Do you always use the provided book cover?

ownedbycats · 12-10-2022, 12:35 PM

Do you always use the book cover provided by the publisher, or do you sometimes use covers from different editions?

(Excluding more generic covers like those godawful Project Gutenberg ones.)

Sirtel · 12-10-2022, 12:42 PM

Mostly the provided cover, but not always. If the provided cover is a generic one, I'll usually change it, and sometimes also when I just don't like the provided cover at all.

That said, many of my books are so recent that they don't have another cover, so it's the provided cover or nothing.

BionicGecko · 12-10-2022, 12:47 PM

I do change the cover at times when the one provided by the publisher is not to my taste, but generally I stick with the default one.

This being said, I have been more inclined lately to change the cover, with the last Kindle firmware update making covers visible on the main page for personal documents on the Kindle cloud.

ZodWallop · 12-10-2022, 01:04 PM

One of my favorite things about ebooks is the way that it enables midlist authors from the past to bring their books back into print. But these books tend to have awful new covers, while odds are that the original book had a beautiful (or beautifully lurid) painted cover. That was what sold these midlist books.

Those are almost always changed by me.

DiapDealer · 12-10-2022, 01:17 PM

I don't "use" cover images at all. Read books. Frame art.

issybird · 12-10-2022, 01:18 PM

I mostly can’t be bothered, although sometimes I change those awful generic Penguin ones that only have the bird with no title, no author.

j.p.s · 12-10-2022, 01:31 PM

I've never changed a cover and almost never see one. Years ago, I would sometimes go to the cover out of curiosity when I opened a book for the first time, but stopped doing that because it poisons the back button on kindles.

Karellen · 12-10-2022, 01:35 PM

If I own the pbook version, I change the ebook cover to match.

If I don't like the cover the ebook is released with, I change it.

Dazrin · 12-10-2022, 02:06 PM

The only time I see the covers is when I check them out of the library or when I go to Amazon to send them to my Kindle.

If I select a book in Calibre it will show the cover, but I had to open it up to verify that it happened at all. I just don't use it much.

My Kindle stays in list mode and doesn't show covers even when I open the book most of the time, it skips straight to the beginning. Unless there is a graphic in the book I'm reading, the only graphic I ever see with my Kindle is the "lady with a telescope" saying "your next great read is waiting." I never bothered to turn off ads but leave the Kindle offline unless getting a book and then I immediately turn it off, so it doesn't have time to update the ads and just stays that way.

Quoth · 12-10-2022, 04:28 PM

Very often I'm buying re-released old titles as ebooks. I want the original covers. Also very many older books have "fresh" covers that are irrelevant to content in an attempt to cash in on some unrelated TV or streaming series.

Mostly I only see the cover in Calibre or if I leave the ereader cover open and it goes to sleep.

Tarana · 12-10-2022, 04:57 PM

If I hate the cover, I look for another version of the book and replace it. In most cases, it was an old title reissued with a new cover OR the cover has been replaced by the movie version. Some don't bother me such as the current cover for the Lord of the Rings titles (black with mountain).

ownedbycats · 12-10-2022, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tarana

Some don't bother me such as the current cover for the Lord of the Rings titles (black with mountain).

Are you referring to the ones that take on this style? (I've actually not read the LOTR trilogy yet! It's a planned Christmas purchase though

)

tomsem · 12-10-2022, 05:26 PM

As many books import to calibre without a cover (as such), or a low resolution one, I sometimes have to pick a new one. I generally go with whatever it currently looks like on Amazon.

If I'm downloading to the Kindle app directly from Amazon I do not care what it looks like.

Apache · 12-10-2022, 05:31 PM

Put me in the camp of if I do not like the cover, I change it.
Apoache

ZodWallop · 12-10-2022, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Are you referring to the ones that take on this style? (I've actually not read the LOTR trilogy yet! It's a planned Christmas purchase though

)

Since that's just a spin on the original Hobbit cover, it'd be hard to have issues with it.

12-10-2022, 12:35 PM	#1
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 8,620 Karma: 61176603 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	Do you always use the provided book cover? Do you always use the book cover provided by the publisher, or do you sometimes use covers from different editions? (Excluding more generic covers like those godawful Project Gutenberg ones.)

