I think authors should become a lot more savvy about the importance and power of book titles and covers…and then begin the long, hard process of gaining more control over them. But, in my experience, writers in general don’t have a clue. In fact, many seem to think it beneath them to think about such pedestrian things as marketing and promotion.

Hopefully this incident will help them wake up.

I’m off to read Leviathan (my colleague grabbed Liar the second it came in, so I’ll have to wait). Have a wonderful weekend.

I commend your intellectual candor. Now I know that we’re one in spirit, and we’ll meekly wait on those still in denial of the outrageous malignant conduct, to see the light of love which transcend bitter racial divide. There’s no healthy reason on earth for it.Much love!

http://www.tranan.nu/trasten/pics_trasten/titles_trasten/Brevtillmamma.JPG

I understand your pain. You personally may not have done anything to cause this problem. But all whites must acknowledge two hundred and thirty years of governmental and wealthy corporation unabated suppression of non white people opportunity in the U.S. All of these big-time publishing houses have an internal process by which black authors, for the few that they accept, are paid much less than white peers. Think of Penguin’s treatment of author Millenia Black. She had to drag them into a lawsuit, this is an epidemic and nothing new–understand?

The Australian cover wouldn’t sell well in the US. I find the US cover appealing, though I dislike this trend of girl photos on covers. Don’t spoonfeed me a photo-specific look for the protagonist; let me imagine at least part of her.

I think, ironically, this book will sell a lot more copies due to the controversy surrounding it — because the American public has a short memory. When they see the book, they’ll remember vaguely that there was news about it, and they will buy it.

I feel bad for Justine — what author doesn’t want to completely love their book? She should be happily writing the next book, printing up bookmarks and scheduling school visits, not dealing with this firestorm which she tried to prevent.
I feel bad for Bloomsbury, because there is more to the cover decision than most people realize, and this is not some nameless, faceless, heartless company. It’s real people.
I feel bad for readers who feel insulted by the cover — I’m all for education and inclusiveness, I abhor racism, and I feel African Americans are outrageously and unfairly under-represented in books (and movies, tv, etc) today.
But — suddenly I also feel bad for me.
How dismaying that anyone thinks boycotting all Bloomsbury authors will help. What have the rest of us done to earn your wrath?