…is a curious thing. I’m often struck by the different approaches by publishers to promote the same book. A good example are the approaches taken by the UK (left, below), Australian (middle, below) and US (right, below) publishers of Garth Nix’s new novel, Drowned Wednesday. I think the US cover is wonderful, eery and suggestive. The UK cover is consistent with a strong branding approach the publisher has taken. I am unable to explain the Australian cover, which seems to involve computer art.

It is interesting, though, that the book title is most prominent in the UK, where presumably the branding identifies the author to interested readers, and that the series title doesn’t appear on the cover. In the US the Author’s name is most prominent, with the title next, followed by the series title. And, in Australia, the series title is most prominent, followed by author name and series title. From this I’d guess, and it is a guess, that Nix sells best in the US.

For what it’s worth, I’d give the tick to the US edition and can’t wait to read it, or the new collection.