Thursday 23 June 2011

Why change the covers! Why!!!!

This is me just having a good old fashioned moan rather than actually expecting an answer, I know there is marketing strategies and the forces of evil behind cover changes half way through series...

But, my main issue right now is with the changes to The Green Rider series by Kristen Britain.

It's awful. The 'old' covers were absolutely stunningly beautiful and now! Well, I'l let you judge for yourself.

Book 1 -
Old Cover                                                                                                        New Cover









Okaaaaay. The horsey is very pretty buy REALLY! What were they thinking. And the wings! As far as I can remember there were NO pegasus in this book. And from this cover on, all the imagination has gone out of the art work.

Old Covers


Just look at them, aren't they SO pretty.

And then we have THESE!




I mean, it's not that they are terribly awful or anything and there is the added bonus that they match in that there is a recurring theme with the covers but, the originals were beautiful and showed scenes from the novels.

*shrug*

I don't know guys. I always shiver when I see new covers.

It is a pet hate of mine, esoecially when you have all the books in the series up to that point on your shelf, looking nice and pretty and matching and then suddenly WHAM new cover design.

What do you think?  

11 comments:

  1. *hides under table*
    I actually like the new covers, I'd probably buy them. The old covers look a bit old fashioned...

    ComaCalm's Corner

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  2. @ComaCalm
    hehe, you can come out from under the table.

    Yeah, the old covers are kinda dated but I loved that they gave you a scene from the book, it was the front cover of the first that got me into the series...so maybe I am a bit biased :)

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  3. +JMJ+

    Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quintet have gone through many different editions of covers. In the introduction to the late 90s editions, she said she is happy about cover updates in general, because they mean that books mean different things to people at different times. I guess that when you're the author, that's a really great affirmation of the timelessness of your work? =)

    The original covers of The Green Rider series remind me of the covers on my copies of the Dark is Rising sequence. Not all of them show scenes from the story, but they do reflect what each installment is about. There are, I think, fewer and fewer of those types of covers lately; designers seem to be going for more stylish interpretations of a book. Such as the new Green Rider books! =P

    But they are very pretty--and they look classy in a way that the more action-packed original covers don't. I think they'll attract a wider set of readers to Kristen Britain's work. Not sure why there's a winged horse on all of them when there's no winged horse in the series, though. LOL!

    I agree about wanting all the covers in a series I'm collecting to match. The least the publishers could do is wait until all the books have been published using the old theme, before reissuing titles under the new theme.

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  4. Oh, this is just one of those things that drives me batty!
    Why do they change the covers, why?

    It drove me nuts with Princess Diaries, because they are 10 book sand I got like three or four different styles among them. And I'm like WHY?
    Do publishers actually expect me to re-buy all the books I own so the covers match? I sometimes feel like thats what they try to do with their cover switcharoo.

    About your books, I like the original covers. I got Horse overload with the others though they are kind of pretty, they are just TOO similar with one another.

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  5. While the new covers are pretty, I have to agree with you. I don't like it when a cover changes halfway through a series; very annoying. The originals are usually picked for a reason and should stick.

    Great post! :)

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  6. I wish they would've waited till the series was over, because I will be quite cross if the cover for the fifth book is like the new ones and doesn't match the rest of the books that I own.

    Even though the original covers looked a little bit like they were from the late 80s to early 90s I still think they did a better job representing the series then these new ones with pegasi on them. The new ones are pretty, but in no way do they give the reader a glimpse of what the series is actually about.

    Sorry if I kind of ranted in my comment, but thanks for pointing out the new covers. :)

    Orchid
    The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

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  7. @Enbrethiliel

    I know right! What is with the winged horses thing? Total misrepresentation of what the books are about *grumble grumble*

    Yeah, I really wish that publishers would do that - wait for the whole series to be out.

    But who are we to question the logic lol

    :)

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  8. @Alex (A Girl, Books and OtherThings)

    Yeah, I think it is all part of a money making master plan. They know hoe much we love our book collections and try to g et as much money out of us as they can. GRRR. A bit like DVD moving to BluRay I suppose. Trying to get us to re-but things.

    Yip, agree with the horse overload. They are soo similar...there is just no imagination.

    :)

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  9. @Amy

    Thanks Amy :)

    This is a bit of a pet peeve of mine especially as it seems to be happening more and more lately...

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  10. @Orchid

    You rant away all you want :)

    I don't know if the cover change is everywhere for this series or just in the UK...(?). It does seem a little bizarre that with book 4 just out they would immediately change the cover design...seems a little random to me.

    The pegasi just don't draw me into picking up the novel the way that the old covers did. I'll miss the old art work that's for sure.

    :)

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  11. I actually like the new covers, too - I'd pick them up before the old covers, to be honest. *hides*

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