking ideas though!

[@hannahdonovan6742]

(And we are a nation of very dangerous performers - our PM esp!!!!)

[@anagonzalez5197]

I would loooove a book of “Judge a book by its cover” with books you haven’t read and see if you’re actually nailed what’s about, oooor looking to international covers of your fav books (by its content ooor fav cover)

[@beautifulday1996]

I actually much prefer the US cover of Ghost Wall. Yes, it is 'prettier' but I have always found it quite eerie and slightly unsettling as well - because while it is bright and flowery you can still see the shape of a ghost. For me, it captures the writing and narration style better, and in a way references this romanticisation of nature that the book also talks about. The UK one doesn't tell me anything lol Also as a side note, it's not really about larping but about (badly done) experimental archaeology!

[@tylermcfadden9237]

I agree with you.

[@AlissaNB]

I totally agree!

[@CM-pf1xc]

100% meaning a tie! Lol although I also think US seven husbands of Evelyn should have won too

[@phormidable]

came here to comment that - the US cover is so eerie, and the shade of green is unsettling. The UK cover looks like a generic thriller with an element of... wood.

[@PagesAndStages]

I completely agree! I’d never seen the US cover of Ghost Wall before and I audibly gasped when it came onscreen. It’s an incredible book and I think the US cover does a great job. Also side note, I HATE the UK paperback cover. Who on earth decided that was a good idea

[@devonmitchell5319]

My god, please do more of these. Please make this a series.

[@hah.365]

I disagree as an American on the Ghost Wall cover. I did not get a "cottage core" vibe from the cover, more of a "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" vibe. I don't know if that is a thing in the UK, but the covers are so iconic (and the stories actually scary) that it sticks in the mind. The skull formed by plants show that this is a scary book, the green color informs that there will be nature/natural elements to the book and set in a verdant area, and the white background harkens back to the "Scary Stories..." cover (the only thing missing is a border). The UK cover is, to me, a wattle and daub wall/fence that tells me nothing about the story that I'm going to read and having a "wall" on the cover seems too on-the-nose with Wall in the title. Honestly, I think this simply comes down to what is iconic and culturally accessible to each country. Perhaps a wattle and daub wall means something specific to UK residents that I don't know about; I think this is very likely. Highly enjoyed the video, 10/10, would enjoy more content like this.

[@CM-pf1xc]

Totes agree!

[@katherinecargill8214]

haha, I wrote the same thing elsewhere, and totally agree. It immediately looks "scary" to me, though I made the association with folk horror as a genre.

[@hah.365]

@@katherinecargill8214 Now that is a genre I have never heard of...do you have any good recs to check out?

[@FrostyMintyGreen]

Agree! The cover actually looks like a skull - a great way to subtlety say romanticisation can be deadly.

[@jemovimm9020]

That is so interesting! I think it's the colours for me, the design I agree is definitely a scary story one, but the green on white is a bit too approachable, almost? Would've loved to see it in a slightly darker colour scheme.

[@HeyPaulaCooper]

I wouldnt even pick up "actress" if I saw the us cover... But I'd definetly do so of I saw the uk one... I always wonder what books Im missing out on bc the cover doesnt appeal to me (when Im in bookstores and such)

[@hennamelender]

I agree, I would not glance twice at the us cover, but would totally buy the uk one!

[@julecaesara482]

I didn't like either cover of Asking for it, because on the American one the woman was sexy-crying and the British confuses me with its pastel colours. But maybe that's the intention, to look innocent, like a John Green novel

[@CM-pf1xc]

I totally read the UK cover as sarcastic and biting, clever delivery but heavy topics

[@julecaesara482]

@@CM-pf1xc makes sense - I didn't recognise the barbie doll on the cover as a barbie doll, I suppose that's why I didn't make the connection. I thought of a wooden puppet like Pinocchio or something instead of a barbie

[@TheMintyFish]

Hello! Book designer here for one of the big five publishers. Often we get the US cover in first before we design the cover, so we'll have a look at it and see if it'll work in our market. Often, it doesn't- it's mostly because US covers are (generally) very visually quiet. If you put a US cover in, say, a Waterstones, it would more often than not, fade into the background and not get picked up as often. So UK covers have to work really hard to be punchy in that kind of environment! But yeah, rambling, every one of these books will have been thrashed out in a covers meeting and lots of decisions would have influenced the final cover!

