• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Essentials
    • How the Publishing Process Works
    • How to Write a Novel
    • How to Edit a Novel
    • How to write a nonfiction book proposal
    • Writing advice database
    • Book publishing glossary
    • Writing and book publishing FAQs
    • Blog Directory
  • Agents
    • What literary agents do
    • How to Find a Literary Agent
    • Literary agent etiquette
    • How to write a query letter
    • The Basic Query Template
    • How to write a synopsis
  • Self-Publishing
    • How to self-publish a book
    • Should You Self-Publish or Traditionally Publish?
    • How to decide where to self-publish
    • How to choose a cover
    • How to Determine Your Price Point When Self-Publishing
    • How to make the leap from self-publishing to traditional publishing
    • How to market a book

Nathan Bransford

Author

  • Books
  • Editing
  • About

New Harry Potter Covers!

February 20, 2013 by Nathan Bransford 25 Comments

In wizard news from last week, Scholastic released a new Harry Potter cover to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone. The designer is Kazu Kibuishi, and the covers will appear on the trade paperback version of the books. Hollywood.com had an interview with Kibuishi, who is the author of the Amulet YA graphic novel series.

What do you think of the new vision? Do you have a preference between the new and old?

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Harry Potter

Subscribe to the blog!

Receive the blog directly in your inbox when there are new posts!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melanie Macek says

    February 20, 2013 at 5:09 pm

    I think the new cover gives a better glimpse of the story. You can 'feel' more of the story's vibe with the new cover.

    Reply
  2. Samuel Loveland says

    February 20, 2013 at 5:12 pm

    I like it, I feel like it gives a better sense of the world. Oh wait, Melanie just said that. Oh well, I say it too.

    Reply
  3. Lauren B. says

    February 20, 2013 at 5:28 pm

    I love the depth in the image. It draws you in the way the story should.

    Also – it's been 15 years already?!? Gah!

    Reply
  4. Mirka Breen says

    February 20, 2013 at 5:38 pm

    *LOVE* this^ one.

    Reply
  5. JeffO says

    February 20, 2013 at 6:11 pm

    Overall I like it, I'm a fan of the 'cool blue' look of it. However, I do think the smaller lettering of Rowling's name and the not-exactly-a-subtitle gets lost a bit in the background.

    Reply
  6. Magdalena Munro says

    February 20, 2013 at 6:17 pm

    I'm in agreement with the others. I like it!

    Reply
  7. Laura Marcella says

    February 20, 2013 at 6:54 pm

    I like it, too! He did a wonderful job with this first book, and I'm looking forward to seeing the other covers. Nothing will ever compare to Mary GrandPre's magical illustrations, though. I still prefer the originals! Can't believe it's been 15 years already.

    Reply
  8. Riley Redgate says

    February 20, 2013 at 7:46 pm

    Ooh, gorgeous! But what I loved most about the original covers were their progression from light to dark as the series got darker and darker. The kind of blue feeling of this cover doesn't convey the initial joy of the magical world enough, I don't think.

    Reply
  9. abc says

    February 20, 2013 at 7:54 pm

    I think it is beautiful!

    Reply
  10. Mira says

    February 20, 2013 at 8:06 pm

    Gorgeous! Although I liked the original artist, this is terrific.

    If the Publisher is trying to sell books, this is very smart. I might buy one for a collectable.

    Is it really 15 years???? Wow.

    Reply
  11. MaryAnn Pope says

    February 20, 2013 at 10:28 pm

    I love the new cover, but not enough to buy them again.

    Reply
  12. Maya Prasad says

    February 20, 2013 at 11:04 pm

    I'm normally resistant against change, but I have to admit I love the new cover for Sorcerer's Stone. It's such a beautiful portrayal of Diagon Alley! I also think you get a sense of how big this world is, how much wonder there is, which wasn't quite established with the original cover (though I did really like the Mary GrandPre covers, especially the later ones).

    Reply
  13. Roxanne Houston says

    February 20, 2013 at 11:08 pm

    I like the old cover. Although this new one gives you a sense of the Harry Potter world,I think the lack of that with the old covers was part of the fun. The further you read into the story the more your mind could imagine and create the world in your head.

    Reply
  14. Iliadfan says

    February 21, 2013 at 12:12 am

    If this had been the original cover I would have read Harry Potter a lot sooner. Not because of a lack of skill on the first cover artist's part, but because this cover evokes exactly what I want from fantasy.

    Reply
  15. Hilary Harwell says

    February 21, 2013 at 12:17 am

    New cover is awesome. Makes me want to read it for, oh, the fifth time. Not really, I have lots more important things to do. But I do think it's way mo' bettah than the original. 🙂

    Reply
  16. Keisha Martin says

    February 21, 2013 at 12:41 am

    I like it! I have never read any of the books and am an aspiring writer, yes I hold my head low in shame, its become one of my bucket list things to accomplish.

    Reply
  17. Shirley @ My Bookshelf says

    February 21, 2013 at 12:51 am

    Oh Keisha, you definitely must add them to your TBR list! JeffO, I agree that the subtitle seems to fade into the background. But, overall I love the image and its dimensions. There is great depth which, like Lauren said, draws you in.

    I hope it does attract that tween audience that grew up with the movies but haven't yet read the books.

    Reply
  18. Anonymous says

    February 21, 2013 at 12:58 am

    Can't say I care for this one. Though to be fair, I didn't care for the original cover of this book either. My preteen and my teenager say that the new cover makes it look like Hagrid is the main character, accompanied by an owl-wielding sidekick.

    Reply
  19. Tricia Conway says

    February 21, 2013 at 1:31 am

    I just can't get behind this one. It's nice and all, but Harry looks remarkably like Where's Waldo… I'll stick to the original.

    And to mirror what others have said "15 years already?" Yikes.

    Reply
  20. Regina Richards says

    February 21, 2013 at 4:10 am

    It's a beautiful cover. It looks as if it's designed specifically to appeal to a younger reader. Are they trying to pull in the next generation of readers? Since their original fans are aging, that's probably really smart marketing. Sales will tell.

    Reply
  21. Melanie Schulz says

    February 21, 2013 at 3:21 pm

    I guess I'm too nostalgic. I like the old better.

    Reply
  22. Amy says

    February 21, 2013 at 3:26 pm

    I like it. I think I prefer it to the original cover.

    Reply
  23. Marsha Sigman says

    February 21, 2013 at 7:35 pm

    I'm too depressed over it being 15 years already to think about it much.

    Ok, I like it.

    Reply
  24. Arlana Kurtz says

    February 23, 2013 at 11:35 pm

    I have been a fan of Kazu Kibuishi since discovering the 'Flight' graphic novels in the library. His artwork is beautiful and magical. I know he will do justice to the series. This makes me want to buy the books again, just to have these fantastic covers!

    Reply
  25. Paul Dubois says

    February 26, 2013 at 2:30 pm

    Personally, I prefer the french covers which respect more the spirit of the book.

    Take a look :

    Cover 4
    Cover 7

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About Nathan

Hi, I’m Nathan. I’m the author of How to Write a Novel and the Jacob Wonderbar series, which was published by Penguin. I used to be a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. and I’m dedicated to helping authors chase their dreams.

Learn more about me.

Need Editing?

I'm available for consultations, edits, query critiques, brainstorming, and more.
Learn more!

My Books




Forums

Need help with your query? Want to talk books? Check out the Nathan Bransford Forums

Subscribe!

Receive the blog directly in your inbox when there are new posts!

Follow Nathan on the social media

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Copyright © 2019 · Twenty Seven Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in