If publishers are good at one thing, it's publishing. If they're good at two things, it's publishing and consecrating every aspect of the paper book, until changing anything about it seems unthinkable. This week's e-crisis: The Death of the Cover.
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The New York Times notes one of the many incidental - and admittedly kinda fascinating - consequences of switching to ebooks: covers don't matter as much anymore. I mean, sure, they're more important in a narrow sense, since ebook stores display book covers instead of books spines, and obviously, a catchy cover will help sell a book, online or off, to a person who's already at a (e)book store, but that's not what anyone's worried about here. Nope! It's the loss of free marketing:
If you notice the jackets on the books people are reading on a plane or in the park, you might decide to check out "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" or "The Help," too.
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