Book Covers

original Go Away I'm Reading set

There are two truths about reading:

1. It’s infinitely better than watching TV, and

2. as soon as a book gets good, someone will interrupt you.

Let’s face it, book lovers are forever persecuted by chatterboxes with one goal in mind: to ensure we don’t find out whodunit anytime soon. But because it’s generally seen as rude to yell something to the effect of “[insert inappropriate word here] off, I’m reading,” most readers shut their book and succumb to chitchat.

In an effort to save book lovers from idle chatter, we’ve created a series of dust jackets that (politely) tell people what to do if they interrupt your reading. The idea was spurred by a Twitter conversation in which Sarah Enni, Erin Bowman, and I lamented disruptions in our reading.

A little over a week later, we’d created the first set of Go Away I’m Reading dust jackets. The response was greater than we ever expected. Case in point: You can find us on GalleyCat, io9, The Daily What, Shelf Awareness, and Nerd Approved. (Not to mention all over Tumblr!) Because of the great response we got, we decided to release a second, Hunger Games–specific set.

Hunger Games–themed Go Away I'm Reading set

In all, we’ve created 14 FREE dust jackets. 

 

You can download four here:
Shh. I’m in book mode.

Silencio!

Fiction > Reality
Warning: Girl on Fire

 

Head to Erin’s blog to download:

Go Away. I’m reading.

Reading > Talking

Team Reading

At the Reaping, BRB (unless the odds aren’t in my favor)

 

And visit Sarah’s blog for:

Climbing Mount Doom, BRB

In Narnia, BRB

At Hogwarts, BRB

In Forks, Send Help

In the Arena, BRB

BRB, Drinking with Haymitch

Creating your own is easy, if you follow these steps. First, download the PDFs of the covers you want.

Next, print. These covers will fit the traditionally-sized YA book. Take the PDFs to your local FedEx or Staples and get them printed on tabloid paper (11x17 in). We suggest a matte cardstock (you could print on something glossy, but sometimes that causes light glares at certain angles and you want people to be able to read that Go Away message without incident). Choose a weight between 60 and 80 pounds for the paper. Anything lighter and the page will be too thin; anything heavier and folding it around your book will be difficult. You can have the store cut the printouts for you (it will cost a little more), or you can handle it on your own when you get home (there are crop marks in the files indicating sizing for a typical YA book and a taller adult book).

Finally, fold the printout into a cover. You can do that one of two ways, and each are explained below:

Next up! We’re considering releasing even more dust jackets, creating e-reader covers, and setting up an online store. And that’s where you come in. By answering a super-short (seriously) survey, you could help us decide whether or not to keep the covers coming. You’ll find the survey here.

Finally:

Thanks for your support. Your excitement about books (and the Go Away Dust Jacket Series) makes us all sorts of happy.

"Go Away" Dust Jacket Series by Erin Bowman, Sarah Enni, and Tracey Neithercott is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.embowman.com