what happens when an author hates their own book cover?

[@highonsugar6273]

The US cover makes it look like a cheesy romance novel about a girl struggling to get a date or something 💀

[@OO-xs7fo]

fr

[@Booksaremysolace]

That's literally what I thought the book was about until now 😭

[@dalannifan]

​@@Booksaremysolace fr

[@sirthisisawendys811]

Literally Love Hypothesis 😂 But I do love that book

[@bernadette_ri5270]

that's exactly what I thought it was, how is it not about that stupidity right now I'm running to buy it

[@axokat]

i audibly gasped when the jacket was removed why is the hardcover so pretty omg

[@Jessica-wt2sm]

Same, it's so pretty!!!

[@trybeinggr8239]

Me too

[@ThreadBomb]

Jackets, AKA dust covers, were invented to protect hardcover books, with the expectation that they would be thrown away!

[@1gks]

@@ThreadBomb omg, they were made to be thrown away?! i could never 😭

[@kizzy8581]

They also have the same pattern on the page edges over here

[@hope-cat4894]

I'm getting tired of all the romance novels having the same drawn cover. When I saw this cover, I had assumed it was one of those romance novels.

[@aubreezily13]

Seriously! You can not tell romance authors apart anymore because it looks like they all hired the same cover designers 😂

[@cakt1991]

@@aubreezily13 to be fair, romance has *always* leaned hard into trends. When Fabio was cover modeling, he was on like all of them. There was a flower/landscape phase for a while. Then, they went back to the naked men, but still stayed relatively within the same small pool of models. Now it’s illustrated. Publishers don’t seem to understand that doing a bit of everything and choosing based on the tone of the book will result in a more satisfied reader base overall.

[@jimmysity]

I assumed it was a an educational book about chemistry...

[@aashleyk78]

Same!! I’ve seen this book quite a bit and haven’t picked it up because I hate the cover. It looks like every other cheese romance book. 😂 the ik version looks so cool thiught

[@duckalotl]

And this book isn’t super heavily a romance so the covers a bit silly

[@ahmedbanaga8185]

I kept seeing the US version and thought it was a romance like the love hypothesis. I then saw the UK version and was so confused but glad that I saw it because I wouldn't have read it if I thought it was like the love hypothesis

[@vkiran3576]

Honestly me too! The book is pretty great though.

[@isabelbrown2907]

Sameee! I did like the US cover until I knew this backstory

[@ComradeLuka]

I thought “hey the US version looks kinda familiar” looked at my bookshelf and there it was staring at me

[@cmnyc4286]

As an educated woman living in Cambridge, MA) in between Harvard and M.I.T. I feel the U.S. edition is a wrong impression and is dumbed down for idiots. I want the real British version with the periodic table under the cover!

[@ComradeLuka]

@@cmnyc4286 The US education system in all isn’t where it needs to be to prepare children for the outside world. The British cover is so much better!

[@teagybprankz]

I never got that book cuz I thought it was a romance 💀 and now i wanna read it

[@erin4924]

it kind of is a romance for like a chapter lol

[@pheonixrises11]

@@erin4924 of course… there is no escape

[@everfluctuating]

​@@erin4924 i can tolerate non-romance books with a romance subplot personally

[@claraaaaaw]

IT IS THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ

[@duckalotl]

@@pheonixrises11the romance is really nice tho, not too overbearing

[@MadisonC]

STOP I LOVE IT WHEN THE BOOK ISN’T BASIC UNDER THE DUST JACKET

[@ashleynoble2880]

Looking Glass Wars did this. Gorgeous art

[@fiddler32]

I went to an author talk and the woman had written a memoir about overcoming PTSD. But the cover art was just…a dog. Yes, the dog was helpful in her recovery… but the author said she felt like she lost out on potential readers because the cover made it seem like it was a dog-centric story.

[@CGyog]

What was the name of the memoir - or author? Interested in this memoir!

[@fiddler32]

@@CGyog Short Leash: A Memoir of Dog Walking and Deliverance by Janice Gary. If I’m recalling correctly, the author regretted the title as well… (it was only two years after Marley & Me and similar dog themed books had been published.) The author talk was in 2014, but her regrets about her book branding stuck with me!

[@CGyog]

Thank you!

