Homework 2 LISA PRESGRAVES
As a matter of preference, I don't care for the type of book covers that are as reserved or plain like the Japanese books described. Some of the western examples of simple covers shown weren't so bad, but I enjoy decorative covers that promise interesting reading (even if the reading isn't interesting at all). However, I'm not sure how much
that matters these days. It is very true that eBooks don't prominently present book covers, and it is also true that covers aren't functional for eBooks the way they are for printed ones. Of course the covers are still made, perhaps because people
enjoy the comfort of an implied intimacy that is experienced when holding a physical book. The best example of a wonderful book cover from the reading is Farah Behbehani's book The Conference of the Birds. Just reading about this book
draws me in...I want to see it for myself, hold it, thumb through the pages and enjoy the mastery of the work. Such an experience is utterly lost in digital, but the cover would still be there somewhere to remind us what it's like to hold a book.
Having never giving any thought to e-book covers before, I now think eBooks present an opportunity for expression that is not possible in print books. Why not create a digital cover that is 3D or animated in some way; or uses digital technology in other ways to create less traditional book covers? This is a fun option for covers that might still work with the idea that eBooks can be updated or used for notifications. I'm not entirely sure I'd like notifications via eBooks. In the digital age, we are all so inundated with spam, I can't see any reason why I would want more. On the other hand, I
can get behind the idea that technology can bridge the gap between authors and their readers.
Independently publishing is a real treat for our generation. While not everything that is independently published is worth looking at, it’s wonderful to be able to put work out into the world without the red tape of publishing companies. Downsides – super small circle for recognition, and way too much work available because so many people are doing it. Publishing electronically is so common it can feel like spam at times.