Hi, does anyone else feel like UK/International cover designs are way better than the US ones? I've been meaning to pick up Yesteryear, but I just find the US cover to be much blander, and less pretty than the UK one. Curious what everyone else's thoughts are.

[u/Dragonfruit_244]

[u/francienyc]

The US cover is more subtle, but having just finished the novel it really works symbolically. The international cover is definitely more grabbing. Also one thing I can promise you is the book is not the least little bit bland. Could not put it down!

[u/Dragonfruit_244 → u/francienyc]

Yes, very excited to read it!! I've decided to borrow it from the library though (and maybe buy the international edition online when available)

[u/doon351 → u/Dragonfruit_244]

I borrowed the audiobook from my library, finished it about a week ago, and I'm still thinking about it.

[u/dendrophilix]

For the most part, North American audiences tend to prefer North American covers, and UK/Irish audiences tend to prefer UK/Irish covers. As an Irish bookseller, I can usually tell instantly if a publisher is using the North American cover for a book over here. With very few exceptions, I tend to prefer our covers to yours!

[u/Dragonfruit_244 → u/dendrophilix]

As a North American audience, I promise I prefer the International covers so much more! I just think we're used to not getting great covers 😭

[u/foxy_chicken]

I’m pretty indifferent either way. As kind of whatever the American one is, I also feel like I’ve seen a lot of covers recently like the UK one. Not exactly, but that same vibe.

[u/Dragonfruit_244 → u/foxy_chicken]

I know what you mean - that aesthetic style is definitely having a moment. I do really like it though!

[u/Dragonshatetacos]

I'm in the US and I almost always prefer UK covers over the US covers, including covers of my own books. They're less cookie cutter, IMO. International publishers take more interesting risks.

[u/Ok-Sun9961]

The North American trend is a bit cut and paste...if a cover sells a book then copy and repeat. In some genre the covers all look the same. Now, with AI, it's worse. Same colours, same typography. Aside from the authors' names, not much differentiates the books.

[u/132minutes → u/Ok-Sun9961]

while cover trends are strongly considered for US book covers, i just need to clarify that AI is NOT being used to make covers here. there are a select few books with AI covers over the last few years and they are very controversial as AI poses a major copyright issue for any kind of image

[u/WritPositWrit]

Sometimes i prefer the UK cover. In this case, i prefer the one on the left, which i think is US? Its mysterious, bucolic but twisted, perfect.

[u/Cranlyssmile]

I often prefer international book covers - but not in this case. For one, faceless female covers are getting really old. But more so - the US one is better thematically.
Yes, the book uses a woman and we follow her story - but the book is actually about warped realities or perceived realities.
How what is seen through social media is not what is really. How idolizing the past is not fully seeing it. And I would even say being unable or unwilling to understand or empathize with others and their world view gives us a warped and narrow view of reality.
So for me, the US cover here gives us a better sense of the book. It’s not really a wistful book about farming.

(Also it amuses me that the Yesteryear font in the US one is close to Impact - the meme font)

[u/Eratticus]

The U.S. cover isn't bad on its own but in comparison the U.K. cover blows it out of the water. This happens pretty frequently with book covers. It can be fun to go to Goodreads and flip through the different editions. Oftentimes you'll find like the Polish edition has a radically different interpretation for a cover that is better than the rest.

[u/Jim-Pansy]

I’m so glad you said that - I picked this up purely based on the cover (in the UK) and I’m so glad I did. Props to their design and production team as this is a double front cover that actually looks like the top on is partly ripped off. Very cool.

[u/FirebirdWriter]

This particular answer yes. I can't speak for a broader thing because my brain doesn't catalogue things this way. I am also blind so it takes extra effort for me to look at things and so I usually go for the blurb off of the title and genre vs a cover. The second cover of this set is significantly better though. I would be offended if the first cover was offered to me instead of the second as an author

[u/Dragonfruit_244 → u/FirebirdWriter]

So glad I'm not the only one! I heard some people actually prefer the US edition, and I just don't get it

[u/theuhohproject]

In the US and I agree. I prefer UK covers and i’m always disappointed I can’t have them haha