Different countries, different looks

Here is the cover of the French translation (by yours truly) of Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians, coming out this March. Have a look at the US paperback edition and the German cover. It's interesting to see the differences. I like what the Germans did; it's very much the fashion, that graphic approach, no characters, no scene, no decor. It makes it look like a Fantasy book (which it kind of is) and the cover should appeal to readers of Garth Nix's Sabriel series and to Cornelia Funke's fans (what with the book and all). The other two place the novel more in Sci-Fi than Fantasy, I think. The Americans went for the photo-collage, which I'm never a great fan of, but that's just me. Their Alcatraz looks quite the cool dude, it has to be said, and there's a lot of detail in the background that you wouldn't notice at first, so that the image is not too cluttered and yet ''full of surprises''. The French chose the photo option too, but their Alcatraz seems much younger, almost girly and oh no! he's wearing black shoes, which is a heresy, as I've just discovered while translating book 2. Oh well, we'll see if anybody brings it up. I like the airy, organised French library decor and the fact that the dinosaur is more immediately visible. Here too, there are plenty of details that you would only notice if you've read the novel. Finally, they did well with the font of the title: it conveys the spookiness and the humour of the book. Because, as you will have guessed, that series doesn't take itself too seriously. That's what makes it fun to translate.