[@Ehlihr]

im an illustrator, and one thing thats important is that authors rarely get, if any, input into cover designs or illustrations in their books. its usually an art director who an illustrator/designer is talking to, who in turn is responding to marketing and other publishing people. the designer/illustrator and author rarely talk to one another

[@idahhi]

Woah I never knew that... seems strange how the actual storyteller doesn't have a say about what the cover should tell. I learn new things everyday

[@Ehlihr]

@@idahhi its usually up to marketing! since the cover is typically what sells the book at a glance, indicates genre (which is why the american cover here is so bad), etc

[@Ehlihr]

ultimately an author can ask but they dont have to listen lol

[@Hello-hello-hello456]

damn that sucks. A cover can make or break a novel’s success, and the author has no control over it? Most authors have a vision for the book and it needs to be respected.

[@neverland7417]

@@Ehlihr This is so random but how did you become an illustrator? I’m a senior in high school and I would love to pursue art and become an illustrator but I don’t really know anyone in the field.

[@justjay6388]

woah this has gotta be one of the most gorgeous covers i’ve ever seen they did her SO dirty with the US edition

[@elisasanguinetti5639]

The UK cover is much more interesting and visually appealing, but honestly the US cover looks to me more orange than pink 😂 If I had to guess a reason why the author didn't like the cover it would be that it makes a potential reader think of it as something similar to Love Hypothesis or The Spanish Love Deception (as some people have already said in the comments), when it's actually really different from those books.

[@MH-ql4nh]

I honestly thought it's something similar to The Love Hypothesis lol

[@crystalwriter2637]

I know it’s not a romance book but the US cover is actually more visually appealing to me 😅

[@DeathnoteBB]

I don’t have to guess, the cover is disgusting. I don’t wanna sound dramatic, I’m studying Graphic Design and it could be like, a cute, cheap, modern motivational poster for classrooms. But a BOOK COVER? By a professional company?!

[@ducky19991]

Huh, I work at B&N and this was our book of the year- i never even bothered reading the synopsis because I dislike the cover so much 😂 this makes sense

[@SoniaBonia33]

The cover was what made me shy away from the book but after reading the synopsis, I really want to read it now. I have to get my hands on the UK hardcover edition. That periodic table motif is so cool!

[@MorningSings]

The hardcover copy with the periodic table is chefs kiss 💋

[@marianaarrais4113]

the british cover is elite! and the american one is giving “teacher finding herself unexpectedly (🙄) also finds a love intrest”

[@emilyks6238]

the British cover is so pretty. I wouldn't even want to change it

[@lindsey4171]

One of my past professors is a novelist, and she told the class that you basically get one time to say no to a potential cover. If they show you a cover that you absolutely hate and then they make another one, you are STRONGLY recommended to say yes to the second one.

[@DeathnoteBB]

Because as a designer it’s A LOT of work and effort to make multiple (rejected) covers for one thing, so we are asking to be paid for our labor after 2-3 fixes. A full-blown redesign? Yeah that’s being paid for. However the US cover for this book is awful. Like it’s the kind of thing I would make in school, last minute, because I procrastinated too long and just used some copyright free clipart that took 2 minutes to find. If someone expects you to pay for THAT they can go f themselves

[@elizeyt]

the Uk edition is gorgeous- love the chemistry sprayed edges!

[@leaf111]

it really sucks how most authors don't get to have much of a say on these things. same with the music industry. it's their art, released under their name, their right to creative liberty concerning things like the cover shouldn't be bought by the companies they work for. they already get paid so little, just allow them to have a say in what they're putting out (or at least for first editions). i know a lot of great books with awful covers and i'm pissed on behalf of these authors

[@kookiekommenter]

For another situation where the author publicly expressed dislike of their book cover, Liar by Justine Larbalestier was originally published with a white girl on the front of the advanced reading copy when the main character is biracial and POC. Because the author and others spoke out about it, it was reprinted with a more suitable cover. It was a big enough deal at the time that articles were written about the controversy and it's summarized on the Wikipedia page for the book.

[@pixomatbo]

I haven't read this book because of the cover, I thought it was just another romance. Hearing what it's really about makes me really want to read it

[@janejustin1788]

me too....i'm a romance reader but i'm not crazy about the new romance books that are being released so i didn't think to read this novel until now

[@Ernnnnnnnnnnn]

I put it off for months thinking the same thing and now I’m 75% through the audiobook and it’s becoming one of my favorite things I’ve read this year. Whoever decided on this cover should be in jail lol

[@caitrinsweeney535]

As an author and a designer, this breaks my heart- imagine pouring all your heart and soul into this beautiful novel only to watch as it's tied up in a hideous bow, and there's virtually nothing you can do to stop it

[@morganmeadowes6861]

You gotta look at the German cover! My mom is currently reading it in German. If it wasn’t for GoodReads and Google, I’d never have thought that that was the same book!

