I've been taking advantage of living close to the central library. It's allowed me to catch up on some well-loved authors' lesser-known works, and to enjoy reading in analog again.
It's also allowed me to stumble upon books that I may not have heard of otherwise. Most of my reads are recommendations, either from friends or Goodreads or blog posts, so it's rare to have a serendipitous book on my shelves.
Right now I'm reading The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Murakami. This isn't a random pick for me; I've read most of his work, and liked a good three-quarters of it or so. But I'm not sure how well my hardcover copy would do at attracting a reader unfamiliar with his work.
The design is artistic, and speaks strongly of its literary genre. The author's name is bigger than the title, which gives a clue that this is someone "you should know." But the back page only has a few generic reviews, and the inside flap houses short author and translator bios. There are a few sentences about the story, but they don't capture the ethereal, surreal nature of a modern folktale like this.
I'm not judging it as a bad cover. I just think its UX is catering more towards the already-familiar reader than someone new. Maybe that's not a bad thing; he's already got a loyal following.
Just makes me wonder about the way we design software and apps: Are we creating this for a pro, or for someone just stepping into the space? Is it designed to welcome in new members or to impress the already initiated? Depends on the purpose. If that's not clearly defined, the messaging will be muddled.
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