Movie/TV Show Covers VS. Original Covers

Whenever a book is adapted into a show or a movie, the book always gets a new cover. And I know a lot of people have their own opinion on them. Me personally, I sometimes like the adaption cover better than the original. Or sometimes I like the original cover. I was reading something written by the amazing Alyssa @ Book Huntress World and it really got me thinking about these covers. Thanks Alyssa for making me really think about these and inspiring this post. Let’s just jump into the post before I give Alyssa a lot more thanks, which would eventually turn into a rant. 

One of the things I really hate about a book is how dark the cover can be. I read a lot of dark books, yes, but why can’t they have some color in them? 95% of my bookshelf is dark covers. I do like me some black and dark colors but there can be a whole row of dark colors at times. I want a burst of color every so often. 

I’ve also noticed that once a book becomes a movie or a show, it become really hard for the book to be seen with the original cover. There are so many times that I have gone into Books-A-Million and have only seen the adaption cover on the shelf. I don’t want to have to go online and have to order the book and spend so much money on shipping, since it can get expensive. I want to go into the store and find both covers. I understand that it would take up a lot of room on the shelf and all but you could put them side by side or behind each other. 

I went into Barnes & Noble once, trying to find the fifth book in the A Song of Fire and Ice series by George R.R. Martin. I had all newer covers for the books. I walked in wanting to get the fifth one to match the cover but no. I had to buy the stupid TV cover of the book. I don’t mind the TV cover but I wish I could find the matching cover because they don’t match. At all. I almost hate that as much as I hate buying paperback books and then buying hardback. No. Just no. 

I also had to go and buy The 100 series by: Kass Morgan the same way like I did previously. My mom insisted that we got the cheaper versions of the books. What she didn’t know was how much I hated the original since it didn’t match the series. Like, shouldn’t you at least match the covers to the rest of the series. I don’t even think the other books in the series have other covers other than the ones with the characters on the cover. I will say that it is one of the cases that I like the adapted cover just because they match the cover, unlike the other cases. 

One thing I do sometimes enjoy about adaption covers is the fact they sometimes back the purpose of the book stand out a little more. Take the Me Before You by: Jojo Moyes covers. What in the original screams out romance or Will’s whole condition? I don’t just like the movie cover better because of Emilla Clarke (she is absolutely beautiful) but it just screams the purpose of the book better. I also feel like more people pick up books with characters on it for some reason. I sort of sometimes find characters being on the covers to be cheesy but people buy it. And in some cases, it’s me because it is the only thing I can sometimes find! 

One of the other things that really bug me is the fact the movie or show claims to be based off of the book but NOTHING MATCHES UP. It is rare when I see a show or a movie that follows the plot line from the book. They always have to change a certain character, remove a character, or change anything. All the directors and writers take from the books is the premise. If you are basing the show or movie off the book, should most of the show match up to the book? That’s just a thought. I apparently know nothing about books. 

As I get older and a deeper book lover, I have noticed a issue occur in this department. They take the first book in a series, make a movie, get the covers changed, and stop making the movies. If you are taking the time to change the original cover to something else, why don’t you want them to match up? I know it’s not just my OCD either. I’ve seen this in a total of at least three books that I can think of on the top of my head. Take Pretty Little Liars by: Sara Shepard into account first. The first two books Pretty Little Liars and Flawless into account. They both have Troian Bellisaro (Spencer Hastings), Ashely Benson (Hanna Marin), Lucy Hale (Aria Montgomery), and Shay Mitchell (Emily Fields) on the covers. But the covers stop by book three. I am so happy for that day in Barnes & Noble when they had a bent copy of one of the copies that stopped me from buying the show covers of the books. They are less creepy though. But then we have Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by: Ransom Riggs and The 5th Wave by: Rick Yancey. They are both currently a three book series and only the first book was and is going to be turned into a movie. What about the other books in the series? What about all the readers who picked up the movie cover of the book and ended up loving the book? Their copies are not going to match after that. If you change one copy, you should have to change all the copies. 

I will be the first to admit that if my favorite book or series is being turned into a show or movie, I will buy the adapted cover. I have done it once and I want to get the other covers. You know I’m talking about you City of Bones by: Cassandra Clare. I currently do own the TV show cover and the original but I want to get the other two movie covers. Why there were two covers for the movie never made sense to me in the first place. But the only way I will own the original cover and the tie in edition is it has to be one of my favorite books. If Throne of Glass by: Sarah J. Maas gets a new cover for the supposed Hulu show, I will probably go and get it because I love that book. 

Despite the movie or show covers being good money makers and publicity for the show or movie, it takes away how special the book could be. There are so many of us reader who have read a book years before it gets turned into a show or turned into a movie. We get to say, “Oh. I read that a few years ago.” Or we get the privilege or fangirling to the casting of the movie or show. HINT HINT To All The Boys I Loved Before starring my favorite Janel Parrish! But so many more people begin to read the book and somehow the magic the book holds disappears. It no longer is your favorite book because so many other people are reading it or talking about it. You don’t feel like it’s that special anymore because people are ruining the magic behind it. So much hype grows around it and you want to sit there and say, “I told you to read that book like three years ago.” I know that’s how I feel about The Darkest Minds by: Alexandra Bracken. I read that about four years ago and now they are making the movie. I don’t like half the people they have casted for that movie and I feel like the book is my baby and I’m sending it off to kindergarten. 

I just typically enjoy the look and the feeling behind original covers more than movie/show covers. Original covers bring some sort of happiness to my life and I feel like it will always be a part of my life, no matter how bad the movie or show might be. If there is ever a book you think will have a chance of becoming a movie or show and you want to read it, make sure you buy it then before the movie or show takes over the cover and you can never find that beautiful cover ever again. 

What side are you on when it comes to this? Do you like movie/show covers better or the original covers? What is your favorite cover? Are you like me and own more the one copy of a book, just with a different cover? What do you agree with? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

Happy Reading,