Can You Judge a Book by Its Cover?

Several years ago I watched a program on C-Span.  Impressed?  Don't be because it may have been the only program I've ever watched on that channel.  The subject matter was books, so now you see why it interested me so.  More specifically it was about choosing book covers.  It was a behind the scenes look at meetings and discussions of choosing book covers that grab attention and draw readers and non readers in.  The discussion lively as each person presented their covers and explained the concept behind them.  Until that point in life being all intellectual and watching C-Span I never really ever thought that much about book covers and thought they didn't have anything to do with my choice of books.  That wasn't exactly true.  Years ago I would go into a bookstore, like Crown Bookstore which has gone the way of Border's but long before but after B. Dalton's, and would start in the fiction section alphabetically by authors at A.  I would diligently continue my title reading to authors whose names started with Z.  It was a time consuming process but back then bookstores were just selling books, the experience of a book was for your home or at a library.  This is where they wanted you to procure, pay and leave.  You sat on the floor while thumbing through and considering books.   There wasn't coffee or chairs or quiet nooks.  I was quite successful at acquiring interesting books, some very collectible now, and my choice overwhelmingly by default went to the Southern genre.  The book cover grabbed my attention and my practice back then was to read the first page, then around page 99 and then a page toward the end of the book to see if I found this author interesting and worthy of purchase. 

The New Yorker had an article on their blog site, The Decline and Fall of the Book Cover, posted by Tim Kreider.  Tim, yes I refer to him as if I knew him, is an essayist and published author.  He shares his frustration of working with the publisher, editors and professional designers of all things book covers because the author and designers do not always agree with the message from the cover.  His editor dispatched him on a mission to the bookstore to notice and review non fiction book covers and report his findings.  He researched and came to these conclusions.

The main principle of design- in books, appliances, cars, clothing and everything are

• Your product must be bold and eye catching and conspicuously different from everyone else's but....
• Not too much!

He goes on in his blog that book covers are beginning to look too similar to one another.  His estimate is at 65% alike.  Basically the covers break down into text on white background, a single object set against white background and the face of the author which means the writer is a celebrity or a media personality.  The author also notes that book covers for children, teens and young adults holds mystery, imagination, creativity in the design but books for adults are pedestrian at best without all the fun and intrigue. 

I guess like almost everything that is successful or comfortable it becomes a formula.  After a while the newness or trend morphs into comfortable and known reality.  I mean really, please, someone come up with something besides a PowerPoint presentation.   Let's morph from lap tops to iPads or something.  This has nothing to do with anything but the Lifeway guy that spoke at the SBC pastor conference , Lifeway used to be known as the Baptist Book Store, used an iPad for notes while speaking and it is ironic that he places a huge emphasis on technology but Sunday School quarterlies are still being produced and the content is severely lacking.  My whole life the Sunday School quarterly has been less than stellar and even as a child I believed they gave the job of writing them to people who weren't good at anything else so why not write a quarterly because ever so few, even back in the day, read them.   

With e books becoming more often the reading of books choice, book covers may go the way of pay phones, newspapers, and all other communication venues that have fallen out of favor and into oblivion. 

I can't help but think about growing spiritually and has it become formula fed and formed by church?  Have I personally found the formula that makes it easy to walk this walk, easy because I have reduced living life in the power of Christ into compartmentalization of ideas taken here and there from Christian resources that makes us look good but utterly shallow.  I think I will answer or attempt to answer these questions in part 2.  And part 2 may not be the next post I write or it just might be.