What makes a reader choose one book over countless others?
Depite the age old advice to never judge a book by it’s cover, many of us continue to do so. Dustjackets catch the eye, then they entice us to enter a different world.
In this, my thirteenth installment of ‘Cover Love‘, I’d like to show you books that have similar, and sometimes identical covers!
Some, perhaps, will now be on your TBR!
I once thought that books had to be individual. I naively thought that book covers were unique to each book. At one time I also thought a book’s title had to be unique. What a fool I was. I remember from my job as a library cataloguer that there were over sixty titles in our database with the title “Betrayal”!
In this post I will show you covers that are either identical to, or show similarities to others by different authors. I am NOT planning to read all of these titles. I choose them solely on the basis of their covers.
I did not include links to the synopsis from Goodreads.
If you see something you like, don’t hesitate to check it out on Goodreads to learn more.
You might just find your next favorite book!
I’ll start with the identical covers
identical pictures with lighting and perspective adjustments
identical picture – just the lighting has changed
same photo with just a few enhancements
same picture and both have the word ‘playing’ in the title
same shattered rose
identical crows on tree limbs with aqua background
identical view with different girl
floured hands holding dough hearts
identical photo with minor Photoshop adjustments
same woman peeking through window blinds
same photo of women put on different backgrounds digitally
same old derelict building in all SEVEN covers
same photo of child sitting on a suitcase with teddy
same bird nest in cupped hands
bloodied white tulip on red background
identical steps and railings with some minor digital editing
same photo with sweater color photo-shopped
same silhouette in archway
same photo (dress, camera, gloves) with some digital editing as to color, camera strap etc.
woman holding same books – same cuff on dress sleeve
same stone angels against a cinder block wall with some minor digital editing
identical houses behind identical watery window
same face with eye color changed digitally
sneakers with full body reflection
same photo of girls with digitally changed backgrounds and suitcase edited out
Now I’ll show you some that are not identical, but have striking similarities…
circular staircases
marionettes on yellow background
woman dressed in red reflected on blue background
cupped hands holding baby booties with similar background color
adult with toddler on same stairs
typewriters with long paper on similar background color with man’s first and last name
hand printed title on similar background color
black silhouette heads with similar background color
silhouette in window with aqua backdrop
decrepit doors with padlocks
black silhouette heads with white between
woman in white standing in front of teal door
lone figure walking through forest in fog
white note on aqua watery background
similar shaped houses
same house peak and gingerbread against different sky
shadowy outline of men in fedora hats
bare tree branches with white background
black cover with circle near center
women from behind with long flowing hair – word ‘sea’ in the title
lone figure in a hollow made by trees
blue butterfly wings
similar titles – similar colors used
brick buildings from similar angle
posy of dead pink roses
figure in red on road at night – both have ‘lost’ in title
bells to ring for servants on off-white background
women in flowing gowns standing in front of ornate windows
corners of house tops with similar colors used
silhouettes with similar hairstyles
eyes peering through venetian blinds
empty swings in autumn
young woman walking away in dark alleyway
red covers – trees on each side
single figure on foggy day – police tape in foreground
lit streetlight on left – blue cover
young women in a similar position underwater
woman in red walking on rural road toward house
similar looking trees
shadowy heads
Fictionophile 
Wow – I love this! Must have taken you ages but how amazing that so many books are either identical or at least very, very similar. Thanks for pointing me to this post!
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You’re very welcome Joanne. It did take me ages and I’m so glad that you enjoyed it.
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Fast forward four years and you referred me to this post in 2020. WOW, oh wow. Another blogger made a post like this in 2019 though not as extensive, and I thought that blew my mind, this is something else. It’s really shocking how easily people avoid the opportunity to exercise creativity instead choosing to borrow what’s already been done. I understand it can be easy to do something similar but…damn…thanks for sharing. This is also a good lesson to all writers (myself included) to do your homework in terms of what’s already out there.
That brings forth a whole other conversation. Some schools of thought encourage people to use a title similar to something already successful. The obvious point being that people are more likely to stumble upon yours. I however, while I can see that angle, disagree. But I digress. Again, thanks for sharing this, very interesting.
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This is my personal favorite of all my cover love posts. I too am a fan of creativity. In covers and in titles. I remember being astounded that there were something like 32 titles in our library’s database with the title being the single word “Betrayal”.
