"Creative Nonfiction"
Had an interesting conversation with someone yesterday about creative nonfiction, a category of literature I didn’t even know about. We were discussing it because of this:
The person I was speaking with specifially mentioned that Oprah had stood behind it, but I noticed in this morning’s NYTimes that she “rebuked” the author and kicked him out of the book club. Heh.
And the cover? Well, let’s say I didn’t need the Times to tell me someone needed a rebuke…! “The sticker’s an improvement,” I can hear someone saying. Newsflash: not for long.
A customer on Amazon left an image of this title as an alternate — and I like the cover:
It asks more questions. (A million more? Sorry. Had to go there.) Not perfect, certainly, but gets you thinking about what’s inside — an excellent measure of “success” in my book.
We have this second cover to think about because someone left a comment on Amazon. Been a good trend here recently, too. Thanks.
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Posted by Giles, Friday, January 27, 2006, at 10:40 AM.
Posted to Art | Book design | Book people | Book prizes | Books | Books, design, art | Ethics | Freedoms and rights | Writing
Comments:
BTW, the Dreamtime cover is familiar, but I can’t find a mention of it on the site. If its mention has fallen into another of the holes in the “Swiss cheese memory,” forgive.
Sorry, I might have been living under a rock, but is there something about the Frey cover I’m not aware of? I’ve always thought it was great… not sure what you’re referring to in your comment, would you enlighten?
Yes, I too like the simplicity of Frey’s cover and I’m curious to know the reasons of your dislike.
Apologies for not answering this sooner.
I’m not a fan of the photograph on the Frey cover. I think they had the idea but flubbed the execution, frankly — if I were going where they did with the hand, I’d have to do it with pins. I think the “needling” works far better than something playful.
Although, perhaps in retrospective, “playful” was the intention all along.…
huh. I don’t find this playful at all!
I see a half-comatose person’s hand, reaching out (for help, for more drugs?) covered with the contents of smashed sleeping capsules… but then again, I’m not entirely sure that there are capsule drugs that actually look like this, that’s just what I saw. And the background colour is very ‘hospital walls’.
I do like your idea of pins, so long as it would cover the capsule contents idea as well, not just being pins.
Hi-
I’m confused as to how anyone would present the cover of “Chasing Dreamtime” as a superior alternative to the cover of “A Million Little Pieces.” (The cover in question was designed by Rodrigo Corral.) I’m sure the potential exists for the Frey jacket to have a design that’s somehow better, but I think the cover is well done— it presents an engaging image, strong concept (by the way, I don’t think the photo is intended to show lots of tiny pins ‘pricking’ the hand— it seems to me less literal than that), and executes clean design free of decorative, fluffy ‘frills’.
At any rate, the potential for a better cover design certainly ISN‘T demonstrated by the design of “Chasing Dreamtime.” The design of the “Dreamtime” cover isn’t strongly offensive, but it’s bland, lacks focus, and seems distracted by it’s own Photoshopped effects. If you’re going to present an alternative, I think it needs to be a cover other than this one.
Hmm… I happen to really like both the image and design of the Frey book - I just hate that godawful Oprah sticker.
My interpretation of the image is that the drugs have embedded themselves into his skin - the hand is reaching pitifully out for help. That’s why I don’t consider the image to be playful, and when you know the subject of the memoir, it seems haunting, almost harrowing.
I also agree with Esme that “Chasing Dreamtime” is a much less successful design than the Frey book. It’s too obvious, a bit trite, and nothing special - and the typography on the Frey books is a “million” times better than “Dreamtime”.
Okay, forgive on three counts.
1. Been buried the past thirty hours. Sorry for another late reply.
2. I totally didn’t see the sleeping capsule contents, Diane, and I’m ashamed to admit that — it makes a huge difference. Bad, Giles, very bad. I get the dunce cap for the day.
3. Having said that, I’m going to stand by my preference for Chasing Dreamtime. Perhaps it isn’t superior graphically, but all things being equal in terms of with or without Oprah stickers, I’d still pick it up off a shelf before the Frey.
Sorry.
Hmmm. capsules.
I liked the cover purely aesthetically BUT it always looked to me like sugar sprinkles and didn’t make sense. It made me think of doughnuts…