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Replies:
11
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Pages:
1
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Last Post:
Dec 3, 2009 8:18 AM
by: Camal Cakar
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Posts:
167
From:
San Diego
Registered:
11/18/03
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Reader thoughts on Manning covers: what's your opinion?
Posted:
Feb 6, 2004 3:59 PM
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Hi Readers,
We've been getting some interesting responses about our cover art. We'd like to know your opinion on the subject. To kick off the discussion, I'm posting (with permission) an email we received below.
-iain
On Thursday, Jun 26, 2003, at 16:10 America/New_York, Steve Millar
wrote:
Dear Manning cover art decider person,
I have recently purchased a book from you on the subject of .NET
multithreading (http://www.manning.com/dennis/index.html).
I have read a couple of chapters and am generally
pleased with the quality, the level of detail, and the internal layout. As a
frequent purchaser of computer books however, I feel that I would be
remiss if I did not tell you how thoroughly the cover of the book sucks. It's
major league weirdo shit - and I mean that in the most constructively
critical way possible. What the hell were you thinking? I have been
subjected to an unending stream of cube passers-by 'rubber-necking' to
see what kind of freakish sheep slaughter manual I'm reading in the office.
I mean come on! what does some bare-footed, maniacal mime with a club
have to do with multithreading? I know you guys probably have O'Reilly
envy and kick yourselves on a daily basis for not having the vision to put
weiner dog prints on DCOM books, but a little discretion is called for here.
This guy in the pink outfit is pretty freakin scary. And a co-worker pointed
out that the man may have dropped a load in his pants as well.
In the future, please refrain from choosing such psychically damaging
cover 'art' and stick with squirrels or unicorns or something else more
related to the technical subject to be expounded upon.
And if the second edition has a different cover - and it's a moral
imperative, dude - then I would like to be mailed a sticker for my copy.
Thank you for your prompt attention in this grave matter,
Steve Millar
(somewhat scared and recently mocked software developer)
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Posts:
167
From:
San Diego
Registered:
11/18/03
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Re: Reader thoughts on Manning covers: what's your opinion?
Posted:
Feb 6, 2004 3:59 PM
in response to:
iain
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Our publisher responded:
From: Marjan Bace
Date: February 5, 2004 9:53:27 AM PST
Steve, what a pleasant surprise to receive such a passionate message.
You wrote to the right person--I decide on the covers here and I am
afraid I like them just the way they are. I can't tell if you are just
being humorous, but exactly how would a squirrel or unicorn be more
relevant? And "psychically damaging" has my head spinning; but then my
geeky self recognizes the error--you are exaggerating for effect,
right? What I see is a friendly looking guy out to sell his sheep. He
is traveling barefoot, and this transports me two centuries back--I can
just see how sheep-selling had to be a tight business that left no
money for inessential goods like warm season shoes.
Anyway, I'm sorry not to be able to satisfy you--you are a customer and
Manning bends over backwards for customers. I genuinly hope you like
the content, the Manning annotation style and other things... inside
the covers.
Best.
Marjan
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Posts:
3
From:
Dallas
Registered:
2/20/04
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Re: Reader thoughts on Manning covers: what's your opinion?
Posted:
Feb 20, 2004 3:24 PM
in response to:
iain
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I bought my first Manning book towards the end of 2002 because I was looking for a good book on Ant.
I had tried an Ant book from that other large publishing company, and I really hated it. It layout stunk and the examples were pretty much not there (I am a learn by example kind of person, so that was a big negative for me). When I got your book Java Development with ant, I really didn't pay much attention to the cover other than I knew it was quite different. What I noticed was the quality, it was quite good.
I immediately got your book on Swing and again I was impressed. It was at then when I really took notice of the cover art. It was different, and easily identifiable from the other humdrum covers out there.
Every one of your books that I selected was very accurate and provided lots of useable examples. I tried other books on the same subjects but always found that you all had more info and insight with a lot less verbiage than other books.
After that point, whenever I wanted to get a book on a particular aspect of java I looked for yours (Manning's). They were always easy to identify on the shelf, which saved me from having to spend my valuable time looking through the masses of other books out there.
In my opinion you have met two of the most important criteria when it comes to any product. Quality (I haven't gotten a bad Manning book yet), and product identity.
Keep up the good writing,
Richard
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Posts:
7
From:
Switzerland
Registered:
3/5/04
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Re: Reader thoughts on Manning covers: what's your opinion?
Posted:
Mar 5, 2004 7:13 AM
in response to:
iain
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Well... If you would ask me what I consider the more important asset of a manning book (choice between cover and content quality), I would have a difficult time to answer. 
