In an effort to make classics more sexy publishers are coming up with new covers that look A LOT like the covers of the books that have dominated the teen and young adult charts lately. For instance, remember the covers of the Twilight series? Here are two of them:
The formula: dark covers, white bits and one red bit. Yes, like this:
The same treatment is being given to a number of other classics, according to Julie Bosman writing for the New York Times. It's not a stretch for Dracula, of course, but they're doing the same thing with others--notably Wuthering Heights, the cover of which identifies it as "Bella and Edward's Favorite Book."
Others are not copying the color scheme so closely but trying to portray the protagonists as more like the kids in the mall. Frankly, I don't think reading Shakespeare is going to turn into a much more appealing experience for the typical teen just because the cover shows Romeo wearing a tight white tank top, but maybe it'll motivate a few more kids to open it. Whether they'll became fans or feel cheated when they discover the words inside are still the same is anybody's guess.
Hmm, maybe I'm missing a bet here. Maybe the next edition of my book should look like this...
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