[@jiejiii]

some examples of this also are: lolita; nabokov explicitly said he didn’t want it to have a girl on the cover and it should instead have iirc a road and a sunset, most of the versions now have girl, which leads to the impression that it is romanticized; another is the metamorphosis. kafka said he didn’t want the cover to have an insect, now almost all copies do.

[@emmamlis927]

When I saw this book at the library I literally thought it was a chemistry textbook with a quirky modern cover so idk what that says but it’s interesting !

[@erin4924]

i think that's more to do with the title though, no?

[@emmamlis927]

@@erin4924 idk I just saw the front cover and that’s what I thought. I wasn’t looking specifically at the art or the title. So yeah I would say all of that together is what made me think it what a chemistry textbook!

[@Hello-hello-hello456]

Then that’s a successful cover!

[@lucyames6157]

i nannied for the director of marketing at random house and i remember when i was reading the book she was talking abt how bonnie hated the cover! such a sleeper hit though! she was worried about sales but it seems like they've really picked up since it's release

[@cindyo6298]

Based on the images online, I always thought the cover was orange?

[@briar_the.discoyt]

A great example of this is 'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabokov. He specifically and famously requested for no girls on the cover of the book. The story has been misinterpreted so much and I can't help but feel like part of it was caused by publishers ignoring his requests.

[@for-books-sake967]

I get that it does slightly look like a romance, but this isn't even pink...it's salmon orange.

[@die.situation.ist.suboptimal]

I noticed that as well

[@nodoubtmisa]

I thought I was the only one who saw that its not pink 😭

[@TahtahmesDiary]

When I published my first book I felt like something was missing and asked them to tweak it. The book was called Apricity, and they drew a snowy day scene. But the feeling apricity is a word meaning the warmth of the sun in winter, so required someone to feel that warmth. They took the suggestion really well and redid it for me, so thankfully it looked perfect and I was very happy.

[@crystalwriter2637]

Yay! I’m so glad the illustrator was able to help you realize your true vision for the cover of your book and it sounds amazing!

[@hermaiana]

Holy shit! I almost brushed off the bloody book taking it for a typical YA because of the book cover akdjskqk, I'll have to thank the algorithm for hijacking my tab history again ig 🤸‍♀️

[@anelander1898]

The same thing happened with metamorphosis with bugs in the cover and Lolita (idk the translation, if it even has one) having little girls in the cover

[@lauragrindey8029]

I love this book without the jacket!! All the elements just look brilliant

[@Topdoggie7]

That version is way better! It's so nicely done too!

[@Auhwyhbab]

The German cover is so beautiful!

[@annakuch9108]

Cornelia Funke recently had this for her 4th book of the Inkheart series. With the help of the Fans emailing the publisher TO DEATH she managed to get back the original style of Cover.

[@anacrea3931]

Holy shit. I've seen this book so many times and passed it by every time because I thought it was probably a romance based on the North American cover. 😅

[@itsnoterica]

I totally agree w the author! I’m from the US & for the longest time I thought that book was a fluffy romcom bc of the cover until I actually heard someone talk about it. I ignored it for so long bc I thought it was just gonna be another Ali Hazelwood copycat 💀 I guess don’t judge a book by it’s cover but it’s hard not to make assumptions!

[@SoScarlettItWasMaroon]

Oh my god I had no idea what this book was about BECAUSE OF THE COVER. I thought it was some YA romance like the Love Hypothesis or something. It sounds like a good book, I might actually read it now.

[@singingcupcake1311]

I want the UK cover so bad

[@tracy_cakkes]

I agree. When I put it on my TBR, I had no idea it was something more serious. It looked like a rom com lol

[@4c_aperture]

the author is absolutely right bc that summary sounds BALLER, and I’ve seen that book at the store multiple times and have felt zero compelling reason to pick it up. It looks like a love hypothesis rip off and I already think love hypothesis is terrible. 😭

[@DeathnoteBB]

Seriously I can’t imagine a competent marketing company would think that would sell. Like jfc. I’m going to school for Graphic Design and it looks like something I’d make LAST minute just to have something to turn in. The boring text. The cheap, probably free clipart. God. That author was done so dirty.

