Friday Book Cover: Kindle in Motion

/ Staci Troilo

RipperThere’s a new craze on Kindle (at least, it’s new to me) called Kindle in Motion. The books can be read on any device that reads Kindle books, but the covers and insides have motion (hence the name, of course. 😉 ) that can be viewed on certain Fire tablets and on the free Kindle iOS and Android apps.

All of these covers caught my attention, because, you know, they move. I’m going to show one of them that really drew me in—Patricia Conrwell’s Ripper: The Secret Life of Walter Sickert. (Please click on the book cover to view the motion effect on Amazon.)

This book happens to be a nonfiction selection, but this cover could just as easily be on a mystery/suspense/thriller novel.

The graphic is incredibly dark, setting expectations for the dark tone and subject matter of the work. There’s a silhouette of the ripper, which is much more ominous than a clear representation would be (unless there was something frightening about the killer’s features). There’s also a face, partially in profile, done in a deep red. The color evokes a sense of blood and violence.

The author’s name and the book title are white, so they really pop. Also, they’re in all caps, so they have more power than title case would. The name is sans serif, typical of contemporary books (fiction and nonfiction). The title is serif, which calls to mind a historical period—Victorian London. The subtitle and the author’s bestseller statement are the same red as the graphic, so they coordinate nicely. Because of the smaller size, they are written in sans serif fonts, which makes them cleaner—and therefore easier to read—than a serif font in all caps would be at that reduced size. (Sentence or title case is another matter, though, with respect to readability.)

The motion knocks the graphic back to black then fades in first the top-hat man and then the red face. There’s no music, but you can almost hear the suspenseful notes as the graphics take shape and then fade out again. The entire cover provides a dark, sinister overtone, perfect for the topic at hand.

In my opinion, this is a great cover for the topic and would be equally effective in the mystery/suspense/thriller genre.

Have you seen these Kindle in Motion books? What do you think—gimmick or new standard in great cover design? Let’s talk about it.

 

40 thoughts on “Friday Book Cover: Kindle in Motion”

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  2. Staci, for me, it isn’t really a case of judging the actual BOOK by its cover as much as appreciating the cover in and of itself for the art. (Perhaps because I’ve painted for years, I look very closely at it.) I don’t always end up reading (or finishing) some of the books I’ve bought for the art, but I still value that part. However, I think really excellent cover art ought to be beautiful AND let you know that you’ll probably like the book. That’s the best of both worlds. 🙂 But, either way, I don’t want a book to look like a video, even as an eBook. For some reason, that bothers me.

    So, yep. I reckon you’ll find people on both sides of this one. However, since it’s cutting edge stuff, I think the majority of writers and their readers will enjoy the option. (As long as it remains optional, of course.) 🙂

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    • I know this goes against the grain, but I’d be hard-pressed to tell you what the covers look like on my favorite eBooks. Print books, sure. I see them a lot. But eBooks? I rarely see the covers, and certainly not once I start reading them. Even though I have a design background, I don’t pay close attention to cover art. I think it’s because I adamantly believe the written word should stand on its own merit and not have sales influenced by pretty wrappings. Still, I know people are attracted to covers, and many people will likely be attracted to “moving” covers. That’s why the concept intrigues me. But I highly doubt I’ll ever have the budget or ability to buy or create such a cover.

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      • Well, again, I appreciate both greatly, and I love the covers as art on their own merit, separate from the books within. I admit, some of my favorite books do NOT have great covers, and some of my favorite covers do not have great books. 🙂 But books are a double treat for me. And covers are what make me pick them up (both IRL and online) and scan the blurb before deciding to buy. And I often go back while reading and study the cover art, to see if it actually lives up to what it promised me.

        Of course, in my library (it’s so wonderful to live in a house with an extra room I can use as such), I display my very favorite cover art on little easels, because it makes me feel good every time I look at them. I also have ordered signed prints from my favorite cover artist, Chris McGrath, and have them framed. Harry Dresden hangs on my wall now, along with a few others.

        My little library is my favorite room in the house, both for all the wonderful stories it contains, and for all the beautiful cover art I can display there. Happy sigh. 🙂

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      • I’m pretty sure that’s how most people buy books. (They probably don’t go so far as to display the covers, though, which I think is really cool.) Like I said, I’m an odd duck. I can appreciate a good cover, but that’s not what draws me in. And these days? Covers are all starting to look the same to me, anyway. Probably a sign of my frustration with the whole thing.

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  6. Wow! I have mixed feelings. I like it, but then again I have to wonder if it’s just another way for Amazon to monopolize the literary market. The jury is out on this one. Thanks for sharing, Staci.

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  7. I’m probably the lone voice in the group, but I honestly don’t know if I like it. I think I have to see a few more of them to be sure, or actually purchase one and experience the whole concept.

    It’s interesting that Amazon is doing this for their Kindle covers. My first thought is that if you want to market this way, you’d have a Kindle in motion cover on Amazon but all other booksellers would have a regular cover? Hmmm. It seems this is one more thing Amazon is doing to set themselves apart and force others to play catch-up!

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    • It’s something I know I can’t afford, but the concept intrigues me. Static options show the cover at its fullest, I’d think. I do hate that it’s another way for Amazon to gobble up market share, but I fear that’s a runaway train at this point.

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    • I’m with you, Mae. Call me old-fashioned (I dare you!) but I like books to be BOOKS, and not videos. I have no clue whether this will catch on or not, but personally, I’m not interested in doing it, or buying it, actually. I love cover art very much, and often buy books just because of that, but I want it to stand still and let me ooh and ahh over it.

      As for whether or not this is being done to make Amazon bigger and better, I got no dogs in that race, as they say. I owe my current career to Amazon, and mostly I figure what’s good for them is good for me. No, they aren’t perfect. Yes, they can frustrate me a bit, but I don’t mind them trying new things like this, no matter what their reasons are. Still. I’m not much interested in the idea. It doesn’t appeal to me at all, I’m afraid.

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      • i’m with you abut the cover art, Marcia. It’s eye candy I love, and often what leads me to a book in the first place. I’ll stand on the “old-fashioned” side of the cover with you, LOL.

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      • I’m probably one of the few people on the planet who doesn’t judge a book by its cover, so animated or not, that won’t be why I choose whether to read a book. I do love that there are conflicting views on this feature, though. It’s proof that there’s an audience for just about anything.

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    • Amazon rolled it out with no fanfare. Probably trying to get more titles before promoting it. But animation and video are the new trends, and many people are visually-oriented. It does make sense that this was the next evolution.

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  16. Now, that is very cool! I can only imagine all of the foreshadowing that can take place with this neat kind of cover. For my covers, I could have the Diasodz’s eyes going from dormant to skill-in-use stage. So cool! I can also imagine how much my book cover artist will charge for something like that! LOL!

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