Marketing Classic Books

So I had an idea that I thought I’d sketch out last night…

What if overzealous marketers wanted to promote classic books, but had never read them, and didn’t want to take the time to?

So here are some cover designs and taglines, based only on the book title.
They’re really rough, but convey the basic idea…

You can also see higher-res versions on Flickr.


“They were separated by age, but brought together by love. The tale of the forbidden passion that shocked a nation! – 19 / 84 – George Orwell”

“The life of a porn star is a hard one. – Moby Dick – A ribald romp by Herman Melville”


“Their mission: colonize Mercury. But they were not alone… – Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury”

“The FBI’s top agent has only 3 days to stop 22 criminal masterminds! – Catch-22 – Joseph Heller”


“Revenge is a drink best served with poison. – The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck”

“When you want to get away from… your life. – Uncle Tom’s Cabin – Harriet Beecher Stowe, the master of horror”


“He can see you, but you can’t see him. – The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger”

The Jungle – A handy guide to visiting the Amazon. With full-color photos! – Upton Sinclair”


“An Oprah Book Club Selection! – Oliver Twist – He’ll dance his way to the top, and into your heart. – Charles Dickens”

The Time Machine – An illustrated history of the wristwatch. – H.G. Wells”

“All he ever wanted was to play football. – The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Victor Hugo”

2 thoughts on “Marketing Classic Books”

  1. I turned this into a game for roommate, where I’d read the blurb, and see if she coud guess the classic. If we come up with some, we’ll pass them along.

Comments are closed.