My biggest Nitpick: Book Covers

[010rusty]

Considering I haven't posted a thread in awhile, I figured what better way to return than to complain about something that doesn't matter!

If you know me you know how much I prefer physical media over digital. I love having book shelf filled with big bulky books to display. However, maybe it's just me but magic books seem to have THE WORST COVERS in the history of literature. I like to be able to admire and stare at my collection but this becomes difficult when the cover doesn't offer much. I understand art is subjective so this is only the opinion of one catfish obsessed magician. That being said the cover of magic books are poorly made especially when compared to other literature and should DRASTICALLY change.
Firstly, I would like to bring to the jury's attention to the cover of an all time classic

ROYAL ROAD TO CARD MAGIC

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Sure, it is bold colored and simplistic. Clearly a result of its time. The bland over-sized font and clear back round shows a library user what they are renting, but in my opinion in a very insufficient way. So when it was redone it looked like...

This is a significant improvement. I love the nice blue background perfectly matched with amazing illustrations. Clearly an unaware book buyer would quickly realize what is the contents of this book. ...but I still think improvements could be made. Here is a quick pitch: Imagine a literal road where the lines in the middle are made of playing card suits along with street signs along the side of the road marked with these beautiful illustrations that read "The palm 82 miles up" (Or alternatively fanning "82 pages up") Then "riffle shuffling 28 miles up", and so on and so forth. Maybe you think that's stupid and I'm sure if you feel that way you are not the only one.
Now many of you may believe I am taking this too far. However if you look to other book covers you might be able to understand my frustration. Take for example the classic Bradbury piece:

FAHRENHEIT 451

This elegant cover is just as creative as it is beautiful. The usage of colors set a beautiful mood. The layout of text is simply unmatched (pun unintended) by any other cover. It gives the viewr a great sense of curiosity, while a prior reader will smile ear to ear and such a creative drawing. Truly one of the best due to its simplicity and astoundingly thoughtful creativity. Another example comes in the form of the satirical Anti-Communistic George Orwell novel:

ANIMAL FARM

This cover matches both the tone and mood of the book perfectly. Just looking at this could both make you crack a smile and also feel a little menacing. This artist had an amazing ability to design a meaningful cover that fills the viewer with as many emotions and the book fills the reader. This makes it perfect on any and every shelf. All this being said, not a single list of great book covers could be complete without

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

This is the definition of simplistically brilliant. just a quick glance is pleasing to the eyes due to the BEAUTIFUL color scheme and amazing font. There isn't even too much to say about this one. You look at the book confused at what it is and when you finish reading you'll realize that was the author's intention. So although many argue that a book's cover is simply a last second thought and a "useless add-on", it should be clear that a book's cover can greatly improve the overall product no matter the genre or age.
To end us off I would like to present what I believe to be THE MOST DISAPPOINTING COVER in the history of life its self. One of the biggest topics of discussion among magicians is of course the mystery surrounding S.W Erndnase, and subsequently his book "EXPERT AT THE CARD TABLE". Every year new magicians will come into the art and be suggested this "Bible". So it only made sense to release a softcover and cheaper edition. That is when in 1995 Dover absolutely dropped the ball when they released this:

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So bland it'll dry your tongue without proper eye protection. Ugly background color. The average laymen running across this at a store or library will be beyond baffled at this. Given this shouldn't be that big of a surprise considering Dover is known to produce the same cover on different books

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However this behavior is just inexcusable. Taking a drawing from a random page, coloring it and slapping some text lower what should instead enhance the book. Maagicians spend unbelievably hours on their books, therefor the first thing the reader sees should reflect that. That is why it is our duty to not stand for this a push forward for new creative book covers that improve our book shelf and help us truly appreciate what we so easily forget. Thank you.

Now of course who am i to say? I'm not an artist in anyway shape or form. However i will put my money where my mouth is. In one day on MSN paint I designed this:

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Obviously it doesn't look good. Its a sup-par idea without an art style. So now, it is your turn to be the critic. What do you think. And if anyone out there does like it, after your done with your eye surgery feel free to buy the rights to EATCT and get a real expert card mechanic like Richard Turner, Jason England, or yourself to help write comments at the end of each chapter put this as the cover and release it as an E-book! Boom its a money printer just send me 75% royalties and we are done!

