book spines

[meganbmoore]

So, here's a question, prompted by browsing the bookstore after lunch with my parents (which reminds me that I should do a loot post soon, as I went to the UBS after my doctor's appointment Weds.):  when you're shopping for books or just browsing a bookstore, what about bookspines catches your eye?  With covers, it's often color or image, but most books on bookshelves aren't face out.

Glancing at my shelves (to one side is the backlog, and to the other is some read stuff, one set is about 8 feet away, and the other 10):

Patricia McKillip's Cygnet, Gail Carson Levine's The Fairy's Return, Brandon Sanderson's Elantris and the Green Man, Coyote Road and Faery Reel anthologies all have spines where title and author are clearly visible, but neither color nor font is particularly eye catching.  Easy to find in the sea if you're looking for them, though.

You can't see the author's name on Marissa Doyle's Bewitching Season, and the colors of the words and back ground are too similar to be distinct, but the font helps it to stand out, and the small version of the cover image is intriguing.

The spine of Anna Godberson's Rumors is very striking.  Red fabric on a black background, with lettering in gold.  "Rumors" is on a plate, and "The Luxe" in fancy script.  Both words are distinct and grab your eye.

Marie Brennan's Midnight Never Come and Kij Johnson's Fudoki are also striking, but not as much so.  The Brennan has fancy silver script on a mostly dark navy background.  From this distance, the letters aren't distinct, but the font and color contrast still stand out.  The Johnson has white text in what I think is Edo font on a black background, and a small reproduction of the cover iage, which, shrunk down and a few feet away, looks mostly like a mask.  The coloring is strak, but the composition grabs your eye.

Elizabeth Bear's Blood and Iron and Whiskey and Water look confusing.  The titles are against a solid background, but Bear's nae is in white text over reproductions of the cover images, making her name indistinct,  and the images a bit odd to my eye.

The Firebirds anthology may not have a strictly attractive spine, but it has vibrant colors and a distinct but clear font.

Most of my Patricia McKillips have lovely colors on the spine that are continuations of Kinuko Craft's stunning paints that grace the covers, but they also blend together, and most don't have colors dark enough for the white text to be very visible if you're more than a foot away.  Pretty, but easy to completely pass over.

Carol Berg's Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone have large text, black backgrounds, and a small picture.  The first is easily missable, and the second eye catching.  The only difference is that one has red text that blends into the background, and the other blue text that stands out.
 
These are, of course, also from a distance (and not the entirety of either shelf), and all hardcover or trade size, though I'm sure the same holds true with regular sized paperbacks and a bit less distance.  I also wonder if that's part of why so many books are in trade size now, with seeingly fewer and fewer pb sized books.  An amazing cover is great and all and an excellent selling tool if someone sees it, but most books will be spotted first by the spine, and have to intrigue the potential buyer that way.

Anyway, what grabs your eye when looking at books?  Is it the font?  The color combination?  The title (as in, actual words) and/or how the title stands out?  Do images draw your attention, or reduce your interest?  Do you like stylized and/or artistic spines, or do you prefer plain and straightforward ones?  Etc.

Also, the "m" key on my keyboard came loose today.  I put it back on and can still use it, but often have to type the letter twice.  Is glue safe to use to reattach it, or is there something else/better I should do?

Comments

[suruma.livejournal.com]

Usually the font and color of the spines draw me in. Dull colors aren't really my thing... But if the title sounds interesting, then I'll take a look at it too.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

A dull color combined with a striking color can sometimes work, as can the combination of certain dull colors, but they usually blend into the masses.

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

I haven't browsed a bookstore for years (yay for online shopping!), but usually it was title that caught my interest, unless it was a familiar name.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

This makes me think about the value of covers in online shopping, such as when amazon recs you things.

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

Gosh, I had to think about this for a while because I just realized I very rarely buy paper copies anymore. (I've been so thoroughly converted to ebooks so quickly, it's kind of hilarious I resisted for so long.)

But if we're talking from a distance, it's the color combination of background and font. High contrast stands out more. Bright colors stand out more. Lighter colors stand out more. If it's a distinct pretty font, that'll also catch my eye. I tend not to like the spines that have the cover images spill over because it's distracting. Close up, it's more effective but from a distance, not so much.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I think I like holding a book too much to switch over to ebooks.

[irysangel.livejournal.com]

I thought the same thing but they won me over to the dark side. Seriously. You don't even notice the difference after about the first hour, and my Sony holds almost the same as a book. I think if you try one, you're sold, but until you do, you go paper. You know? I was the same.

