One thing I am noticing more and more these days, especially when it comes to YA books, is cover changes. Whether its because the book is not selling or some other reason, I still find it rather irritating. There are some books (examples to be shown later) that I have read, looked at the cover, and thought “wow! what a great cover! The cover goes really well with the overall story.” But when a year or so passes and the paperback is released, I am sometimes disappointed. I am usually in favor of the original cover, whether it was b/c I felt it went better with the story, or just because it was the original and I prefer it more to a changed cover.
Another issue that goes along with this discussion, is when there are cover changes mid-series (Examples to be shown below). While I can understand the reasoning behind this, it still bothers me at times. Changing the cover completely once it becomes paperback, does not give those who loved the original cover, a chance to own it in paperback if they never purchased/can no longer find the original cover. As a YA book buyer, it is just really weird having a book in a series/favorite book having different/mismatching covers.
However, I can also see the positives to cover changes. New cover artists are able to create a cover which they feel goes with the story and new readers can find a book maybe they never considered with the old cover.
Examples
What are your thoughts/feelings on cover changes?