[@najualb]

about the overstory, the US cover also gives the idea of the rings of the tree (maybe i’m over analyzing but it was the first thing came to mind when thinking abt trees)

[@amylillington13]

I saw the paperback version of “Outraged” in WHSmith and the sheep cover IMMEDIATELY put me off. I know people say “you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover” but we all do it and it is such an intrinsic part of the reading experience!

[@najualb]

i actually have the opposite opinion on the seven husbands of evelyn hugo! i think the us cover is almost tantalizing in a way that makes you think you’re in for a story and it ends up being a completely different one. a lot of the story is about seducing the reader to look the other way and i think the cover is brilliant abt that, abt using the sex appeal she was always taught to use to distract and push herself forward

[@annabroomfield4689]

Yes!! Agreed, you articulated this so well

[@CM-pf1xc]

Yes!! US cover totally drew me in. The KH looked boring. I think Leena got it wrong :-) us covers should have won by 1 lol

[@FranFellow731]

Yes yes yes! Also I much prefer the styling of the US cover as a vintage enthusiast, and quite frankly I couldn’t tell from either cover that she’s Cuban. But yeah the US cover is a bait and switch, portraying the Evelyn of then and the UK cover is more direct, portraying the Evelyn of now.

[@martinam8084]

fun fact: the photo on the uk cover of actress is actually an image of young carrie fisher observing her mother backstage at one of debbie reynolds' shows!

[@CharlieBrookReads]

I have seen Outraged (the sheep one) around and I remember thinking "oh no not for me " obv having not read the blurb. Now you have described it , I am definitely interested in picking it up!! So thank you!!

[@fish-fingers_and_custard7685]

Same! The sheep was kinda off putting...

[@lyadmilo]

You should do one of these for translations! I find French cover "philosophy" to be very different and very interesting :)

[@valentineh.1341]

Yes ! And the french cover for "7 husbands" is so cheap and really boring !

[@olivefranklin2997]

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[@lucy6333]

I work in film distribution (documentaries specifically), and it's fascinating seeing the comparison with publishing! We have a similar thing with UK / US posters, and they can often go in entirely different directions for their own market.

[@marym361]

I totally get your comment about the UK cover of Transcendent Kingdom illustrating the breadth of the novel better than the US cover, but I (weirdly) never saw the US cover as just a prayer pose, but rather an exuberant praise pose. For me, it shows the movement of clapping and singing along to gospel music in church -- but the character is all alone. Still doesn't get at the many many themes/topics in the novel, but it seems dynamic and interesting to me.

[@erinnorris]

I'm in graphic design school and one of our projects last year was to design a book cover so this was super fascinating from that standpoint! I'd also never seen the UK Normal People cover and I think it's incredible, the iconography is so perfect for that story.

[@johnnymissesme7464]

This should become a series!

[@kit3725]

I could be wrong but I think the UK Evelyn Hugo cover is technically also a US cover since it was originally used for the US paperback which I think came out before the book was published in the UK?!

[@serenhamer8170]

Gobsmacked about A Little Life, just yesterday I was browsing Goodreads and it under the American cover, read the blurb and added it to “Want to Read”, happy to find another soul crushing book to add ye olde summer reading list. And now watching your video I realise A Little Life has been sat in my room in my parents home for the past five years and even though I’ve read the blurb again and again has never particularly called out to me, and certainly not something I began looking to but on world of books!! The power of book covers!!

[@mouseluva]

Can we talk about how the US covers of most historical fiction (looking at you, Philippa Gregory novels) make them look like a steamy Mills&Boon novel even when they're actually pretty well-researched and pretty heavy subject matter? Because I'd have missed out on loving that entire genre if it was US covers on my local bookshelves!

[@LilyHawthorn]

This was really interesting! Here in Canada we seem to have a mix of UK and US covers.

[@emmajane8393]

Adding my voice to the shouts for more of this!!

