Linking to a past Trope Repair Shop thread that dealt with this page: Subjective?
, started by EmilyG on Mar 19th 2011 at 2:27:13 AM
Previous Trope Repair Shop thread: Needs Help, started by KingZeal on Apr 12th 2012 at 10:47:17 PM
Previous Trope Repair Shop thread: Ambiguous Name, started by Malady on Mar 11th 2018 at 5:11:34 AM
Do things like menu screens count in any way? Because while I could probably show a friend the front cover of The Severing Crime Edge, the moment he sees the menu image I'm sure he'll quit, as it makes even the worst of the ecchi moments feel tame.
It strikes me that this is pretty much portrayed as a highly negative trope. But it exists for a reason. Covers exist to draw the eye of the reader and advertise "Hey, if you like other stuff with art like this on the cover you might like this book too!" While it's horribly embarrassing to pick up a book with the stereotypical bodice ripper cover: you generally know what you're going to get. It's essentially a visual "language" in a loose sense. The image evokes a feeling in the reader that ideally will suggest to them what sort of content they're going to find inside, even if it isn't entirely representative of the actual content.
Where this causes problems is when marketing chooses embarrassing art or the book straddles genres in a strange way and they don't know how to sell the thing. If you're from a periphery demographic you're probably more likely to find a cover contemptible because you didn't buy it for the cover.
Covers are advertising to draw in the reader who doesn't know about the author or the story. They exist for the every-man who says "that looks interesting." They don't exist for the people who already know about the author, or who are already hooked on the series. There's a reason an author's name can take up more space on the cover than the title of the book. They've become big enough that their name alone will sell the book.
We should probably make this point in some manner.
Updated image links needed! I've been updating some of the links, but there are many more entries with dead links, no links, or links to images of terrible quality. Being a primarily visual-based trope, it'd be great if we could get every entry to have an image.
Edited by KelpTheGreat
Sen
Nevermind?! Seriously?!
Probably should get working on that essay now...
deep in though- ow!
It seems to me that a lot of these seem to fall pretty well into two categories: 1. (EDIT for obviousness: A contemptible cover that is) Representative of the work, but not safe for public viewing, or 2. (EDIT for obviousness: A contemptible cover that is ) Not representative of the work, regardless of safety. Should it be divvied up as such or something similar?
EDIT: Since it apparently wasn't obvious despite this being the contemptible cover discussion page, both of these categories are contemptible, but they have different approaches towards being so.
Edited by Westrim I rarely visit the forums to avoid the cynicism ooze. Hide / Show Replies
The ones falling under "Not representative of the work, regardless of safety" should be moved to Covers Always Lie, shouldn't they? This trope is supposed to be about ugly-ass / embarrassing book covers.
Edited by cg12345
Yes, they should.
There is a fine line between recklessness and courage — Paul McCartney
I assumed it was obvious that both categories were covering different types of contemptible covers but apparently I have to say so, even though we're on that page. The point of the second one is that they are quite contemptible, so they go here, but are also not representative. Yes, it overlaps with Covers Always Lie, but they still go here and they're still significantly different from the other entries. Now focus on the point, please- should we establish 2 or more types to organize them under, and what should those types be?
I rarely visit the forums to avoid the cynicism ooze.
Why are there no examples from Literature?
Seriously, this really is mostly a trope about books.
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Concerning the Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss, it might be interesting to note that the french cover actually fits perfectly the book unlike any other official cover. (http://bragelonne-le-blog.fantasyblog.fr/gallery/2/0904-vent.jpg)){kind=small}
What do you think?
Is a counterexample relevant or just plain misplaced?
Darn it, doesn't even work properly. 
(by the way. *cough* Were'd be the trope with useful css or html codes? è_é)
Is it just me or is the page quote supposed to be sung to the tune of "John Brown's Body"?
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Dread Sorcerer of Auchtermuchty
A lot of the Doctor Who covers are no longer on The Other Wiki. We'll need to find a different source or delete the example.
Keeper of The Celestial Flame
Per TRS, this was redirected to Covers Always Lie:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1642177943070267600&page=3#comment-74
Edited by GastonRabbit Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.