P.S. Here are some covers that just didn't make the final cut of the essay. Enjoy

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This has too much blank space and the center piece photograph is just not a great representation of the amazingness of what is within.

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One of my all time favorite books, but this cover gives off a bad impression. It looks, silly, kiddy, childish, but is really a BRILLIANT, and amazing book on the art. This book proves that you can't judge a book by it's cover because it might look like a kitty but it PACKS A PUNCH. Highly recommended.

This very well might be my favorite book on magic. Great theory, and great tricks from a great man. But it's just a stereotypical L&L publishing template, but this book is so much more than "ANOTHER L&L book" it's really great and I wish it had a really great cover to help it stand out. It doesn't even have the illustrator's name on it!!!! (Which is Michael's wife BTW).

And of course not all are bad here are my favorites

Crazy and bold. Perfect summary of the book!

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OH MAN! This is just outstanding! Honestly one of my favorite book covers of all time, not just magic related

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There we have it! A pretty big waste of time but I hope you enjoyed it! Oh and if your wondering why there were no DM covers... oh thats a thread for another day...

 

[scottbaird]

I like the ideas presented in this thread! As both an artist and a magician/writer with a magic book in the works, this is really speaking to me at this moment in time.

Would love your thoughts on how to make my book cover more interesting. I have the start of an idea here, but it's not finalized yet.

 

[Scodischarge]

I like the ideas you talk about (even though your taste in book covers isn't my favorite ). But I think there are some beautiful book covers in magic, and especially Vanishing Inc. is great at designing them. Examples:
The Darkest Corners has a cover that perfectly matches the title, with glossy black letters on black background.
Epilogue and Chronicles (the deluxe editions) have beautiful gold foil text and decorations adorning the black cover.
Pure Imagination's cover sets the mood for magic with a rather playful theme, as well as hinting at the Willy Wonka theme in the book.

I totally agree that we should have a higher standard in magic, because, like you, I love books with a well-designed cover. And if a book has beautiful routines, the cover should show that as well.

PS: If this post counts as advertisement for Vanishing Inc., the moderators can feel free to censor parts of it

 

[PGoutis01]

Great thread!

One of my all time favorite covers. And in general I love the way this book looks. But, it's all asthetics...

In my opinion, this is a much better book, and cheaper. Yet the cover sucks. (And really I'm not a huge Ortiz fan, but this book is just amazing)

 

[010rusty]

I like the ideas presented in this thread! As both an artist and a magician/writer with a magic book in the works, this is really speaking to me at this moment in time.

Would love your thoughts on how to make my book cover more interesting. I have the start of an idea here, but it's not finalized yet.

View attachment 4353

LOVE THAT COVER! looking forward to the full book!

I like the ideas you talk about (even though your taste in book covers isn't my favorite ).

Glad we can respectfully agree to disagree, however...

The Darkest Corners has a cover that perfectly matches the title, with glossy black letters on black background.
Epilogue and Chronicles (the deluxe editions) have beautiful gold foil text and decorations adorning the black cover.
Pure Imagination's cover sets the mood for magic with a rather playful theme, as well as hinting at the Willy Wonka theme in the book.

WE completely agree on these particular book covers

One of my all time favorite covers. And in general I love the way this book looks. But, it's all asthetics...

The photo itself is incredibly beautiful and even poster worthy.

In my opinion, this is a much better book, and cheaper. Yet the cover sucks. (And really I'm not a huge Ortiz fan, but this book is just amazing)

This one was in my notes but I let it slide because I don't have a copy, and didn't think i could make genuine commentary off it.

I like the ideas presented in this thread!

Great thread!

I like the ideas you talk about

Lastly,I want to say how much I appreciate your kind words! I had this thread in my head for a couple days, but held back on actually researching and doing it because I assumed it was just something only I cared about.