[@5minutesofyourtime]

Australian here, we often get one or the other with our books. Its interesting to see the commercial difference

[@katherinecargill8214]

The US Ghost Wall cover immediately evoked folk horror to me, so I'm actually surprised you thought the cover evoked more of an innocent cottagecore vibe. I'm not sure I could tell you *why* the US cover looks folk horror to me though, beyond "boy I sure do like folk horror and am familiar with it." I think that it may have to do with the faux-distressing on the image and it's lack of color range, which is associated with spooky, forgotten books that Ought Not To Be Opened in the US. This plays into a lot of "nursery rhymes are actually extremely creepy" kind of associations, which I sort of assumed was a UK phenomena as well, but maybe it's more of a US thing? Anyway my New England ass immediately thought "Yeah this book is about Dark Shit" looking at the US cover. Did not necessarily think that about the UK cover on the left.

[@katherinecargill8214]

Googling the book (which i would not describe as being about LARPing, more about... nationalistic primitivism? though I'll admit that's not as accessible a word) I would absolutely categorize the genre as Folk Horror as well, and so I suspect the decision to make the cover look like that was very intentional

[@bageba8]

That was my immediate reaction too!

[@taaptee]

great video, im obsessed with your mind

[@rachaelharrison1257]

As soon as you brought Outraged up I realised why it's been on my list but not purchased yet. I will get over it, read and maybe recover my copy lol.

[@whylal]

I've definitely been someone who judges books based on their covers, but rarely would I analyze what they show. Interesting video!

[@ivajaric39]

I had such a stupid day, I can't remember when I was so damn PISSED as I were today, and this video somehow made me shake it off. Thank you. More videos like these, maybe book blurbs competition next?

[@geniej2378]

I'd love this but for YA fiction! I'm also fascinated by book covers (and books) so keep the content coming!

[@CM-pf1xc]

That’s b interesting to just judge YA covers in general. They can be real dumb sometimes

[@villekullart]

Living in Germany, ist also really fun to go into a bookshop and seeing some of the books i read displayed with the german covers. It alwasy takes about 6 month for translated books to get published here and i sometimes pick up a book just for the cover and notice its one i already read when it originally came out. They often change a lot. So looking at goodreads and seeing all the editions and covers is really fun too

[@SEH221]

Interesting about Seven Husbands, because I work in a bookstore and we are getting the UK cover in our stores. So it looks like they've adopted the UK cover here in the US!

[@ckrwgn3753]

Super interesting to watch as someone with a marketing background. I think you nailed it!

[@ex0hvegan]

Thanks for this video - very insightful! I normally would be like "I don't care about book covers I'm better than judging a book by its cover" but now you put two different book covers side by side I do see how I'd go into a book with different expectations and end up having different feelings just based on what I thought I was signing up for.

[@lacec8983]

Omg please make this a series!!!!!

[@MiuLicious]

The Actress book cover is Carrie Fisher looking at her mom Debbie Reynolds. Thats very interesting picture for them to choose.

[@Sarahac8]

US definitely won Ghost Wall. The flowers form a skull. I think that's plenty of warning haha. It's intriguing, strangely beautiful, and haunting which convey the book's tone well. I agree with all your other choices. This was fun. Would love to see more people do this.

[@salmasahil5004]

I love this video, it should be a series !

[@hopedavis285]

Please do more of these! I loved it!

[@phoebe3799]

yess eyeshadow matching the lamp colours

[@handsacrossthemoon]

I thought the UK cover of "When Breath Becomes Air" was far better because from the US cover I have literally no idea what the book is about. It doesn't even have "What makes life worth living in the face of death" on it, so it could literally be anything and I would have associated that kind of cover with a thriller or something.

[@aGOODfell0]

Your points around the visual language of covers were so interesting and something I'd never really thought about before

[@heathermackelden2979]

love how this feels like a discussion!

[@wiggleallaround]

I like how you frame cover similarities as a way to help readers find books! As a bookseller, it can be very demoralizing to see so much piggy backing on bestsellers (both in cover art and other marketing materials). It feels like a cheap way for publishers to make money (which I know is the point, but sometimes I just want innovation!). So thanks for the more positive spin.