[keelieinblack.livejournal.com]

Interesting...title can be a big draw for me--especially if it's something that sounds familiar, like a poetic reference, or an unusual arrangement of words. If I hadn't been familiar with Midnight Never Come from recs, I probably would have picked it up just for the title.

One thing that's almost sure to make me not pick up a book is a title that's totally indecipherable due to font or design or whatever. I've seen a few like that, and while it sounds silly, it makes me feel irritated at the book even if I know nothing else about it. (The fact that it's probably a design/marketing ploy to get you to pick the book up in the first place doesn't help.)

OTOH, a spine that's stylized or unusual but still readable will intrigue me, if only because it'll make me interested in seeing what the cover looks like too. I'm always fond of designs that can use the limited spine space to do something creative or intriguing. My hardcover copy of The Magician's Assistant (which I can see from across the room) is pretty simple but has a white rabbit with upturned ears peeking up from the very bottom edge of the spine; I remember I picked the book up because I found that intriguing and cute.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I tend to be really drawn in by familiar sounding titles, too.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

We spent a lot of time when I worked in publishing on making spines clear and readable.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Clearly, you are a loss to the publishing world, based on what I've seen.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

The publisher goes on! But they have a small niche, so.

[sanada.livejournal.com]

Title is probably the big draw for me, followed by color. But one of my favorite novels, "Brave Story" by Miyuki Miyabe, has a title I don't like and is printed in a red, sketchy font that's hard to read on a murky green background. And I'm not fond of the cover art, either. I actually put off buying it for those reasons even after I'd heard it was very good.

And if the author's name is bigger than the title, I probably won't even glance at the book.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

yeah, I tend to be turned off by author's names being huge too.

[mystyangel.livejournal.com]

I have an unhealthy affinity for trade paperbacks. So the size of the book. I'm also attracted to the color/font based on mood. When I'm excited or happy, it's bright colors and cheery fonts. When I'm somber, blues and greys and blacks.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I like the trade size a lot yself, I just wish some weren't so costly.

[artillie.livejournal.com]

I have this thing where if a book spine has horizontal stripes on the side, I absolutely must pick up the book. It doesn't matter what color they are, or what thickness--I feel awful if I don't at least pull it off the shelf glance the summary over.

My compulsions aside, though, there doesn't seem to be much of a pattern to the books on my shelves' spines. I tend to like the covers of books with the women partially off (http://www.amazon.com/Marrying-Mozart-Novel-Stephanie-Cowell/dp/0670032689) (that was an awful book, but I think that sort of cover looks graceful), so if I see slice of face, I'm likely to go for it in the library. That aside, a look from the distance shows that I'm drawn to white/cream and bright primary colored backgrounds on my spines--red, especially--and font doesn't really matter much to me. And, of course, an interesting title is enough to make me immediately pick something up: Shakespeare Wrote for Money, for example.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I'm always amused by people who think Shakespeare didn't write for that reason!

[woodburner.livejournal.com]

Interesting titles are a big pull, but it can be a totally dull title and I'll still be drawn to it if the font and color combo is really stylish. I really love stylish text and am no good at it myself, so whenever I see it I'm drawn like a magnet. Earth tones usually attract me, too.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I think the font of the text does amazing things in ter.s of appeal.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Er, author, sometimes. Or if the titles are weird and/or punny. Though, really, the cover can do it (that's how I ended up with Iron Angel, because THERE WAS A GIANT MECHANICAL ANGEL ON THE COVER, OMG <3). And the back and description are what sell a book.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Iron Angel?

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Middling to mediocre fantasy with wacky mystical stuff and blase, under-stated gore. Everywhere.

And steampunk.

And A GIANT MECHANICAL ANGEL, though it only appears towards the end.

It's actually the second part of a series by ...something Alan, maybe? Campbell.

[darkelf105.livejournal.com]

Yup, the first part is called Scar Night and I took it home because it had a winged boy?/girl? with a sword over a moon on the cover...it was okay.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

I am slowly making my way through Scar Night, but only because Rachel IS MY GIRL. angsty emo angel boy can die. Or just stop being angsty, because I KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO HIM, HAHAHAHAHAHAH. (yeah, I read the sequel first)

[estara.livejournal.com]

Have a really good steampunk romance with a girl with mechanical wings on the cover ^^: http://ashenwings.com/marks/clockwork-heart/
There's a chapter 1 pdf to read from there or read it here: http://www.juno-books.com/clockwork_ex.html
http://www.juno-books.com/clockwork_heart.html
The author is writing a sequel, I hope she sells it. I really enjoyed the city and the characters and there was a great showdown scene in front of a huge clockwork included.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I actually grabbed that at the UBS this week.