[@spacegalaxy19]

i’ve read it and it is absolutely nothing like the love hypothesis oh my god it was amazing

[@Nerdfighter958]

The way I GASPED when you took the dust jacket off. It’s so pretty 😍

[@HaliaStone]

I wonder why they change book covers depending on where you are. I imagine it’s something to do with demographics, but surely a good cover that encompasses what the story is about should be a universal thing?

[@aadi2258]

This is such a good book, I really enjoyed reading it.

[@BarbaraDr2023]

I used to work in publishing as a freelancer for 15 years, and I've had dozens of authors on the phone cry or vent about the planned book covers. Problem #1 was: historical novel, meticuously researched, and the publisher would put an image from the wrong country or ever era on the cover. Very embarrassing. Just include the author in the decision process!

[@maxinecampbell4702]

so true! there's 2 videos by bernadette banner (a clothing historian) where she simply redoes book covers to be historically accurate

[@chunkyoctopus]

The British version with the dust sleeve off is incredible. I have never seen anything like that.

[@icevet]

One more reason to be an indie author! Full artistic control of your books!

[@sukuna-]

When I saw this book for the first time on playbook i thought this must be written by teenager on wattpad and they somehow manage to release it on playstore. 😂😂

[@Tanitalks]

Tbh that’s the kind of cover that would draw many a young American girl in. A lot of the trending books on book tok have similar covers

[@telercoi3234]

Straight up, have heard people I respect like this book but never heard a summary, as soon as you gave ever the briefest one, I put it in my library request list. I, like many others it seems, thought this was a random romance novel just from the cover 🤷‍♀️

[@netogrof]

I’ve seen that book a lot in b&n and thought the cover was orange 💀

[@OkamiRose]

It you actually read what the author wrote, she mentions she thinks the title reads as chick-lit… she never mentions pink. Idk where Jack got that from. (Copy pasted bc I can’t be asked to sound original every time)

[@deannascorner8112]

Omg I want that British version!! I’ve never even bothered with this book because of the cover

[@SteamyPMcGee]

I love this video. Its a major part of books I miss these days given that I mostly read ebook and digital.

[@rosapalladino7774]

I love english covers, they always nail the concept of the book! Chapeau ❤

[@lillientruong6350]

I'm quite unknowledgeable about this, but who is often the one having the most power in deciding the official cover for a book? The editing team, the publisher or the author? Like I thought that it's usually the author commissioning & choosing the style of the cover artwork😅 guess it's not always the case.

[@DragonWingsQuizlet]

Hi! I've published some books in my (non-english) country. It's usually the publisher and marketing team who decide on the cover. As an author you have some say, but ultimately they're going to do what they think will sell and not what the author wants.

[@lillientruong6350]

@@DragonWingsQuizlet damn that sucks tbh. It should be the authors choosing since they're the ones who knows the most about the work 😤

[@marllram]

​@@lillientruong6350 sadly a publisher's / marketer's key concern is not whether the cover reflects the book's content, which as you said, only the author knows best. Their goal is to aim for the biggest market, in this case would be romance readers. Just as the movie Jennifer's Body trailer was catered for male gaze, despite the content totally satirizing the notion. Not because the marketers misunderstood the content, but they make the decision to rather go for a ubiquituous market than a niche one and lost investment.

[@Mjot101]

I'm adding this to my tbr solely so I can have that book with the dusk jacket removed on my shelf

[@Maryjane022]

I also love the British cover plus the elements on it... It's so cool 😍☺️📚

[@spookynene156]

When I saw the ad for the movie I was confused because I had no idea what the book was actually about .. because the cover gave a totally different vibe !!

[@playagamelp2441]

This gave me love hypothesis energy so I was never interested but now I am

[@emmasurf8768]

that uk version -wow it captures so much of them book's POV without even opening the book

[@NatCatKitty]

Wow the version of the book cover you have is beautiful!!!

[@paris.granville]

This is one of my favorite books ever

[@sara_your.moms.version]

thanks to this video, for the past few months i’ve had to explain this to whoever i’m with every time i see the book anywhere. i’ve told my mom about it at least four times. i can’t help it 😭

[@chloe_steward]

What a beautiful hardcover edition!! 😮😮😮

[@stardust.7507]

I saw this in my school library and immediately thought it was about some straight love story 😭✋ I would have never guessed it's synopsis if you didn't tell me!!

[@moni-w9o]

That book without the dust jacket is honestly so rad

[@msdenise1234567]

Omg I bought the special edition British cover, bc it looked cute. It has those elements on the sides of the pages too. I ended up loving the story. I also binged the series in three days. I love how Calvin is portrayed, so shy and so in love with Elizabeth, you can see it all over his face. Great acting.