[@davidoffsal]

The UK covers appeal a lot more to me for some reason, like I can see myself skipping most of the books if they had the US covers in a bookstore. I find the UK covers a lot better artistically, the typography is intriguing where the US covers use very basic fonts, usually quite blocky and very old school romantic novel looking.

[@CM-pf1xc]

I think that’s an inaccurate generalization. This video here shows how both UK and US covers can be creative amor commercial-basically 50/50

[@amyg8176]

Omg i love so much how you’re casually wearing the sequined top. I love it!!

[@yok5206]

this was such a joy! and i’ve never seen anything like this on booktube. you go leena

[@wanderingbeyondpages]

Leena, you genius! We need a tinder app for books to find friends or book recs!

[@avabobava]

i’d watch you rate covers for hours haha! love your insights. now just having to hunt down the uk cover of normal people...

[@hazabee]

The cover shown for the "UK edition" of Asking for It has the Printz Award seal on it, which is a US YA book prize. The "UK cover" was used for the hardcover and the initial paperback release in the US, but it seems the "US cover" is the now the paperback cover in both the UK and US. It's not as simple as UK or US!

[@annabroomfield4689]

Love this video SO MUCH, I could watch videos like this all day. It's so interesting to think about what makes a good cover. Personally I prefer the UK cover of A Little Lie on purely an aesthetic level - because I probably wouldn't want to read such a heavy, depressing book. But the US cover definitely seems to represent the book better so I agree that is the best cover for that particular book, even if I'm not personally a fan of it. I'm torn between the two covers of Evelyn Hugo though, I totally see what you mean about the UK cover seeming more powerful and intriguing but I think the US cover reflects the image of Evelyn that she presented to the world. It looks like something from a photoshoot with Evelyn, and I love that.

[@AnnaTalks-videos]

I LOVE this video idea!!

[@Blue_Caribou]

One thing I noticed is that most of the US covers felt the need to include "A Novel" somewhere on the cover... which seems unnecessary from a UK perspective. Is there a reason for this? is there some publishing standard in the US that requires fiction be clearly labelled as such or something?

[@jacquiz.6837]

I'm not in publishing but I am American. I think it's 'cause our covers for nonfiction, short stories, and novels all dip into the same visual languages. Like, I'm less likely to assume that a chonky book on a shelf is a novel. We've also had a bit of a memoir boom over the last five years.

[@carliecasas8533]

I'm American and I used to work in a book store. I noticed that the majority of people came in looking specifically for nonfiction. So maybe it's an easy way for people to see exactly what they want? But also I agree with @Jacqui Z. A lot of US covers are more minimalistic graphic design based (rather than illustrative) regardless of genre or subject matter.

[@mayetta88]

Please do more of these! Loved it! I have seen it done before but you have such good insight and interesting reflections 👌☺️

[@toadoftoadhall9801]

I find it interesting that you say that about the UK cover of a little life, because I read this one when it was on the long list for the Man Booker and knew nothing about it and it was the cover and title that made me want to read it and was exactly what I expected it to be. I never considered it the way you describe it to be but now that I’ve had it pointed out, it’s obvious that looking at the cover one would expect it to be a v different novel.

[@rowenafletcher-wood4436]

More of these please.

[@MG-zd2ep]

side note but I really love your eyeshadow in this :D also stellar content as always

[@elenaxenathena1814]

Pleease make this a series! I loved hearing you talk about this

[@laurengeraci6258]

Great video! The majority of bookstores I’ve been in (located in Ohio, USA) had the UK cover of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Found that sort of interesting! This was the first time I’d seen the US version.

[@MJ-fr5wj]

Great video but I can't stop thinking what an amazing shirt! :)

[@aspumoni6177]

Please do more like this. So fun!

[@BubbaNo1]

Marvelously interesting! Thank you!

[@amygilks1866]

Would be super interesting to hear your thoughts on book cover trends/comparing different book covers of the ‘classics’ throughout the years.

