A foreign edition of a book often gives it a new face for the international market, argues a Guardian article. Harry Potter was re-imagined with a mouse-shaped hat by an Italian publisher while Jonathan Safran Foer’s tale of finding his Eastern European ancestors, Everything is Illuminated is transformed into a watercolour dust jacket of a groping couple.
Australia has seen plenty of re-interpreting for its market. Nick Cave’s The Death of Bunny Munro was controversially re-jacketed as Meanjin observed so local publisher Text could pursue a ‘sex sells’ marketing plan (the local cover centres on a prone woman’s crotch) over the cuddly UK cover of a bunny suit. Text went with the UK look for its hardcover, but kept the women’s underwear to push the audio book.
