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Judging a book by its cover

Photgraph - the bookcover of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

When a book is published, the cover plays an important role in the advertising process. Readers start to form expectations from looking at the cover design and the publisher's 'blurb' – the text on the back cover of the book. The 'blurb' usually gives the reader an idea about the plot, characters or setting; similarly, the cover artwork may be chosen to illustrate a point from the narrative.

However, when The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was first published, the book had a very simple cover design, as well as a mysterious blurb.  Since the success of the film version, the book has been republished with a new cover that uses a different approach.

In this clip from our interview with John Boyne, the author explains how these choices were made.

Photgraph - the bookcover of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne