One would think these principles of cover design to be universal, and yet I’m staring at a couple Japanese novels on my desk, and can’t help but wonder if the standards of design are a little bit different (read: awesome) there. Japanese bestsellers, especially foreign titles, are often printed as bunko, which are similar in form and function to mass market paperbacks in the West. They do tend to be a bit shorter and slimmer than Western paperbacks however, and are usually only about two hundred pages long. Because of this length restriction, many Western bestsellers are often split up into multiple volumes. These criteria mean that cover designers have less space to work on per book, but potentially more books available. You might also notice an almost universal trend of more numerous and larger typographic elements on Japanese covers. As my team has been working on a YA cover, I’m specifically interested in that market. As a teaching example of YA cover design differences between Japan and America, one need look no further than America’s favorite dystopian series about ritual teen murder and bird-themed rebellion: The Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games
Happy Halloween!
By Robyn BestHappy Halloween, my fiendish, book-loving friends! Today is a special day. In fact, today may be my favorite day. Today is All Hallow’s Eve. Most of you might think today is about monsters, candy, and outright creepiness, but I like to think of this macabre holiday in a different light. So let me begin again: […]
Summer Reading List Part Three: Books You Should Not Be Reading This Summer
By Rebekah HuntIn view of the spectacular success of my first two summer reading list blogs (we’re talking Facebook likes in the upper threes, people), I feel I would be remiss in not cramming one more in before the back to school sales end and the leaves start to change. You people seem to love when I […]
What the Heck is New-Adult Fiction?
By Ooligan Pressby Rebekah Hunt If you’re getting old like me, you’re probably feeling more and more confused by what all the young people are up to these days. Now, that’s a joke, and I know I’m not anywhere near getting old, but sometimes I happen across a whole new cultural phenomenon that makes me feel like […]