A tale of two covers

Have you ever noticed that the covers of the same cookbooks published in the US and the UK are frequently different? There are several reasons for this phenomenon, explains Charlotte Druckman in a recent Epicurious article for why this occurs so often.

One of the examples discussed is Diana Henry’s 2016 release Simple.  Says Henry, “The cover is the thing that will make a potential buyer pick the book up. It is incredibly important, so it has to be arresting.” For her cookbook, while the two covers have similar themes (distressed wood background and a dark pan) there are important distinctions between them that publishers say reflect the desires of the audiences in each country.

For the past decade or so, American publishers have been generating new covers for British cookbooks. According to Stephanie Jackson, Commissioning Editor at Octopus in London, it usually “not the British publisher’s decision—it’s the U.S. publisher’s prerogative.” Authors are frequently (but not always) consulted, but in the end the publisher has the final say about which cover to use.

In the two editions of Simple, as is the case with many of the covers made for the US market, the American version is more colorful than its British counterpart. US publishers say that this market demands vibrant photos of food rather than the more abstract, artistic designs that the Brits seem to prefer. However, it is not clear that the reasoning behind having different covers is valid because almost no research has been done on the subject. Rather, the theory seems to be “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” because cookbook sales are booming and most of the bestsellers have Instagram-worthy images on the front.

Designers and publishers agree a different aesthetic exists between the US and the UK that extends beyond cookbook covers into restaurant design and interior decorating (think diner vs. pub). However, Heesang Lee, a graphic designer who works on projects for the Abrams imprint in New York, has a slightly different take. “The difference is not as distinct as that of an American diner and British pub,” she starts. “But I feel that British cookbooks are cutting edge and atmospheric, while American cookbooks are more eclectic and have a more cheerful note.”

I usually favor the British covers and often order from overseas, not for the covers but because I prefer metric measurements. Getting the cover that I like is just icing on the cake. What do you think of the differences between US and UK cookbook covers?