Paying Attention to the Culture

Why are special editions of novels rapidly rising in popularity recently? What makes the book shown on the left have less value than the book on the right? It all comes down to the word “special” tacked on before the word edition. 

  People want to fit in, they want to be part of the online communities that stack their bookshelves with cool versions of books for the best photos of their bookshelves, affectionately labeled as ‘shelfies’. Why get the boring edition on the left when you can splurge on the prettier one that will cause you to feel as though you have gotten your hands on something unique. Does the story change? Not at all, but it makes the consumer feel special. For the business side of things, we can work on special editions of books that the data shows are already incredibly popular, and then give the consumers something they will enjoy even more, aesthetically pleasing versions. The possibilities are endless, with color palettes being able to shift and change as the trends change. 

Adding to this idea, an author who utilizes the popularity of certain influencers and content creators will succeed because their fans will feel inspired by what they are seeing in their feeds. It also makes sense when we consider the age range of the demographics for these types of books, with Fourth Wing being a fantasy book with a romantic main plot, those reaching for this book will more than likely be those who can afford to pay for the special edition covers. However, there is a caveat to this. The special editions need to feel well thought out, because our consumers can sniff out a cash grab and while some may still purchase, we will lose loyalty if we start delivering subpar editions.  All in all, we would benefit from creating original artwork to go with our books.