The Loss of Book Covers

With the mainstreaming of ebook readers like the Kindle, Nook, and iPad, both Gizmodo blogger John Herman and New York Times writer Motoko Rich are calling attention to the the loss of book covers - and what that means to the reading ecosystem. Specifically, we can anticipate two big changes: first, book covers provide the publisher and author with silent word-of-mouth (er, sight-of-eye?) publicity, when people see strangers reading books in airports, on trains, and so on. See the same book a couple of times in that kind of situation, and you're likely to take an interest in it yourself. Second, seeing a book you have read can start a social interaction - it's an icebreaker to mention to the reader how much you loved it, or ask how they're enjoying it. With ebook readers, both of these phenomena go away - unless you're looking closely over the reader's shoulder, the only thing you'll see is an Apple or Amazon logo on the back of the reading device. So, do we really need these two things we're about to lose? Probably not - but they're worth considering as part of the cost of the change.