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12-10-2022, 12:42 PM	#2
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 10,129 Karma: 224760044 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	Mostly the provided cover, but not always. If the provided cover is a generic one, I'll usually change it, and sometimes also when I just don't like the provided cover at all. That said, many of my books are so recent that they don't have another cover, so it's the provided cover or nothing.

12-10-2022, 12:47 PM	#3
BionicGecko Addict Posts: 204 Karma: 1500001 Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Czech Republic Device: Kindle Voyage, Oasis 3 and Scribe	I do change the cover at times when the one provided by the publisher is not to my taste, but generally I stick with the default one. This being said, I have been more inclined lately to change the cover, with the last Kindle firmware update making covers visible on the main page for personal documents on the Kindle cloud.

12-10-2022, 01:04 PM	#4
ZodWallop Gentleman and scholar Posts: 10,990 Karma: 108312789 Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Space City, Texas Device: Clara HD; Nook ST w/Glowlight, (2015) Glowlight Plus, Paperwhite 3	One of my favorite things about ebooks is the way that it enables midlist authors from the past to bring their books back into print. But these books tend to have awful new covers, while odds are that the original book had a beautiful (or beautifully lurid) painted cover. That was what sold these midlist books. Those are almost always changed by me.

12-10-2022, 01:17 PM	#5
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 27,549 Karma: 193191846 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I don't "use" cover images at all. Read books. Frame art.

12-10-2022, 01:18 PM	#6
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 20,228 Karma: 222235366 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5	I mostly can’t be bothered, although sometimes I change those awful generic Penguin ones that only have the bird with no title, no author.

12-10-2022, 01:31 PM	#7
j.p.s Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,278 Karma: 98804578 Join Date: Apr 2011 Device: pb360	I've never changed a cover and almost never see one. Years ago, I would sometimes go to the cover out of curiosity when I opened a book for the first time, but stopped doing that because it poisons the back button on kindles.

12-10-2022, 01:35 PM	#8
Karellen Wizard Posts: 1,094 Karma: 4911876 Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2	If I own the pbook version, I change the ebook cover to match. If I don't like the cover the ebook is released with, I change it.

12-10-2022, 02:06 PM	#9
Dazrin Wizard Posts: 2,631 Karma: 73864785 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: PDXish Device: Kindle Voyage, various Android devices	The only time I see the covers is when I check them out of the library or when I go to Amazon to send them to my Kindle. If I select a book in Calibre it will show the cover, but I had to open it up to verify that it happened at all. I just don't use it much. My Kindle stays in list mode and doesn't show covers even when I open the book most of the time, it skips straight to the beginning. Unless there is a graphic in the book I'm reading, the only graphic I ever see with my Kindle is the "lady with a telescope" saying "your next great read is waiting." I never bothered to turn off ads but leave the Kindle offline unless getting a book and then I immediately turn it off, so it doesn't have time to update the ads and just stays that way.

12-10-2022, 04:28 PM	#10
Quoth the rook, bossing Never. Posts: 11,158 Karma: 85874891 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper11	Very often I'm buying re-released old titles as ebooks. I want the original covers. Also very many older books have "fresh" covers that are irrelevant to content in an attempt to cash in on some unrelated TV or streaming series. Mostly I only see the cover in Calibre or if I leave the ereader cover open and it goes to sleep.

12-10-2022, 04:57 PM	#11
Tarana Wizard Posts: 3,979 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	If I hate the cover, I look for another version of the book and replace it. In most cases, it was an old title reissued with a new cover OR the cover has been replaced by the movie version. Some don't bother me such as the current cover for the Lord of the Rings titles (black with mountain).

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12-10-2022, 05:26 PM	#13
tomsem Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,478 Karma: 26425959 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: USA Device: iPhone 15PM, Kindle Scribe, iPad mini 6, PocketBook InkPad Color 3	As many books import to calibre without a cover (as such), or a low resolution one, I sometimes have to pick a new one. I generally go with whatever it currently looks like on Amazon. If I'm downloading to the Kindle app directly from Amazon I do not care what it looks like.

12-10-2022, 05:31 PM	#14
Apache Readaholic Posts: 5,137 Karma: 89858112 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"	Put me in the camp of if I do not like the cover, I change it. Apoache