French books with colorless covers

Why so few colors or images?

As anyone who has visited a bookshop knows, French novels generally have a very striking appearance. They are very sober in their presentation. A color, usually pale, distinctive of the publishing house with author's name and title. For coloring, images or illustrations, you have to turn to French thrillers, science fiction and stationery.

A presentation that justifies that Anglo-Saxon countries are traditionally less interested in these books because for them, they give the feeling of a self-publishing and therefore a less qualitative work. However, they do have all-text covers, but generally the title takes up all the space and is stylized according to the novel.

This choice can be explained first and foremost by a desire for elegance and to highlight the written word. The latter would have no need for artifice. Secondly, a graphic jacket requires printing costs and the hiring of a graphic designer, among other things. However, this is changing as small French publishing houses try to stand out from the giants. What's more, with online sales, a more colorful cover is of greater interest to buyers, who will see it as an added value to their digital version.

Time: 4min24