The cover phenomenon of sorts I've decided to call 'cover twins' is one that I see quite often when I go into the stores with German books here in Switzerland. It happens a lot that I see a book cover on a German edition that has stock art in it that was used for a different book in the US or UK edition - actually it worries me quite a bit that I see soooo many cover that I start recognizing elements even if they've been differently edited :P Here are two of the ones I've found recently. I might post more at a later point.
Note: I think I've seen a similar post on another blog last autumn, but I can't for the life of me remember where. This isn't a regular meme or anything, just a type of post I might do every once in a while. There are quite a few blogs doing cover wars or comparisons between different editions of the same book, so I lay no claim to any ideas here. If you know a blog doing the same thing or something similar, please tell me in the comments so I can give proper credit.
Shatter Me vs. Carrier of the Mark
The background isn't exactly the same, but Shatter Me (Fear Me, in the German edition) and Carrier of the Mark both use the same image. I own Carrier but haven't read it yet, and I also haven't read Shatter Me, so I can't say which book suits the image better or if it's fitting at all. It's pretty and eye-catching though, so I get why the German publisher chose it.
Die For Me vs. Masque of the Red Death
Hair, dress, pose, city backdrop and general color theme. The shoulder tattoo and the swirly pattern are pretty much the only difference in what was done with the stock art. I love the US Masque of the Red Death cover more, but I think the German one (City of the Red Death - The Girl with the Mask) represents the story pretty well too.
What do you guys think about this type of thing? Are the German publishers 'stealing' from books that have done well in the English-speaking world? Are they not creative enough to come up with a different, more unique design? On the other hand, it's stock art so anyone's allowed to use it. If you're an international blogger, have you noticed this type of thing in your own country? I'd love to hear your opinion :)
