So what are your thoughts on the US (LHS) and UK (RHS) covers and titles? Which would entice you to pick the book up if you were not familiar with the books of Mark Billingham? One has a quote from Lee Child, the other from the Daily Mail.
If you have read it, how well do the covers/titles match the story?
Read the Euro Crime review by Geoff of Good as Dead.
US version looks more 'literary' than the UK one. But that can be true of a lot of US cover design. The UK one definitely works more for existing fans of Tom Thorne, though I'm not sure a quote from the Daily Mail helps or hinders... Did anyone ask Mark about that?
ReplyDeleteUS design gets thumbs up from me (I'm sure the publishers are mighty relieved!)
I would definitely be tempted to go for the UK version, for both title and cover: detective, crime scene, London - an enticing combination! I haven't read any of Mark Billingham's books yet, although I enjoyed the Thorne series on TV. The US version looks like the story of someone being held hostage in some far off country i.e. a completely different theme.
ReplyDeleteI am never convinced by quotes on the cover of books anyway, but would prefer to see one from another well-known author, than a newspaper :)
I have just taken a look on the product description on Amazon and seen that the story is indeed about a hostage situation, and for a US reader the UK is indeed a far off country! So just to clarify my previous comment, I meant the cover of The Demand looks to me more like a story about a hostage situation in a 'foreign' country, involving terrorists perhaps, rather than a UK detective novel.
ReplyDeleteI'm from the US but prefer the UK cover because at first glance it looks like the book will be a police procedural. The man in a suit on the US cover gives me the impression of a businessman or lawyer. I much prefer police procedurals to legal or business crime fiction.
ReplyDeleteI have read the book and I think the US cover and title is more indicative of what the story is about. ButI don't know that is really the purpose of title and cover selection for a publ. Most readers will take at least 30 seconds to scan story synopses to get a sense of plot before purchase, and secondly the US cover is somewhat dull compared to the UK one. It strikes me the main purpose of cover and title is to sell the book, not to inform, and I would think the UK book is better positioned to do that. But my real gripe with this whole issue is why should there be differences between the US and UK version? In our globalized cultured, these are not separate and distinct markets, and this multi-title nonsense confuses and sometimes misleads readers.
ReplyDelete