Cover Art or lack there of... - Page 2

AnemicOak · 07-16-2010, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

I also read today that if you download the .mobi files from Smashwords.com the cover art does not appear on Kindles.

It doesn't appear on any Mobi reader as far as I can remember. It doesn't appear to make it through their conversion process.

BearMountainBooks · 07-16-2010, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

It doesn't appear on any Mobi reader as far as I can remember. It doesn't appear to make it through their conversion process.

Yup that is what I read. But I believe you can include a graphic inside the "document" and that will make it through. So it's something that I'm looking at doing for Smashwords as well as Amazon now.

I do like to have the cover art. It tends to remind me of why I bought a book. I also put the back blurb (or summary) at the front of the book for that same reason. My TBR, like everyone's, is large. Sometimes it's nice to have that info right there at the front! (It was done by reader request--I was not brilliant enough to think of it on my own!)

Maria

boswd · 07-16-2010, 02:50 PM

I love using the color book cover art on my nook. It usually brings up converstation on the train in

Is it a deal breaker? no. but it does add to the overall experience in a very nice way. We have the technology why not take advantage of it.

Is cordless phone necessary no but sure beats using a rotary phone.

Mickey330 · 07-16-2010, 03:06 PM

I like cover art. For me, and for some reason, the book doesn't seem complete without a cover - be it a real paper book or an e-book.

That being said, if I get an e-book without a cover, I'll just find one on Google images and use Calibre to put it with my book, even if I have to convert ePub to ePub...

As I have that option, I voted "It's nice, but not a deal breaker."

Marilyn

FlorenceArt · 07-16-2010, 03:20 PM

To be honest, for most American editions I'd be happy to get rid of the cover art. I guess it's a culture thing, French book covers are much more sober, and IMHO look much better.

But anyway, I have my Opus set up to display tiny thumbnails and big titles, so I can't see much of the image anyway (which, again, is a blessing for most books

).

I don't mind if there is an image, but I won't lose sleep if it's not there.

jgaiser · 07-16-2010, 04:03 PM

I voted "Doesn't Matter", but that said, I still enjoy seeing Original covers. Just doesn't prevent me from buying the ebook.

Fbone · 07-16-2010, 06:57 PM

The cover gives me an idea (hopefully) what the book is about.

If I see generous cleavage, then I expect ...
If I see a bloody knife protruding from a man's head, then I expect ...
If I see a spaceship, then I expect ...
If I see a mob of roaming "undead", then I expect ...
If I see swirling pastel colors, then I expect ...

The covers that only display the title and author are vexing as I now have to click further to discover it's classification.

GA Russell · 07-16-2010, 07:59 PM

As Sweetpea has said, having the cover is nice, but I don't care.

russellmz00 · 07-16-2010, 08:05 PM

one of the links here pointed me to a blog post about a drm decrypter. the blog post did an example with an ebook and after the drm was stripped it showed the cover was prevented from being displayed by the drm.

Lady Fitzgerald · 07-16-2010, 10:58 PM

If I have a choice between a book with a cover and one without (assuming no DRM), I'd be all over the one with the cover, even if cost a bit more. However, no cover is a deal breaker. One thing nice about scanning paper books is I get all the cover art. Maybe someday, when more publishers are producing higher volumes of e-books, they will include all the cover art. Then again, maybe not since that art is intended to catch one's eye while the physical book is on the shelf and the blurbs try to entice the potential reader to buy the darned thing. Online, they accomplish that with the online blurb and front cover only.

One thing that bites me when downloading legal mp3s of music albums, they do not have all the cover art available. You can usually find the front cover, sometimes where the download is found, but rarely, very rarely, front and back covers and the inside pages, which often have valuable (for me) information. I'm seeing a group (Wicked Tinkers) perform this weekend and will buy their albums I don't already have instead of paying less than half for the downloads just so I can get the cover art even though I'm going to rip the CDs to high quality mp3s, scan the cover art, then destroy the originals.

banjobama · 07-17-2010, 12:39 AM

I like the books to have covers, and like Fbone said, it gives an idea, albeit a small one, what the book will be like.

If the book is free then I don't complain and it's not a deal breaker but I prefer them to have covers. To me it's just part of making a book.

gastan · 07-17-2010, 09:17 AM

I get a book to read the book, not look at a picture. It doesn't matter to me at all if the file lacks a cover.

dougf4 · 07-17-2010, 09:56 AM

I do not care about the cover art.

Once I have verified that a newly downloaded book is properly formatted I always "back out" (exit) of the book at the beginning of Chapter 1 leaving the cover, TOC, etc. out in la-la-land.

L.J. Sellers · 07-17-2010, 10:12 AM

Many print book readers still strongly associate cover art with the story. It helps them catalog and remember the story. Good cover art will catch my attention and lead me to read the book's description, which will lead me to buy it and read it.

Of course, the effectiveness of cover art is in the eye of the beholder. Here's a link to an article about the cover art for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I'm not crazy about this cover, but it's certainly distinctive.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/0..._n_648859.html
L.J.

J. Strnad · 07-18-2010, 06:32 PM

Yep, definitely want cover art! Although I just downloaded Edmond Hamilton's City at World's End from MobileReads and had a good time tracking down the original (cheesy) cover art from 1951 that, for all I know, has nothing to do with the story.

