WOMEN RULE WRITER: Lit blog of Nuala O'Connor / Nuala Ní Chonchúir
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
SAME COVER IMAGE AS *YOU*
Wow, look at this, very weird. My friend found it, though I failed to ask her how she found it. Kar, how did you find this??!! Answer in comments please!
First time, blog surfing - clicking on the links along the side of blogs that links to other blogs reading things that take my fancy. I think I may have found it through ‘She is too fond of books’ blog, but I couldn’t find it again. I had a vague memory that the blog was something about she reads, I Goggled that and I found it…
Seems more than weird. I noticed an issue of Granta this summer had nearly the same cover as Aryn Kyle's collection Boys and Girls Like You and Me, published in April. Seems wrong. An infringement. Do you think?
Think that would freak me out a little at first. I suppose there is a large bank of images available to publishers, and they chose the same one. I have to confess to not knowing how this works, though. You sound okay about it. Different genres, I suppose. And, yes, I prefer yours.
Tom - my back cover says the image came from Trevillion Images. One would think though, as Merc says, that they would keep records for all users as to what has been used where. Ho hum. Nothing to be done now, eh?
Phewsh - I saw this as soon as your book came out - I went to my local bookstore keeper and harassed him about ordering your book, I was describing the book and got all excited for a sec and then realised it wasn't your book on the shelf - wasn't sure how to tell you or if it would be productive/beneficial to do so...then forgot all about it!
It could be a good thing, commercial fiction supposedly makes more sales and if the readers are just looking for the cover - kerching - and they get a fab bonus of it being your book too :)
I prefer the way the background to yours is cloudy, its more interesting.
The cover image of my first collection (ooo get me!) is on at least two other books that I know of. One is in a Norwegian dialect and is another work of fiction. The other appeared in the Telegraph last weekend, much to my family's excitement, but it turned out not to be mine - it was a non fic book!
The publishers don't have the cash to buy the sole use of the photo of the covers, apparently. Unless they are one of the very big chaps. They just purchase a single use licence. So can a zillion others...
I've spoken with authors before about them not being 'allowed' control of their cover and things like that and I know I'm an idealist (not a businesswoman) but this is an example of how the publishing way of doing things is not necessarily ideal! I bet you know loads of artists who could have done you an original cover and then this wouldn't have happened. Reminded me I need to buy a copy though (of yours naturally!). x
Yes, it's all down to the license, and the terms of use within that.Thee may be no infringement at all here. Unfortunately, the way the publishing industry works now means most publishers are looking for the cheapest possible option - which often precludes exclusivity within any given territory.
Always a good argument for being aware of the work of local artists , illustrators, photographers etc. - often open to negotiating much friendlier deals and terms than pile-em-high-sell-em-cheap Corporate Image Bankers.
Having said that, I didn't buy this book for the cover - I think that's more of a factor in commercial fiction anyway. While I'm a huge fan of beautiful covers - which can be art in their own right - many cherished books, albums etc., have crap covers - and vice versa.
I'm sure the next edition's cover will be even nicer - possibly even unique!
Not many authors can get cover approval in a contract. Worth trying. However, I think it's a superb cover - so let's not lose sight of that in all this. Why should the devil have all the best covers? Book titles are another area of annoyance. Often I'll think of a title, thinking that would be cool, only to find a quick search on Amazon reveals several books with the same name. But I think it Roddy Doyle who said don't bother checking your title on Amazon (in that selection of writers' lists of tips in the Guardian a few months ago.) The same goes for cover images, I guess.
Hiya, I'm the author of the blog post you linked to and I just wanted to let you know that I've found a third cover that uses the same image. This one is a Dutch translation of a Norwegian book, though, so it's unlikely to cause much confusion. I'm fascinated by the reuse of cover images, but also saddened that all books don't get their own unique covers.
24 comments:
So long as what comes between the covers isn't the same, Nuala!
First time, blog surfing - clicking on the links along the side of blogs that links to other blogs reading things that take my fancy. I think I may have found it through ‘She is too fond of books’ blog, but I couldn’t find it again. I had a vague memory that the blog was something about she reads, I Goggled that and I found it…
Hi Peter - indeed. The other looks like commercial women's fiction which mine isn't...
Kar - how mad is that??!!
Thanks anyway! It's is interesting if a little bizarre.
The other one isn't nearly as beautiful as yours. And I'll bet the inside isn't, either.
