Daniel Mariano's picture
Daniel Mariano from Inland Empire, CA is reading Be Still By Tania L. Ramos October 13, 2012 - 11:01am
Matte
100% (17 votes)
Gloss
0% (0 votes)
Total votes: 17

Gordon Highland's picture
Gordon Highland from Kansas City is reading Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore October 13, 2012 - 2:15pm

Each has its place, but my general preference is for matte. Some of the matte covers printed by Lightning Source and the like have a cool, slightly velvety or rubbery feel to them which I dig.

Daniel Mariano's picture
Daniel Mariano from Inland Empire, CA is reading Be Still By Tania L. Ramos October 13, 2012 - 5:41pm

I've alway had a thing for Matte covers. Feels kinda gangster-ish. It's gonna be the NEW black. 

JEFFREY GRANT BARR's picture
JEFFREY GRANT BARR from Central OR is reading Nothing but fucking Shakespeare, for the rest of my life October 13, 2012 - 6:06pm

Is this a thing people actually think about? My answer is neither: cover art is one thing, but matte vs. glossy? Yeesh.

I like glossy ones, because they're SHINY!!!

Dave's picture
Dave from a city near you is reading constantly October 13, 2012 - 7:22pm

I cant say Id ever actually noticed. Hardback or paperback. I dislike movie tie-in covers. I feel like te association with hollywood somehow cheapens the book. 

Emma C's picture
Class Facilitator
Emma C from Los Angeles is reading The Warehouse by Rob Hart October 13, 2012 - 7:32pm

I like the look of matte, but it's never practical because it ends up covered in fingerprints which drives me nuts.

I'm with Dave on the movie tie-in covers; I've noticed now the e-books I have update their covers if they end up adapted (my Song of Ice and Fire series is slowly being compromised on my nook).

Dave's picture
Dave from a city near you is reading constantly October 13, 2012 - 7:42pm

Does tht make us book snobs? Because I can think of worse things to be. 

jyh's picture
jyh from VA is reading whatever he feels like October 13, 2012 - 7:50pm

I'm on team anti-pics-from-movies-on-the-cover. I was thinking about buying Cloud Atlas and I actually wondered if I could still find a new copy without some famous person on it. Then I didn't bother to go to the store, so my story has a happy ending: me being 86 years old.

Dave's picture
Dave from a city near you is reading constantly October 13, 2012 - 7:55pm

I actually dont like my copy of I Am Legend, stupid Will Smith cover. I'll buy another if I come across one without him. 

ReneeAPickup's picture
Class Facilitator
ReneeAPickup from Southern California is reading A truckload of books October 13, 2012 - 10:48pm

I'm looking at my shelf and it looks like the majority are matte. But a lot of the ones on the shelf are kind of old, so they may have been glossy.

Truth be told, I rarely buy hardbacks new. I'm cheap.

Dave's picture
Dave from a city near you is reading constantly October 14, 2012 - 12:01am

I dont unless I just cant live without it. Im a used bookstore kinda guy. 

Emma C's picture
Class Facilitator
Emma C from Los Angeles is reading The Warehouse by Rob Hart October 14, 2012 - 8:52pm

There has to be a market for a used bookshop that deals exclusively in non-film-tie-in copies of adapted books. If this writing thing doesn't take off, maybe I'll make it happen.

Snob and proud. Much worse things to be.

avery of the dead's picture
avery of the dead from Kentucky is reading Cipher Sisters October 15, 2012 - 9:17am

I have a bunch of movie tie in covers, doesn't bother me.  But I guess I'm the only one seeing them, and I just care about the inside anyway.  If I were going to have them out in public, or at the very least, in the living room, maybe I'd pick out the nicer looking ones for that.  As it stands, the bookshelf is in the bedroom, where no one can judge me or my lame covers. 

jyh's picture
jyh from VA is reading whatever he feels like October 15, 2012 - 9:23am

Does tht make us book snobs? Because I can think of worse things to be.

Snob and proud. Much worse things to be.

I think I'm less a snob and more a mild neurotic.

avery of the dead's picture
avery of the dead from Kentucky is reading Cipher Sisters October 15, 2012 - 9:25am

"more a mild neurotic."

That feels correct.

Dave's picture
Dave from a city near you is reading constantly October 15, 2012 - 2:27pm

Here's something else I...well, dislike.  I have a copy of "The Town" with Ben Affleck's giant mug on the cover. Because I guess when Chuck Hogan wrote Prince of Thieves the title wasn't good enough. 

or

Matt Damon gracing my cover of Imperial Life In Emerald City, or in Hollywood parlance "The Green Zone."  Okay, so that title is a little wordy, but, with respect to the author, both titles are fairly prominent on the cover and spine, unlike The Town which has a tiny little blurb about being previously published as Prince of Theives.

And lastly, I'm all for author's getting movie deals and collecting royalties.  Good on them if a movie generates another printing of their novel, I'm certain it gives a boost to sales. I'll continue to be neurotic and opt for the books non-Hollywood iterations.

Gordon Highland's picture
Gordon Highland from Kansas City is reading Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore October 15, 2012 - 3:13pm

This is the most egregious tie-in cover of all time, in my opinion. It's just called Push, yo. They made it into a film whose title happened to include the adapted novel's title, so now the tie-in reflects the film title, when all they had to say was Push, and simply mentioning at the top that it was now a major motion picture would've been sufficient. I guess at least it's not a novelization of a film of an adaptation.

Alex Kane's picture
Alex Kane from west-central Illinois is reading Dark Orbit October 15, 2012 - 6:12pm

Yeah, Disney did that with John Carter. It was heinous.

(Not that I read it. But you don't need to read it to know what a fucking travesty it is.)