Just got a copy of the Secret History, and there is a large badge on the cover that says “From the author of the goldfinch”, it’s totally jarring and it’s permanent. These things use to be stickers but now it’s printed on. It makes the cover so ugly. I can’t stand when publishers put an ad for Netflix or Amazon on their covers. I don’ t need to be advertised to on an item I own!!! For the sake of making me \*maybe\* buy the book once, I now have to look at the ad for the book for the rest of my life? Why aren’t these stickers? I return books when they come like this.
by shadowfax416
7 Comments
I’ve avoided buying anything that looks like it might have permanent stickers. I have limited space and want only pretty books. I can get an ugly book from the library if it’s something I really want to read.
>I now how to look at the ad for the book for the rest of my life?
Realistically, you don’t spend that much time looking at the cover of a book. On a shelf it’s likely only the spine you see. And book covers *are* part of the advertising for the book anyway. They’re not a necessary part of the story – it’s just to get your attention and to buy it in the first place.
I haven’t seen a “I hate stickers/badges on book covers” post in a while.
Maybe we’re finally moving on from “DAE Hoover bad?” posts lol.
But really, how often do you even look at a book cover after reading it?
I agree. I care for my books. I do not want ads on the cover art.
I hate it too, it’s really irritating 😠
Probably because their marketing department did the math and found “new sales from advertising other books on the cover > lost sales from people upset about the ad.”
The ‘why’ of it seems obvious enough. Not even sure if it qualifies as cynical.
The ‘how’ is more interesting to me. I wonder what proportion of people that sort of advertising actually appeals to.