Ah, thanks Sarah :)
I wonder where publishers get their book covers. Is there a pool of pix? Maybe that pool should list how many times and for what a pic has been used.
Seems more than weird. I noticed an issue of Granta this summer had nearly the same cover as Aryn Kyle's collection Boys and Girls Like You and Me, published in April. Seems wrong. An infringement. Do you think?
Not Granta, Paris Review, 191, winter 2009 http://www.theparisreview.org/back-issues/191
Aryn Kyle, Boys and Girls
http://www.amazon.com/Boys-Girls-Like-You-Me/dp/1416594809
Think that would freak me out a little at first. I suppose there is a large bank of images available to publishers, and they chose the same one. I have to confess to not knowing how this works, though. You sound okay about it. Different genres, I suppose. And, yes, I prefer yours.
Merc - that's what I would have presumed.
Jills - seems her book was out before mine so the infringement would have been on the part of my publisher's designer.
Jills - I see what you mean re TPR and that other image. Very alike.
Tom - my back cover says the image came from Trevillion Images. One would think though, as Merc says, that they would keep records for all users as to what has been used where.
Ho hum.
Nothing to be done now, eh?
Hi Nuala,
Sort of the same - yet so different!
But inside the covers is what counts and your writing is so distinctive the cover pic doesn't matter at all.
Anna May x
Phewsh - I saw this as soon as your book came out - I went to my local bookstore keeper and harassed him about ordering your book, I was describing the book and got all excited for a sec and then realised it wasn't your book on the shelf - wasn't sure how to tell you or if it would be productive/beneficial to do so...then forgot all about it!
It could be a good thing, commercial fiction supposedly makes more sales and if the readers are just looking for the cover - kerching - and they get a fab bonus of it being your book too :)
Hi Rachel - gosh, that's interesting.
It doesn't bother me - it happens all the time. It's just odd to see your cover image on another book.
That is mad! Just shows you how (presumably) stock images are re-jigged and re-used. The content, however, is quite unique!
I prefer the way the background to yours is cloudy, its more interesting.
The cover image of my first collection (ooo get me!) is on at least two other books that I know of. One is in a Norwegian dialect and is another work of fiction. The other appeared in the Telegraph last weekend, much to my family's excitement, but it turned out not to be mine - it was a non fic book!
The publishers don't have the cash to buy the sole use of the photo of the covers, apparently. Unless they are one of the very big chaps. They just purchase a single use licence. So can a zillion others...
V - well that clarifies things a bit, thanks.
I've spoken with authors before about them not being 'allowed' control of their cover and things like that and I know I'm an idealist (not a businesswoman) but this is an example of how the publishing way of doing things is not necessarily ideal! I bet you know loads of artists who could have done you an original cover and then this wouldn't have happened. Reminded me I need to buy a copy though (of yours naturally!).
x
Yes, it's all down to the license, and the terms of use within that.Thee may be no infringement at all here. Unfortunately, the way the publishing industry works now means most publishers are looking for the cheapest possible option - which often precludes exclusivity within any given territory.
Always a good argument for being aware of the work of local artists , illustrators, photographers etc. - often open to negotiating much friendlier deals and terms than pile-em-high-sell-em-cheap Corporate Image Bankers.
Having said that, I didn't buy this book for the cover - I think that's more of a factor in commercial fiction anyway. While I'm a huge fan of beautiful covers - which can be art in their own right - many cherished books, albums etc., have crap covers - and vice versa.
I'm sure the next edition's cover will be even nicer - possibly even unique!
Not many authors can get cover approval in a contract. Worth trying. However, I think it's a superb cover - so let's not lose sight of that in all this. Why should the devil have all the best covers? Book titles are another area of annoyance. Often I'll think of a title, thinking that would be cool, only to find a quick search on Amazon reveals several books with the same name. But I think it Roddy Doyle who said don't bother checking your title on Amazon (in that selection of writers' lists of tips in the Guardian a few months ago.) The same goes for cover images, I guess.
Hiya, I'm the author of the blog post you linked to and I just wanted to let you know that I've found a third cover that uses the same image. This one is a Dutch translation of a Norwegian book, though, so it's unlikely to cause much confusion. I'm fascinated by the reuse of cover images, but also saddened that all books don't get their own unique covers.
Oh thanks you so much avianschild for letting me know. I will check it out! Best, Nuala
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