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I love this post! It has opened my eyes a lot! I’ve seen the same covers in a least 1 book and have wondered if they use the same covers! Now I know! hahaha! i love this series! 🙂
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I’m so pleased that you are enjoying the fruits of my efforts. Thanks for letting me know.♥
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Pingback: Cover Love: part 57 – Window blinds | Fictionophile
Well, this is interesting. Explains a lot :):)
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Wow!
That is all!
No, really- I’ll be paying a lot more closer attention to book covers now, that is for sure. I also feel like a little part of the book publishing world has just been shattered 😀
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This is such a cool post!! I can’t believe so many covers are exactly the same. That’s bonkers!
There is a cover that also look identical to the Lying in Wait cover, called The Art of Murder by Nicola Slade. It looks so similar (exact same colour scheme(=) that when I saw them, I even made a comment about it on Goodreads! This is the Art of Murder cover: https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51fw9W9HUEL._SY346_.jpg
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Pingback: Book covers unique? I don’t think so… | Fictionophile
Gosh, I reckon there are some authors and publishers choking on their evening tipple after reading this!
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Haha. I don’t imagine any publishers will be visiting my blog. I really appreciate your comment.
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You wasn’t kidding that I’d find this very interesting. Must be using stock photos. All the more reason to use your own which is what I do now. 🙂
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Lynne: for some reason, clicking on the covers of double/triple does not take me to good reads: I have to do it manually, and none, so far, are on my TBR list.
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Yes Skye. For this post I didn’t link the covers. I think I mentioned that at the top of the post. I couldn’t figure out a way to do it as I have more than one cover in ONE image. Sorry for the inconvenience. My Cover Love covers are not all on my TBR. Many of them I chose solely because they fit my criteria.
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Thanks, Lynne: I should have read more carefully, and at least that explains it.
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Wow, this is really an eye-opener. I’d always thought book covers are unique because even books of the same title/author would have a different cover under a different edition/publication. Really fascinating. I knew it’s harder to be original with book titles, though. I discovered that on Wattpadd. 😄
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Interesting. It’s like your brain says ‘if you liked the book with this cover, then you’ll the book with a similar cover’!
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I love these! So much fun, but also a little sad. It makes the truly original covers all the more special, I guess.
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Susie,
I guess they didn’t anticipate me taking countless hours to discover their unoriginality. LOL
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I’m quite loving these posts. Very amusing.
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Thanks so much!
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Great post! That’s crazy. I too thought covers have to be unique, otherwise it would be copyright infringement. I guess I was wrong..very wrong..
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Yes. Crazy. You live and you learn…
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Very interesting post! I had no idea there were so many similar covers out there.
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When you work in a library you become very attuned to dustjackets. LOL
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I’m sure! I’m always interested in how covers and/or titles can draw us in or make us say no. I’m guilty of cover & title judgement:) I’m going to write a post about that soon as I have one of my favorite cover judgements coming up tomorrow for standalone Sunday
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Fascinating! Although it does amaze me that an author/ publisher would use the exact image that has been used on another book!
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Yes, I was surprised as well. I imagine that it is maybe due to price. Perhaps they have stock photos to choose from? I’ve no idea.
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I love these Cover Love posts!!
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Thanks so much for your kind comment. There are many more to come.
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Lynne, that’s ok—because I am very careful about what goes on both the TBR list and then my B and N wish list.
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I have kept all of these, and for most of the books, they have been placed on my TBR list and some have gone on my B and N wish list.
As always, nice job.
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Thanks Skye. Not all of these are on my TBR. For this post I chose the books for the cover images alone.
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Wow how fascinating I didn’t realise this about covers either!
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Thanks for your comment. I’m a very ‘visual’ person and the similarities were striking to me.
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Just wondered if the books with similar covers are from the same publishers?
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Your comment made me curious so I checked the covers with the blond in the bathtub. All 3 are from different publishers.
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Wow even more fascinating!
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Another dynamite entry in this wonderful series of cover posts, Lynne!
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Thanks Christine. You are one of the reasons I keep posting in this series. 😉 Lots more to come.
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I love these posts. I still don’t get why authors are happy for their covers to look like someone else’s. It has as many disadvantages as possible advantages (if that includes being selected by mistake). Of course from a librarian’s point of view it’s a nightmare. I can hear it now, ” I don’t know the author or the title but is has X on the cover” !
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Yes Jill. I love that you brought up the librarian’s point of view. Thanks.
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Jill, that’ Sue Grafton’s Novel ( and I adore Sue Grafton’s books).
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