The beautification of fiction: a useful tool or a BookTok trend doomed to fail?

“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” they said, and yet we’ve all been guilty of that at one point or another, haven’t we? Who hasn’t felt drawn to a book on a shelf simply because its cover art was to die for? I certainly have, and I suspect many other fantasy and sci-fi readers like myself have as well.

Cover design is an integral part of the publishing process, and always has been. Book covers are marketing tools and visual summarizations all at once, but over the last few years, something has changed. It’s not just book covers that must be gorgeous and eye-catching nowadays—it’s the entire physical book.

Sprayed edges, or “spredges,” have become increasingly commonplace in the publishing industry, a trend we can undoubtedly attribute to BookTok’s rise to prominence. Books are no longer something we just read for our own internal enjoyment—many readers now share their enjoyment on camera and social media, too. A BookToker’s shelves are beautiful and aspirational; aesthetics are more important than ever. You’re not just collecting books, you’re curating what is essentially an art collection.

It’s not just speculative fiction anymore, either. Plenty of contemporary romance novels—a genre that has also exploded due to BookTok—are being redesigned with this trend in mind, as well.

Bookstore chains are negotiating with publishers to produce exclusive special editions; subscription boxes like FairyLoot and Illumicrate produce unique limited editions, and then there are the standard sprayed edge editions to consider, too. Where does it end? How many copies of Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing can one reader afford to buy? At what point does one book simply have too many recent editions out in the world?

According to a feature by The Bookseller, the U.K.’s leading publishing industry magazine, hardcover books with spredges and foiled cover designs are more popular than ever. One literary agent at leading agency Curtis Brown said she’d noticed that roughly 50% of debut books in 2024 were granted this treatment. This is an interesting observation, as historically, special edition books were usually reserved for those authors whose overwhelming popularity had turned them into a brand, like Harry Potter’s J.K. Rowling.

Navigating the publishing world as a debut author is notoriously difficult, so any new writer whose books are turned into a piece of illustrative art may genuinely benefit from this gift. I’ve recently been drawn to special editions of books by authors I’d never heard of before; I was a big fan of Lucy Jane Wood’s cozy debut fantasy novel, Rewitched. Looking at my Waterstones exclusive edition makes me smile. I truly do hope these special editions work in the authors’ favor. At the very least, they’re more eye-catching than ever.

What about the average consumer, however? Life is also more expensive than ever. Bills are soaring, rent and mortgages are at an all-time high, and our weekly grocery shop is sucking more and more money out of our bank accounts. How many readers can truly afford these special edition hardcovers? Younger readers, especially, will be affected by this trend, as dozens of YA and middle-grade books are being published this way, too. If the kids don’t have enough pocket money, and neither do their parents, who will actually buy and read these exclusive books?

I love a beautiful book as much as the next reader, but I think this trend is a double-edged sword. Yes, on the one hand, these gorgeous editions may help launch a debut author’s career like never before. On the other hand, printing these elaborately designed books is expensive. At some point, that cost will be pushed onto the average reader. The more special edition, hardcover books are produced, the longer they’ll stay in stores, too, potentially delaying the publication of the cheaper, more accessible paperback version. Publishing is still a major, money-making business, after all. Most decisions will reward the publisher rather than the reader.

Hopefully, the industry will find a balance that works for everyone. As much as I love a stunning, limited edition hardcover, there’s something undeniably wonderful about a cute little paperback that fits in my coat pocket, too.