View Poll Results: Is cover art a big deal?
Yes, it's a necessity for all ebooks.	49	39.84%
It's nice, but not a deal breaker.	60	48.78%
It doesn't matter in the slightest, I just want to read the book.	13	10.57%
As long as it's blue I don't care.	1	0.81%
Voters: 123. You may not vote on this poll

07-16-2010, 10:58 PM	#25
Lady Fitzgerald Wizard Posts: 2,013 Karma: 251649 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tempe, AZ, USA, Earth Device: JetBook Lite (away from home) + 1 spare, 32" TV (at home)	If I have a choice between a book with a cover and one without (assuming no DRM), I'd be all over the one with the cover, even if cost a bit more. However, no cover is a deal breaker. One thing nice about scanning paper books is I get all the cover art. Maybe someday, when more publishers are producing higher volumes of e-books, they will include all the cover art. Then again, maybe not since that art is intended to catch one's eye while the physical book is on the shelf and the blurbs try to entice the potential reader to buy the darned thing. Online, they accomplish that with the online blurb and front cover only. One thing that bites me when downloading legal mp3s of music albums, they do not have all the cover art available. You can usually find the front cover, sometimes where the download is found, but rarely, very rarely, front and back covers and the inside pages, which often have valuable (for me) information. I'm seeing a group (Wicked Tinkers) perform this weekend and will buy their albums I don't already have instead of paying less than half for the downloads just so I can get the cover art even though I'm going to rip the CDs to high quality mp3s, scan the cover art, then destroy the originals. Last edited by Lady Fitzgerald; 07-16-2010 at 11:04 PM.

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07-16-2010, 02:50 PM	#18
boswd Banned Posts: 2,391 Karma: 1001781 Join Date: May 2010 Device: The Nook, Nook color and Droid X	I love using the color book cover art on my nook. It usually brings up converstation on the train in Is it a deal breaker? no. but it does add to the overall experience in a very nice way. We have the technology why not take advantage of it. Is cordless phone necessary no but sure beats using a rotary phone.

07-16-2010, 03:06 PM	#19
Mickey330 Addict Posts: 378 Karma: 1107420 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Western New York state (USA) Device: Kindle Oasis & the Kindle app on iDevices	I like cover art. For me, and for some reason, the book doesn't seem complete without a cover - be it a real paper book or an e-book. That being said, if I get an e-book without a cover, I'll just find one on Google images and use Calibre to put it with my book, even if I have to convert ePub to ePub... As I have that option, I voted "It's nice, but not a deal breaker." Marilyn

07-16-2010, 03:20 PM	#20
FlorenceArt High Priestess Posts: 5,761 Karma: 5042529 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreuil sous bois, France Device: iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone 6 Plus	To be honest, for most American editions I'd be happy to get rid of the cover art. I guess it's a culture thing, French book covers are much more sober, and IMHO look much better. But anyway, I have my Opus set up to display tiny thumbnails and big titles, so I can't see much of the image anyway (which, again, is a blessing for most books ). I don't mind if there is an image, but I won't lose sleep if it's not there.

07-16-2010, 04:03 PM	#21
jgaiser Omnivorous Posts: 3,281 Karma: 27978909 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rural NW Oregon Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, KPW1	I voted "Doesn't Matter", but that said, I still enjoy seeing Original covers. Just doesn't prevent me from buying the ebook.

07-16-2010, 06:57 PM	#22
Fbone Is that a sandwich? Posts: 8,189 Karma: 100500000 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Nook Glowlight Plus	The cover gives me an idea (hopefully) what the book is about. If I see generous cleavage, then I expect ... If I see a bloody knife protruding from a man's head, then I expect ... If I see a spaceship, then I expect ... If I see a mob of roaming "undead", then I expect ... If I see swirling pastel colors, then I expect ... The covers that only display the title and author are vexing as I now have to click further to discover it's classification.

07-16-2010, 07:59 PM	#23
GA Russell Montreal wins Grey Cup! Posts: 7,583 Karma: 31484197 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	As Sweetpea has said, having the cover is nice, but I don't care.

07-16-2010, 08:05 PM	#24
russellmz00 Member Posts: 22 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: sony pocket reader	one of the links here pointed me to a blog post about a drm decrypter. the blog post did an example with an ebook and after the drm was stripped it showed the cover was prevented from being displayed by the drm.

07-17-2010, 12:39 AM	#26
banjobama Busy Read'n Posts: 980 Karma: 5039283 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Auburn, WA Device: Pocketbook Touch Lux 5	I like the books to have covers, and like Fbone said, it gives an idea, albeit a small one, what the book will be like. If the book is free then I don't complain and it's not a deal breaker but I prefer them to have covers. To me it's just part of making a book.

07-17-2010, 09:17 AM	#27
gastan Addict Posts: 221 Karma: 801624 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: US Pacific Northwest Device: LePan II, Kobo Aura	I get a book to read the book, not look at a picture. It doesn't matter to me at all if the file lacks a cover.

07-17-2010, 09:56 AM	#28
dougf4 Connoisseur Posts: 65 Karma: 838 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Nook Tablet (Rooted), jetbook lite	I do not care about the cover art. Once I have verified that a newly downloaded book is properly formatted I always "back out" (exit) of the book at the beginning of Chapter 1 leaving the cover, TOC, etc. out in la-la-land.

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07-17-2010, 10:12 AM	#29
L.J. Sellers Novelist Posts: 287 Karma: 387979 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Eugene, Oregon Device: Kindle	Many print book readers still strongly associate cover art with the story. It helps them catalog and remember the story. Good cover art will catch my attention and lead me to read the book's description, which will lead me to buy it and read it. Of course, the effectiveness of cover art is in the eye of the beholder. Here's a link to an article about the cover art for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I'm not crazy about this cover, but it's certainly distinctive. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/0..._n_648859.html L.J.

07-18-2010, 06:32 PM	#30
J. Strnad Guru Posts: 915 Karma: 3537194 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo, Kindle 3, Paperwhite	Yep, definitely want cover art! Although I just downloaded Edmond Hamilton's City at World's End from MobileReads and had a good time tracking down the original (cheesy) cover art from 1951 that, for all I know, has nothing to do with the story.