Friday, January 11, 2013

Same Cover, Different Books


I noticed this today on Goodreads while taking a break (goofing off) at work.  They're the same!  They were right beside each other in the new releases.  Opal and Allusive Aftershock are two different books, by two different authors, with two different plots.  How did they end up with basically the same cover?  Seriously though, how does this happen?  Both books are released in the same month and they're in the same category, so I see them beside each other and I have to do a double-take.

Here's their info:

Opal
Published - December 1, 2012 - Entangled Teen
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13362536-opal

Allusive Aftershock
Published - December 18, 2012 - Amber Glow Books
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15796396-allusive-aftershock

4 comments:

  1. Wow as an author I would be PISSED off by that. And in the same month, isn't that just ridiculous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it's terrible, but I also couldn't resist pointing it out. Shouldn't someone be checking for this sort of thing before the book is released?

      Delete
  2. Crazy, isn't it?

    This is a stock photo. The cover designer pays for a NON-exclusive license to use it, which means that other designers can legally license and use the same image. There's nothing an author can do to prevent it, and it could happen at any time after the first book is published. It's like a time bomb on the front of your book.

    This pair of models has become the subject of a cute list over at GoodReads because they've appeared on so many covers:

    https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/15049.That_Girl_Hot_Guy_from_the_Obsidian_Cover

    Of course, using the same models is one thing, but using the exact same photo is much worse. And it's not just that pair of covers, check this out:

    http://www.indiebooklauncher.com/resources-diy/gallery-of-clones.php

    Because stock photos are so cheap, a lot of designers are now using them so they can provide cheap covers to independent authors. It's making a lot of indie books look generic, which is really unfortunate.

    At least the Armentrout/Griscom covers have a different background and aren't identical. There are covers which are literally the exact same image, the only difference being the title text!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Interesting. Thanks for the links.

      Delete