Influences of cover design

This post is in reference of a lecture given by Deborah Kaplan, art director of the teen section at Penguin Book publishing company.

Who will read it?

Ms. Kaplan explained the difference between boy cover art v. girl cover art. There is a weird phenomenon that girls can read boy books, but most boys are not willing to read a girl book. This affects that design of the cover art. Boy book covers are generally neutral, inviting everyone to read them. Girl book covers are most definitely for girls, which alienates the male audience. That's OK because girls are more likely to read.

A great example of this is with the second book in the Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor called Seeing Redd. Originally the illustrator had drawn Redd as feminine. But this book is aimed to teen boys, so the cover art was switched to a darker and less feminine cover.

Ms. Kaplan explained that J.K. Rowling used her initials instead of her name, because she did not want to alienate her male audience.

The New Look

There have been a few new changes to cover art for teen literature. The design has changed to photography. A lot of girl covers nowadays are designed with cropped body parts as the cover. You will only see the feet, or hands, head or eyes. The whole form is not shown.

Here are some examples:

Also Kaplan related that the reason some book covers now had metal elements, embossing or special designs is because it draws people to these novels. People, like birds, like shiny things.

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Book Banning

Why are some books banned? Here is a chart for the reasons why:

Here is a funny movie clip produced by the American Library Association:

I was reading a website that was dedicated to Harry Potter books. In a comment board, one person put that people who read these books were of the devil because they were openly suggesting people should practice witchcraft. The next comment asked if the person had actually read the books. I think that brings up a good point. Why are people restricting books when they do not know what the book is about?

Catcher in the Rye is a great book about human nature. But when we stop others from making the choice to read it, we are denying them their right to the book.

We should not make book choices for other people, but we should let everyone discover their own level of tolerance.

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When do mature topics turn obscene?

It has become very apparent that literature, especially for teens, has shifted to illustrating more adult content. Issues that were always hidden like suicide and homosexuality are now being written about more frequently.

But when does the literature change from describing a characters point of view and journey in life to something obscene?

In some ways, I believe literature changes to something obscene when characters are not used as teaching tools, but as stereotype. When the character is only 2 dimensional, there is nothing to be learned. Characters are supposed to show us about human nature. We are supposed to be reading about a person, not just a cheerleader who is loose with her morals. We need to know why are the characters doing the things they are.


I think the question we have to ask is if we were to take out that scene or image, would we lose the purpose of the book? Some novels go beyond to explain things that are not relevant to the character or story. Does the integrity of the book lie in something that a difficult subject or are those areas placed in the book for entertainment?

Everyone has their own level of tolerance. We need to examine the worth of literature for ourselves and then make a decision. I was recently reading a book that address some really harsh and jarring topics. I know that while I might have found this novel difficult morally, it would not have affected a friend of mine as harshly. While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and so is offense. We should let others choose their own level.

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Vampire Novels-- Why are they so popular?

As I strolled through the young adult aisle at Barnes and Noble or searched online for some new books to read, I found that most of the books nowadays are about vampires. The close second in subject is werewolves, but that is another post.

I actually wondered how many were there. I typed in the words teen and vampire in the Barnes and Noble online search bar. I was surprised at how many entries there were. 783! Now, I know that some of those can be the same book but in hardback or softback. That is understandable. But still, why do writers, let alone publishers, feel the need to keep producing this kind of novel?Here are my ideas.

The main reason is that vampires sell. It is what the masses are screaming for so the book publishers provide.

Here are some reasons why it would sell:

Vampires=Sexy

Have you noticed that most vampires in these novels are beautiful? They have perfect forms and features, making them so appealing. One notable beginning to the transformation from horrifying to sexy is the book Interview With A Vampire by Ann Rice. This novel helped to change the vampire image from a creature of darkness to a person with a tortured being. Sucking blood turned from a image of death to a symbolic form of sex. It is one of the elements that teens love, an attractive, sexy figure.

Vampires=Different

How many kids have grown up hearing vampire stories? We all heard Cinderella and Snow White. We know all the Disney movies by heart. We never heard about vampires because they are supposed to be scary. There is the occasional vampire costume on Halloween, but that is about as close as it gets. I think the only images of a vampire I knew was Bunnicula, which is a vampire bunny that drains the juice from carrots and Count Von Count, Sesame Street's friendly counting vampire. Teens are growing to where they can read books that their parents did not choose from them. They want to read something that is different from what they have read before, something that is different from them, yet still appealing to their age group.

Vampires=Thrilling

These books provide an unrealistic image of action. The images written are no so disturbing to stop a reader, but they curb the reader's appetite for a thrill. The reader knows that it cannot happen (though some may dream) and so the action is not disturbing but exciting.


All of these have led to the overwhelming obsession of the vampire novel which has book publishers pushing them out in large numbers for today's readers.

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Series Books

Question: What is a series?
Answer: A series book can be read on its own and need no background explained. Each work stands alone and it does not need to be read in order.

Question: How is it different from a sequence novel?

Answer: It is a set of novels that have their own title and storyline. They can be read out of order.

Question: Who reads series?
Answer: According to Scholastic Publishing Company a series could be for someone who is a reluctant reader as well as a book addict.

A reluctant reader usually has a hard time discovering a book or genre that will interest them. With a series novel, that search is minimized. The next book in the series will most likely be similar in the way it is written and what it is written about. These books also can draw the reluctant reader into the story. The reader might also want to finish the series to find out what happens at the end.

A book addict will read a series to follow along the plot. Reading is usually easy for most of these people, so reading does not require as much effort. Therefore these readers can read more. It will draw the person into the plot and they might as what to finish to see what happens at the end.

Scholastic also provides a list of series. These are great for a reluctant reader who is just getting started. Here are some of the most popular:

• The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. LewisEmbark upon otherworldly adventure in these seven classic stories.
• Harry Potter by J. K. RowlingThis orphan wizard may transform your child into a reader.
• Goosebumps by R. L. StineShudder along with the safe scares in this highly addictive series.
• Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls WilderRelive pioneer life with the famous Ingalls family in this autobiographical series.
• The Dark Is Rising Sequence by Susan CooperSatisfy your fantasy fan's quest for enchanted adventure with this Newbery Award-winning series.
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

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Graphic Novels

A popular genre to enter into the young adult realm is the graphic novel. The ALAN Review explains that "Graphic Novels draw in reluctant readers." The young adult is able to read without the structure of a novel. Those who struggle with reading have pictures that help move the story along. It also gives the reader a sense of accomplishment, to be able to finish a novel in hours that could have easily taken days or even weeks in a normal format.

As the graphic novel develops,there have been new forms created that do not follow the traditional comic book format. Take the novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. With over 500 pages, this novel does not use the traditional talk bubble, but the pictures take the place of words and help to guide the story. The full sized pictures are more than half of the book, but the story is still understandable.

While new graphic novels are being created, the old comic book style are still popular, with superman ranking number 3 on the Times list of top 10 graphic novels of 2007.

Though the graphic novel is not a new idea, it is becoming a new addition to education and school systems. This unused tool until recently is revolutionizing the idea of the novel for young adults.

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Welcome

Welcome to my new blog. The purpose of this blog is to explore the new developments in young adult literature. Whether this is a new kind of literature in this genre or if it a post about a new series. This blog is devoted to these changes and the joy that comes from reading young adult literature.

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