THANKS!​

 

[PGoutis01]

The photo itself is incredibly beautiful and even poster worthy.

Dan Buck has been posting videos every so often from his office and he has a poster of that picture on his wall. The whole book is beautiful. And I'm glad I own it for that reason alone.

This one was in my notes but I let it slide because I don't have a copy, and didn't think i could make genuine commentary off it.

If you're a fan of Erdnase, this is a must own, in my opinion. It's incredibly detailed and adds a ton to the book. I can't recommend it enough. And it's not a bad price at all considering what you're getting. I think it's $45 (compared to the $75 of the Vernon version - which only really adds 50 pages to Expert).

 

[010rusty]

OH MAN! I can’t believe I forgot one of my favorites

I personally love this one, but I might be alone on that.

 

[Scodischarge]

I don't know the book, but the cover looks awesome.

One book I forgot to mention above is the other EATCT book cover:

(Yeah, maybe I'm just a sucker for gold lettering.)

 

[010rusty]

I don't know the book, but the cover looks awesome.

One book I forgot to mention above is the other EATCT book cover:

(Yeah, maybe I'm just a sucker for gold lettering.)

One word to describe it:
ICONIC

 

[010rusty]

What do you know @Scodischarge was right. I got an email from vanishing Inc. today for...

I LOVE THIS COVER

 

[Scodischarge]

I was this close to mentioning it, but figured it would just convince people that I'm on their paycheck.
Book titles and book covers, that what V's really good at. Oh, and the magic isn't bad, either.

 

[010rusty]

I was this close to mentioning it, but figured it would just convince people that I'm on their paycheck.
Book titles and book covers, that what V's really good at. Oh, and the magic isn't bad, either.

Hey I’m not working with Vanishing Inc. but judging by their book covers I wouldn’t mind being a spokesmodel for free books in return

 

[DaveWmson]

As someone who worked in the book industry for about 20 yrs...here's my 2 cents worth.

Books on magic represent an absolutely miniscule portion of overall sales. That's why it's so hard to go into a bookstore and find titles actually on the shelf...for those of us still going to bookstores. We all wish it was otherwise.
EATCT, RRTCM and similar titles, the publisher doesn't spend much time on, mainly for two reasons. First, those are books that are considered classics and sell at the fairly steady rate, no matter what the cover is or the time of year. The sales rate would be the same no matter what the cover looks like. Remember, it's a numbers game. Secondly, at the rate books are released every year, resources will be spent on the new titles, not on books that have sold for 40 or 50 years pretty much at the same rate. Personally, as a merchandising manager for the only remaining real book chain in the country, I thought the cover for The Fault in our Stars was too plain. Frankly, John Green had such a following from the YA community that it would have been a bestseller no matter the cover. Luckily, since the magic community has grown quite a bit in the last decade or so, more smaller publishers are willing to get into the game. The smaller publishers can do a better job because they don't deal with the shear magnitude of manuscripts submitted each year. PLUS a lot of stuff is being printed overseas. Just because a publisher's offices are in states it doesn't mean a thing. A LOT of Penguin, RH, S&S,Little Brown,McMillan, Baker & Taylor, Chronicle etc titles are printed overseas. There's a lot that goes into publishing a book, lots of little wheels. Lots of times the cover will change between the hardcover and softcover releases of the same title. Sometimes the publishing rights get sold, sometimes the printing costs more so the artwork is changed, sometimes the cover is changes to try to garner higher sales....you get the idea. Frankly people DO judge a book by it's cover. Just look at the number of new release books with red covers around Christmas time...often an older title will be re-released with a new cover too. Without going into too much more detail, yes I agree that magic books need better covers. That's where the authors and publishers need to work closer together. Especially in magic, where EVERYTHING is about perception, and reveling in the unexpected, authors need to make it clear they will not settle on a mediocre cover. But I have also seen the quality of covers for new releases has been getting better, and that is a direct result of people having a bigger voice and the book companies acknowledging that this is a growing community, mainly the 14-30 year olds who still have a lot of buying ahead of them.

