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Let’s face it, despite the old saying, most of us always consider the cover when deciding whether or not to pick up a book. I’ve always been a firm believer that the cover can tell you quite a bit about a title. Often times, publishers award the most desirable covers to the books they think are going to make them the most money. Even though it’s not a foolproof method, you could say that books with beautiful covers usually deserve a second look. That doesn’t mean a good book can’t have a crappy cover, as quite a few of my redesign selections today are among my all-time favorites. So without further ado:
Top Ten Book Covers I Wish I Could Redesign!
- The Eye the World by Robert Jordan
- Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
- Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
- Joust by Mercedes Lackey
- The Soprano Sorceress by L.E. Modesitt
- The Name the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
- The Runelords by David Farland
- Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead
- The Program by Suzanne Young
- Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
Interestingly enough, three of my ten covers were illustrated by the same person… I guess it’s safe to say his work just doesn’t speak to me. I’ve also included two Richelle Mead books because, as my favorite, I need covers that will help entice people to pick them up. There’s nothing worse than handing a customer a book with the disclaimer “don’t let the cover throw you off, it’s excellent!” The added visual really does help me get people excited to try new series. I realize a few of these actually have been redesigned, but I include them on my list anyway because I still don’t like how they were done.
I love covers, so as a bonus I decided to include my:
Top Ten Favorite/Least Favorite Cover Redesigns:
Favorite Changes – Before:
- Homeland by R. A. Salvatore
- Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb
- Sword Dancer by Jennifer Roberson
- The Spirit Thief by Rachel Aaron
- Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Favorite Changes – After:
- Homeland by R.A. Salvatore
- The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb
- Sword – Dancer/Sword – Singer by Jennifer Roberson
- The Legend of Eli Monpress by Rachel Aaron
- Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Least Favorite Changes – Before:
- First Truth by Dawn Cook
- Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
- Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead
- Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
- Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Least Favorite Changes – After:
- First Truth by Dawn Cook
- Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
- Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
- Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
I liked the old designs better… I’m almost embarrassed to hand the Dawn Cook series to anybody now – it’s one of my favorite Dragon stories, but you’d never know it from the new covers.
I hope you enjoyed the extra mile I went this week. What book covers would you like to redesign?






