[@laurenkendrick]

I agree that the UK cover for Actress is better, however the cover is a photo of Carrie Fisher watching her mother, Debbie Reynolds, performing on stage. So if I were choosing a book by cover alone (and not reading any info on what it's about) I would assume it was a biography of sorts either on Debbie or Carrie (or both), which would of course be confusing or disappointing once I started reading, and realizing it wasn't the case. Or I might decide I didn't want to read a biography on them and skip the book completely and miss out on a great book that isn't a biography on them at all. On another note- the US cover for Ghost Wall is so gorgeous :-)

[@bysarahalexander4426]

I loved this video. I enjoyed hearing your insights into these covers. I think a lot of us pick up on these nuances subconsciously and they affect whether we pick up a book or not, but your analysis helped me see the why behind my choices. Very interesting. Also, I now have even more books in my TBR :D

[@n.a7993]

i ended up adding almost every book on my tbr. thank god libby had almost every single one of them as audio books which is super sexy of them

[@littlemissmarissable]

Please make this a series - loved it!

[@dr-pq2du]

I never see pain in the US cover of "A Little Life," I always just see Chris Pratt cringing at a bad joke.

[@martinastanjurova6696]

What a delightful video! Would also love to see a similar breakdown of international / non English covers 😌

[@nimrodgrrrl]

This video was so fun! I’d love to know more about book covers and marketing and whatnot.

[@beetljam792]

this was a really interesting topic, i liked that you drew from your perspective and expertise. btw i way prefer the us a little life cover, especially because the photograph is called "orgasmic man" and is by a new york photographer. i feel the us cover is much more tailored to the book with a lot more relevant history.

[@crashedherparty]

please make this a series. looooved this video. you're so smart and it was so much more interesting than how i would've done it ("this one is so much prettier!")

[@maeiscompletelyfine]

PLEASE MAKE THIS A SERIES LEENA!!! LOVED THIS

[@sallywilson2596]

Love this video, thanks Leena! x

[@nish2260]

really appreciate how there are always subtitles on your videos!

[@samiansley5740]

I live in the US and my copy of The Seven Husbands is the UK one? I agreed with you on all your points.

[@MeEtMoi0]

I really liked your insight as an industry professional. Very interesting!

[@Jojo13Lorin]

The green sparkly top returns! Hooray!

[@BryonyClaire]

I don't even read books but this was so fascinating!

[@tylermcfadden9237]

I remember first realizing this as a kid when reading the Harry Potter books. I had US and UK/International English editions and the cover art was completely different between the two. I remember wondering why the British and us Americans preferred different cover art for the same story.

[@FrankieEm]

I loved this SO MUCH. You should definitely talk covers more often. This was just infinitely interesting!

[@jasminedoyle1724]

I could watch book cover comparisons for ever! That was sooo good!!!

[@caitie226]

honestly, it's amazing just to hear you analyse book covers! I had never put much thought into them other than whether they capture the tone of the book to my satisfaction!

[@stardropboy]

i’ve been on such a reading high lately omg thank you for this

[@xNatTheDayDreamerx]

I’d love a part 2! I’d love your opinion on the different covers of bluets

[@louisa1878]

Thanks!

[@louisa1878]

Just because I love you beeech, so why not.

[@imvdat3698]

Leena i loved this video!!!! Not sure how many different iterations of this type of video you could do, but loved this concept!! And found it very interesting

[@sofyaa2943]

Before this video I thought that people who really cared about book covers were somehow shallow and were more interested in the aesthetic of owning books rather than reading them. But now I understand where they are coming from and what it's really about. Thanks Leena for such an exciting video, you captivate all my attention on Friday afternoons with your content! And you made me change my opinion on some of the books on the list ❤️❤️❤️

[@beccabooked]

great video! more of this please 😊

[@Tabbiecat]

Would love to see more of these, some great insights! On Ghost Wall I agree with your pick + reasons, but I'm actually not a fan of either cover shown and was expecting to see the cover with the hill sillhouetted against the night sky as the UK representative. Haven't read it yet so my views might change, but at this stage that one would get my vote by a country mile.

[@heathergretton6827]

Loved this!! So interesting to watch from an artist perspective as well. Would love to see more! :)

[@iidaii8875]

Such an entertaining yet informative video! I loved every second of it, mainly because of your enthusiasm and knowledge on the subject ♡

[@solastacey127]

more videos about book covers please!!!

[@SarahLng]

Great video Leena! My opinion on the little life cover changed

[@bookishkat.3390]

*madly adding these books to my goodreads shelf*