 

[EndersGame]

Firstly, I would like to bring to the jury's attention to the cover of an all time classic

ROYAL ROAD TO CARD MAGIC

​

Sure, it is bold colored and simplistic. Clearly a result of its time. The bland over-sized font and clear back round shows a library user what they are renting, but in my opinion in a very insufficient way. So when it was redone it looked like...

This is a significant improvement. I love the nice blue background perfectly matched with amazing illustrations. Clearly an unaware book buyer would quickly realize what is the contents of this book. ...but I still think improvements could be made. Here is a quick pitch: Imagine a literal road where the lines in the middle are made of playing card suits along with street signs along the side of the road marked with these beautiful illustrations that read "The palm 82 miles up" (Or alternatively fanning "82 pages up") Then "riffle shuffling 28 miles up", and so on and so forth. Maybe you think that's stupid and I'm sure if you feel that way you are not the only one.

Actually they have redone this again - you're missing the latest version of the cover, which looks like this:

PS: Great idea for a thread!

 

[MohanaMisra]

Yay. Reading this thread made me realise that I've never judged a book by it's cover (literally speaking).

Also, I understand the tone of this thread and everything, but just saying, one might do well to think why The Octopus Could Palm (with it's honestly brilliant cover) isn't bought as much as the ECT or RRTCM or Mark Wilson's book, and the reason isn't just difficulty.

 

[010rusty]

@DaveWmson Ah! An expert on the topic! Very glad to have a professional opinion, but yes I always knew that magic books don’t FLY off the shelf in a casual market. Most how-to and DIY books usually have a specific audience to cater to. I guess I just never noticed the pattern was that all the covers I didn’t like were published by a broad publishing company but the covers I do like are stereotypically magic based.It does makes sense that a non magic company like Dover whose main audience isn’t typically magicians will never hire Pablo Picasso a million dollars to paint a cover that won’t effect book sales positively or negatively. But like @MohanaMisra said Art of Play who’s core audience is those who fancy some sleight of hand are willing to produce a higher quality cover to cater to ITS AUDIENCE despite the fact it’ll sell less than EATCT which can be purchased at the typical American Walmart for 5 bucks. This also explains why Dover just uses the same stock photo for books because no matter what’s on the front people will always purchase Frankenstein.
So I think we all learned a valuable lesson on knowing your audience and how publishers make decisions based on them. Yeah, who would’ve ever guessed one OF MY THREADS could teach you something!

Actually they have redone this again - you're missing the latest version of the cover, which looks like this:

PS: Great idea for a thread!

thank you! Glad you like the idea. I’m actually surprised I never ran across this cover. It’s actually kinda nice. I understand they decided to bring out the words “CARD TRICKS” so a casual audience will know what is within, but not so sure I agree with making the title significantly smaller. If I had no knowledge of the book and ran across this I’d assume the title of the book was CARD TRICKS, and the tag line/slogan was “royal road to card magic”
Bold choice indeed

 

[EndersGame]

I’m actually surprised I never ran across this cover. It’s actually kinda nice. I understand they decided to bring out the words “CARD TRICKS” so a casual audience will know what is within, but not so sure I agree with making the title significantly smaller. If I had no knowledge of the book and ran across this I’d assume the title of the book was CARD TRICKS, and the tag line/slogan was “royal road to card magic”. Bold choice indeed

You're right, it must have been a marketing decision, to emphasize the content to people unfamiliar with the classic nature of the book, and who might pick it up off the shelf in a book-store.

 

[obrienmagic]

Rate mine on a scale from 1-10!

 

[010rusty]

I give it a very solid 9/10. It is a very first glance book cover. Perfect for a magic book. At first glance it appears like a normal fine dining situation, but you notice something is different the longer you stare. Great job my man!

 

[obrienmagic]

I give it a very solid 9/10. It is a very first glance book cover. Perfect for a magic book. At first glance it appears like a normal fine dining situation, but you notice something is different the longer you stare. Great job my man!

Aww shucks! Thanks!