Why Foreign Editions of Books Have Different Covers and Titles
DAMSEL has some pretty amazing translated editions
Hello, lovelies!
This weekend, our dear friends Josh and Michelle are flying in from Austin to visit us, so we’re going to do some very Northern California things like walk through shady redwood forests, stroll the Santa Cruz boardwalk, and spend a day in Napa tasting wines and poking into little artisan shops and eating delicious meals made from vegetables picked from the sunny restaurant gardens only hours before.
These are the friends who flew halfway across the country, unannounced, to keep Tom company when he was in the hospital in 2019, before his lung transplant. (To up the surprise, Josh arrived in a Star Wars costume—the nurses were very amused). These are the friends who go to automotive conferences in Nashville and tell everyone there about a great book and movie called Damsel that they have to read and watch. These are the friends who loved my work long before I walked a red carpet, and who would drop everything for us if we needed them. As we would for them.
Real friends are such wonderful gifts.
Anyway, that’s what Tom and I are doing this weekend. But this past week, I filmed a lot of promo videos for my Damsel publishers in other countries, which got me thinking about all the non-U.S. editions of my book out there.
Have you ever noticed that books will often have different cover art and even titles when sold in different countries?
For example, the Indonesian translation of Damsel (pictured above) has a completely different illustration of Elodie and the dragon. (Also, the edges of the pages are a gorgeous teal color, but you can’t see them in the photo I took.)
The German translation has painted edges made to look like dragon fire—flames in red, purple, and black to match the cover.
Additionally, the German book has a subtitle, whereas the American version does not: Damsel—The Path of Fire (Damsel—Der Pfad des Feuers).
In Ukraine, the book is not called Damsel, but rather Maiden Against Adversity.1 The Ukrainian version also has a black dragon painted against a red background on the edges of the book’s pages.
Some of the other translations have identical cover art and title as the American version. Other countries have special editions in the works. I have not seen all of the translated versions, but I know Damsel is being published in so many languages, I’ve lost count!
And then we have the new American paperback edition to celebrate the movie’s release on Netflix. This cover art features the lead actress, Millie Bobby Brown (you can see the original cover art on the American hardcover in the background on my bookshelf):
So why not have the covers and title be the same worldwide, especially in an era of globalization and consistent branding?
Because although a story can be loved by readers everywhere, those readers are not the same everywhere. For example, the word “Damsel” might have a lot of meaning and cultural significance in one country, but it might not pack the same wallop in another. The same with cover art—what appeals to readers in one place may not “leap off the shelf” in another.
So publishers in each country are given leeway to adjust cover art and titles as they deem best. Sometimes the authors get input, but most of the time, I defer to their expertise about what their readers will prefer.
Honestly, I’m just thrilled to have my story available around the globe!
Get your copy of Damsel!
The best way to support my writing is buying my books. Thank you for your love and enthusiasm, and for supporting the arts!
You’ve heard about the movie. Now read the book to delve deeper into the world of Damsel, and read the alternate ending!
Me, Elsewhere
Last week I wrote a guest post on
about how writers can get noticed by Hollywood studios and get paid for writing the companion novels for movies and TV shows. Read more here.I was also interviewed on
about my mini panic attack before the Damsel movie premiere/red carpet, as well as about my long path through many, many rejections before landing a book deal. Read more here (my interview is after Erin’s astute and funny Oscars recap).My Book and Movie Release Calendar: 2024
March 5th - Damsel movie tie-in paperback edition
March 8th - Damsel movie on Netflix
May 7th - The Hundred Loves of Juliet summer paperback edition
July 30th - One Year Ago in Spain - NEW RELEASE
according to Google Translate. Please forgive me if that is incorrect, as I don’t speak Ukrainian.
This is amazing! I was born in Indonesia and it's really cool to see Damsel translated there, will definitely get a copy when I go back.
Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but is there somewhere I would go to get a signed copy? :)
Wow 🥳 France....aaaaahhh...sounds lovely. You have a lot of work ahead of you. I hope you enjoy it all.