Similar Covers: Romantic Lookalikes

I came across two more books featuring the same cover image this week: A Woman Run Mad by John L’Heureux (published in 2000 by Grove Press) and The Romantic by Barbara Gowdy (published in 2003 by McGraw Hill). Note that TinEye does not recognize them as being the same...

Coincidentally, I featured another one of L’Heureux’s books in my TinEye post last week, and The Romantic has also been published with another cover with lookalikes, one of which (Saving the World by Julia Alvarez) I featured in a “similar covers” post in May 2009.

Using TinEye, I was able to find four other lookalikes: The Woman’s Book of Guardians: Divine Guides, Muses, Totems and Protectors for Everyday Use by Peg Streep (2004), Wer nicht hören will, muß fühlen by Susanne Mischke (2004), Maktub by Paulo Coelho (2008) and Pour vous by Dominique Mainard (2008). Saving the World is still my favourite of all these covers!

TinEye Reverse Image Search: The End of Copycat Covers?

Some time ago, I came across a complaint someone had posted on Penguin Canada’s Facebook page: the person was outraged that Hamish Hamilton Canada (an imprint of Penguin Group Canada) had published Fall by Colin McAdam in 2009 using the same cover image as had appeared on Twenty-Six by Leo McKay Jr., which was published in 2004 by Emblem Editions (an imprint of McClelland & Stewart). Both McAdam and McKay are Canadian novelists who have been shortlisted for the prestigious Giller Prize.

In fact, at least nine books have been published with this same cover image; in order of publication, the seven others are Wildwasser by Paulus Hochgatterer (2003), The Miracle by John L’Heureux (2003), Restless: A Ghost’s Story by Rich Wallace (2003), Le monde perdu de Joey Madden (the French translation of Ruin Creek) by David Payne (2004), The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad (2004), Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor (2008) and Son of a Witch by Gregory McGuire (2009).

And here’s the thing: it took me less than five minutes to find those other seven books. How? By using TinEye Reverse Image Search. Like Google, TinEye is a search engine, but instead of searching for terms, it searches for images. It’s not perfect (it can’t find reversed images, for example), nor is it exhaustive, but it certainly makes it much much easier to find copycat covers, especially if you’re starting with a stock photo (rather than a cover image that has text and perhaps other images on it). There’s no reason publishers couldn’t check to see whether the stock images they are using on covers have been used before. The question is, will they? Do they actually care?

How do you feel about copycat covers? Are you outraged? Annoyed? Amused? Indifferent? Do you think publishers should care if the stock images they are using on covers have been used before?

Really Random Tuesday: Giveaway Winners & Kitty Pics

First off, I need to announce the winners of my two last giveaways: Gigi won a copy of Devotion: A Memoir by Dani Shapiro (read my review) and a real librarian won a copy of Home to Woefield by Susan Juby (read my review). Congrats to both winners and thanks to all who entered, especially those of you who shared your samskara* experiences with me!

*Wikipedia spells it sanskara, but the definition is correct!

Secondly, it’s been a while since I’ve shared any kitty pics with you, so here are three recent ones of Cairo being very cute! Click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Cairo on Mr. B’s shoulder

Cairo napping inside my sweater

Cairo sharing the ottoman with me

Mr. B took the first pic, and yes, Cairo is napping on our couch inside a sweater that’s hooked to a chair in the second pic!

Really Random Tuesday is hosted by Suko at Suko’s Notebook. Feel free to join in, copy the button and link back to Suko’s blog.

Mailbox Monday (April 11): In Which I Break One of My New Year’s Resolutions...

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books they received during the previous week. Warning: MM can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and huge wish lists! Mailbox Monday, which was started by Marcia (who now blogs at A girl and her books) is on blog tour—this month, it’s hosted by Amy at Passages to the Past.

I’ve been very good about not buying any books this year; as you may remember, I’m on a book-acquiring ban until June. However, I fell off the wagon this week: first, I went to a book launch (and had to buy the book) and then I went to a library book sale...

In the end, I purchased three books: Carried by a Promise: A Life Transformed Through Yoga by Swami Radhananda (which I got signed by the author), For Keeps: Women Tell the Trugh About Their Bodies, Growing Older, and Acceptance edited by Victoria Zackheim (which has been on my wish list since 2008!) and The Sound of Paper: Starting from Scratch by Julia Cameron (because I love her books and couldn’t resist this one for only a dollar).

From the back cover of Carried by a Promise:

In 1977, when Mary-Ann McDougall—mother, wife and teacher—first heard Swami Sivananda Radha speak at Yasodhara Ashram, she knew she had found what was missing in her life. Her memoir, Carried by a Promise, is the unique story of a woman’s spiritual journey that follows her deepening commitment to Swami Radha and the extraordinary events that lead to her transformation into Swami Radhananda. Carried by a Promise offers a very human example of how a heartfelt promise to the Divine can carry us on the spiritual path. Above all, it gives an intimate look into the love between a guru and a disciple—a sacred connection that has the power to transform.

From the back cover of For Keeps:

We women often devote boundless effort to beauty and fitness, but usually by fighting our bodies rather than befriending them. So maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that when we face injury, illness, or old age, we are often devastated—in truth, we feel betrayed by our own bodies. For Keeps is more than an acceptance of getting older—it’s about accepting who you are, period. By turns hilarious and heartrending, moving and irreverent, this extraordinary collection chronicles the transformative potential of the body’s wisdom. From adolescent awkwardness to eating disorders, mental illness to cancer diagnoses, twenty-seven gifted writers share their intimate stories of wrestling with their less-than-perfect bodies, a triumphant testament to the self-acceptance and peace available to use all.

From the back cover of The Sound of Paper:

Julia Cameron delves deep into the heart of the personal struggles that all artists experience. What can we do when we face our keyboard or canvas with nothing but a cold emptiness? How can we begin to carve out our creation when our vision and drive are clouded by life’s uncertainties? In other words, how can be begin the difficult work of being an artist? . . . With personal essays accompanied by exercise designed to develop the power to infuse one’s art with a deeply informed knowledge of the soul, this book is an essential artist’s companion from one of the foremost authorities on the creative process. Cameron’s most illuminating volume to date, The Sound of Paper provides readers with a spiritual path for creating the best work of their lives.

What did you find in your mailbox this past week? For other Mailbox Monday posts, head over to Passages to the Past.