But you asked for an opinion on the cover: I definitely like them. Totally different from the rest of the IT-book industry. Never the same and still a consistent look of the books.
When I buy a book and it arrives by mail, I immediately unpack it and read the story about the cover. Then I lay the book aside till I have time or need to read it...
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Posts:
7
From:
Oslo, Norway
Registered:
2/18/04
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Re: Reader thoughts on Manning covers: what's your opinion?
Posted:
Mar 23, 2004 8:49 AM
in response to:
AJesse
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The Manning covers are wonderful. Like the O'Reilly covers, they distinguish the books from all other publishers' books. They look great and convey a sense of quality.
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Posts:
2
From:
UK
Registered:
2/11/04
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Re: Reader thoughts on Manning covers: what's your opinion?
Posted:
Mar 31, 2004 10:48 AM
in response to:
dagfinn
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I think the covers look OK but are little non-descript. It seems that the covers are obviously inspired by the kind of covers O'Reilly use - classy and general. I think though that the Manning covers look in some ways a little too hazy.
There is no doubt that the covers are unique though. 
Jono
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Posts:
7
From:
Klecken, Germany
Registered:
12/15/03
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Re: Reader thoughts on Manning covers: what's your opinion?
Posted:
Apr 1, 2004 2:26 AM
in response to:
iain
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Honestly I have mixed feelings.
I like the style of the books, in terms of internal layout and the layout and sheen of the covers. (I say this as a buyer of Manning books, not as one of their authors.)
But I don't really get the images, glancing over the covers it can be hard to see an link between the image and the content. Like with Eclipse in Action, the image is off a Jewish trader but to me it would have made more sense for it to have been an Astronomer.
I admit that the first time you come across one of the covers you are more likely to be drawn to it than say one of the old Wrox covers. (Seeing the picture of the author on the cover is a terrible idea, if not down right scary
My couple of pence
Rob
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Posts:
1
From:
Long Island, NY
Registered:
5/21/04
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Re: Reader thoughts on Manning covers: what's your opinion?
Posted:
May 21, 2004 10:13 PM
in response to:
iain
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In general the covers are fine. But particular implementations can be problematic. This one:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1932394060.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
for example, was not something I was comfortable leaving out on my desk.
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Posts:
1
From:
Westerly, RI - USA
Registered:
7/27/07
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Re: Reader thoughts on Manning covers: what's your opinion?
Posted:
Jul 27, 2007 11:09 AM
in response to:
iain
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While the original email is extreme ( ... ly bad taste), the premise, regarding little connection between cover and content, is valid.
I agree that calligraphy lends a nice, quality look (in contrast to the Wrox covers).
More quality would be conveyed if an artist were commissioned to come up with something actually related to the content, especially the essense of the content. For example, If a book is covered with artwork, conveying summary subject perspective, that suggests that someone really put some thought into it ... and had that deep knowledge level, required to present the material succinctly. This would, in turn, suggest a superior knowledge and communication of the topic, distinguishing the book ... and, of course, encouraging one to want to read ... and obtain that knowledge level.
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Posts:
15
From:
Montreal
Registered:
4/20/08
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Re: Reader thoughts on Manning covers: what's your opinion?
Posted:
Nov 9, 2009 12:42 PM
in response to:
iain
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I think they are weird and self indulgent, c'mon have some respect for the trade and make them more technical/science/dicovery channel oriented. A chess board or something like that.
As they are they're too weird/eccentric/gay to leave lying around.
Sorry.
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Posts:
29
From:
earth
Registered:
9/28/08
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Re: Reader thoughts on Manning covers: what's your opinion?
Posted:
Dec 3, 2009 8:00 AM
in response to:
jokrasa
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My teenage daughter makes fun of them, so I keep them hidden below the older O'Reilly books with the lions and lemurs on them.
Other than that, I just assumed this was the best artwork in the public domain out there. Maybe you can commission each author's pre-school age kids to draw trees and sunflowers, or something abstract with finger paints.
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Posts:
5
From:
Germany
Registered:
12/3/09
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Re: Reader thoughts on Manning covers: what's your opinion?
Posted:
Dec 3, 2009 8:18 AM
in response to:
iain
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Some of your covers are more then cool. I love the cover of "The art of unit testing" but in black it would be nice.
I dont know why books always must be white.
But some of your covers are strange in a good way. I love to see some characters on it. The most IT books have chessboards and so on on it. Thats boring. Keep your good work up!
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