Bosman and Kidd (Tai)

In today's world where we can easily download books on our phones or tablets, the look and feel of a book's cover might seem less important. But, both “Selling Books by Their Gilded Covers” by Julie Bosman and the TED Talk by Chip Kidd discusses the importance of book covers in this day and age where e-books can be conveniently purchased and read on personal devices. Bosman pointed out that attitudes towards book covers with “special effects” have shifted positively in recent years because it helps capture customers’ attention. An example of an effective cover is “1Q84” by Haruki Murakam, which was wrapped in a translucent cover with a young woman looking through. What's surprising is that “1Q84” has sold more hardcover copies than e-books when the trend is usually the opposite. In Kidd’s TED Talk, he explained the difference in the experience of reading a physical copy and an ebook. A physical book has the cover that you can touch, the pages you can flip, and even the smell of the paper and ink, and all these attributes factor into the reading experience. The cover of the book can be especially important and Kidd showed this with a set of books about the Buddha that, when you put them together on your shelf, show a picture of the Buddha getting older.  These kinds of effects can only be experienced with a physical book, and many readers would prefer to buy books with better art, and this is one of the ways that physical books are making a comeback.