[estara.livejournal.com]

It's a really fun read. I especially liked the dialogue and characters, but the setting had a lot of individuality, too, I thought.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

I'm'a pretend you did not list 'romance' in your rec.

[estara.livejournal.com]

It's very understated, actually. They seem to set up as a sort of detective pair at the end, but you don't have to worry about hot sex scenes, as there aren't any.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

SOLD. Though it wasn't the porn I was worried about. I, despite my tendencies, would rather read non-pining fic and novels. (regency romances get under my radar because they are witty, too[--and you said the dialog is good, so--])

[estara.livejournal.com]

The whole set-up is more of a political murder mystery. And while I fell in love with the cover I bought the book after reading the first chapter ^^. The side characters are as well drawn as the main ones (with their limited appearance of course), which impressed me. There's a very small bedazzled part from the heroine at the start but it's necessary for the plot and she gets over it soon.

[darkelf105.livejournal.com]

I think, like other's mention, title is important. The cooler sounding the title (double points for literary allusions and fun plays on words) the more likely I am to pick it up. If I can't read it clearly, I am less likely to pick it up. I love clean, white lettering on simple background colors. I am also a huge, huge fan of geometric designs or unusual floral patterns. I love highly stylized designs. And the size always gets me. I love trade paper backs more than anything in the world. Silly, I know, but I love the way they stand on a shelf and the way the feel. Also, I love texture. If a cover has textured paper, I am immediately drawn to it. Point in case is Fagles' translation of the Iliad and the Odyssey. It combines texture, odd coloring and geometric patterns on the spine, so even though I already have two different translations of both works, I still bought them.

I er, am also a sucker for the new penguins with the black spines and the orange and white lettering. I will buy that edition no matter how expensive it is or even if there is a better translation/edition available from another publisher. I love that look.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I love those penguins too!

I really like the trade sizes, even though I'm not big on a lot of the prices. unfortunately (fortunately?) I'm the sort who will go "I must cut more non-book corners!" instead of "If I'm buying this format, I should buy fewer books."

[darkelf105.livejournal.com]

Yes...Books get me into a lot of trouble...if I don't take people to the store with me, I wouldn't be able to afford to eat or drive....

[foenix.livejournal.com]

If I'm going through books shelved so the spines are showing, I usually pick through/read through them until a title catches my eye. That could either be the words themselves, or the colours/font. Usually the words are what catch me at that point, colours tend to grab me from a distance.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I think colors can never be estimated, even when it's just black and white, because any use can be done well. Or very badly. Fudoki is black and white, but eye catching, but Kelly Armstrong's Bitten is very dismissable.

[rekallthegreat.livejournal.com]

For me it's mostly a combination of the font and the colours. Some fonts and some colours (red on black comes to mind) I have trouble reading so I'd likely avoid those books until it's something that I'm specifically looking for.

I also like it when the spine is broken up by different colours. For example, of the book I'm currently reading, the top half of the spine is in white with the author's name in black . The bottom half of the spine is blue with the title in white. I find books like this stand out more than ones that are a solid colour.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I also like it when the spine is broken up by different colours. For example, of the book I'm currently reading, the top half of the spine is in white with the author's name in black . The bottom half of the spine is blue with the title in white. I find books like this stand out more than ones that are a solid colour.

Heh. The Bear books I mentioned use this very badly, while the Godberson I mentioned uses it to excellent effect.

[rhap-chan.livejournal.com]

I always look for something that seems, for lack of a better word, modern. It's what attracted me to Discworld and Christopher Moore's novels.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Trendy, maybe?

[rhap-chan.livejournal.com]

I think it's because I'm less likely to run into the trashy rescue-the-princess-kill-the-dragon boring novels, which all seem to have the same cover illustrator.

[kakkobean.livejournal.com]

If the name of the author is smaller than the name of the book. I dunno, I always tend to get a bit annoyed whenever the author's name is bigger than the title. It's been one of my pet peeves ever since I was a kid ^^;;;

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I think that, when the author's name is bigger,it gives the impression that you should by the book because anyone would buy a book by that author, instead of for the book itself.

[kakkobean.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that. I dunno--my dad used to go to the library and borrow these lawyer books that had the name of the author take up almost more than half of the book cover, and the title scribbled down at the bottom. Something Grisham books. I will probably never ever read one of his books -_-

[maryohki.livejournal.com]

As much as I love to read, it's been ages since I've bought a book without going in having some idea what I want. I usually am looking for a particular book, usually a classic novel.

But when I'm in the history section, I'll go with interesting spines, yes. Shiny things and cool fonts often catch my eye.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

When i'm browsing, I'm usually keeping my eye out for shiny, or something I've heard of.

[maryohki.livejournal.com]

yeah, same xD