[@SkyFullOfClouds]

GASP. I know they say not to judge a book by it’s cover but I totally did. Because I also didn’t pay much attention to the US cover of the book when I saw it in stores. But omg😭 now that I’m learning more about the book I really want to check it out

[@marielbellan]

Okay I will definitely get this edition it’s so beautiful!

[@colourfulsouls]

Wow, I’ve never thought of this but have def seen some books with some pretty strange covers I like that cover with the periodic table, and the sleeve looks better than the pink version, too!

[@suzannebradbury]

This is a great “lesson in” not judging a book by its cover! 😂.

[@books-on-a-wire]

I love that book but hate photographing it, the orangey peach clashes so much, already have the UK ordered. Didn't know the actual book looked like that, so cool

[@HomesickFaery]

Wait,"pink"? Am I crazy, or isn't that orange?

[@user-fx2rl9iq6s]

I literally thought this was a romance until now just because of the cover

[@marjorie062001]

Literally didn't read this book until recently bec of the cover. Glad I gave it a chance cause it's amazing!

[@ralphisback]

the uk edition looks like a genuinely complex and compelling read and the us edition looks like smut

[@capiest]

tbh imo the way the mc is illustrated on the cover is worse than thebackground honestly. the girl looks like a modern day conventionally attractive tiktok influencer

[@cutecheerfreak1]

They really did the book dirty! I have never picked it up because I assumed it was a rom com!

[@libbylyon405]

I'm definitely gonna have to buy the British version!

[@noeditbookreviews]

I always thought it was actually like an into to some concepts in chemistry.

[@atartamella2101]

This why im glad im a digital artist who worked in design and film and shit. I design my own covers and ive only heard good things about them

[@LisaOfTroy]

Do you ever feel like kismet to find a video? I live in the US and am going to be in London next month, and I was wondering what books I should buy for the UK covers while I am there. I am definitely going to buying Lessons in Chemistry while I am there!

[@michellepolly7868]

Funnily I avoided this book bc of the U.S. cover but now have added it to my want to read list!

[@TKHaines]

From the pink cover, I thought it was another fluffy workaholic woman who learns to smell the roses and ends up finding love. So not interested. But I finally heard some reviews and am now on the long waiting list at the library for it.

[@Cherrydriver1]

The cover on the america Version is part of what made me overlook this book!!! Because it does look like a super cliche chic lit

[@elizip5132]

Yeah it's super annoying it's also in my country but the book is really good You are also the reason why I started to read the book so thanks 🙏

[@creativesparks2164]

Different covers are cool to gain more recognition. I think I only know of this book BECAUSE of the cover (which I also don’t like) but different Art attracts different people.

[@Deamonslayer576]

In a similar vein I hate when you have a book with a gorgeous cover design that then gets thrown away when the film/TV adaptation is made. They just plaster a picture of the cast or something and call it a day. I understand they do it for marketing but it still annoys me.

[@Sol-pc1jb]

OH MY LORD THE UK EDITION IS STUNNING!!!!!

[@saraholson5946]

John Green just hyped the Swedish covers for his books. He wasn't slagging the design for any other country they are just his favorite.

[@servus2252]

The german one looks neat. Not cartoonish but really professional

[@anastasialiapkovich4590]

Omg, I hear so much about this book, but didn’t read it because it looked like a romance. I am on my way to purchase the UK cover cover.

[@Readstudycry]

Thanks for covering this. I actually have not picked up the book because of the cover- it looks like a beach read and that’s not my thing. Maybe I’ll check it out!

[@logann-mackenziefroste563]

I like the UK edition of this book as the I would never even look at this book with that US cover ‼️Awesome reel ‼️

[@jadecrystal4205]

I’ve been turning my head away everytime I would see this book at Barnes and Noble just because I thought it was like any other romance novel

[@DeeDeeCatMom]

I love the colour of my American cover, but I get why the author doesn't like it. The periodic table hardcover is so amazing!

[@ThisisDaniel]

I'd imagine the pink cover is meant to convey a sense of irony.

[@princesspinkblue]

Watched the tv show, loved it! Didnt realise there was a book, adding to my list

[@rebeccavdh]

Before i saw the uk cover I always thought it was a romcom

[@wolfieolfie]

omg!! i was just wanting to read this book. algorithm recommend me more of this book please