Lookalikes

Posted on by scott

A common phenomenon in publishing is the “lookalike cover,” which happens when two covers share the same stock photograph (or at least a very similar one).

Here’s an example from the first of my new Midnighters covers:


Note: This lookalike was first spotted by Pop Culture Junkie.

This isn’t such a bad lookalike, because the photos have been cropped, Photoshopped, and used in very different ways. Plus, it’s a fairly normal-looking stock photo.

But the crazier the photo, the more obvious the lookalike. Like this one that was pointed out to me recently (thanks, Eloise). It involves the Australian cover for Peeps and, um, the Bible.

Now what sort of Bible is that, you ask? It’s a coffee-table version with slick magazine-like layouts, that’s supposed to appeal to you slick young things.

As one might expect, The Bible: Illuminated was surrounded by a fairly boring controversy over whether publishers should try to make religious texts “cool” or not. Blah, blah, blah. Some people will like it, others not. For some, the juxtaposition of modern images with ancient texts will be brain-rattling, which is probably a good thing.

But for readers of Peeps, the cognitive dissonance should be especially intense. And that’s the fun part of lookalikes—when the same image works in different ways for two very different books.

Any more lookalikes out there that you guys have found?

Update: And it turns out there are more of these eyeball covers! Check them out on Pop Culture Junkie.

114 thoughts on “Lookalikes”

  3. Ah, such is life. I just had to take my first 3 finals today…they weren’t so bad though I guess…

  4. I saw this on my ipod touch, but this looks way cooler on an actual computer screen! That’s crazy. I mean, it has to violate some kind of copy-right law or something, don’t you think? I mean, who originally took the picture?

  5. hanna-la: thats a reely good questoin.

    Tally&Zane: we havnt had 2 take finals yet, but they dont look very fun

  6. No, they’re not…I had to take Art, Math, and PE today. They were all really easy, but it’s sooooooooooooooooo boring.

  7. So many different kinds of intense. I love that second look alike one. Is it the same exact photo, just from stock? Perhaps I misunderstood.

  8. Aella, yes, it’s the same exact stock photo.

    On the subject of finals…I probably need to be studying for a couple, but I’d rather do this instead. Hee-hee.

  9. Thats weird. A bible with a large eye…mmm…ill think about that.

    In other news, I have finally made a breakthrough and after 3 hard long months i have finally started my story that i was sure was impossible to start.

  13. ITS SNOWING ITS SOWING!!!!!!!!!!!!
    and Im not sure why someeone one would put that picture on a bible…….mine is red and orange leather…see normal, but a eye thats just wierd

  14. My real name is Branda. Haha.

    I know! I was thrilled! Now all i have to do is continue it.

    It snowed the other day where i live. It was awesome.

  15. wow, u guys posted alot while i was @dance!!! Branda sounds like an interesting name=D my bible is pink& white!! the bible kinda creeps me out a little bit……scary!!!!

  18. wow, thats pretty interesting….. thnks Gia!!!!=D maybe it isn’t so far away, give it a few years then we’ll c what its like…..oooooh!!!;)

  19. bye,bye G2G2 bed(as usual my mom is kicking me off the computer) good night(or morning, or afternoon)=D laytah!!!!

  21. Gia: That would be really sick, except for the whole “female cadaver” part. I don’t know if I could live the rest of my life with a dead person’s face. 😉

  24. I’ve already finished my EOY exams in November, currently in the December holidays. I can’t wait to return to school on the 2nd of Jan. (Yeah, I’m geeky like that – it’s that being away from school for about a month and I have no idea what to do.)

    I’m watching Twilight the movie tomorrow! *squeals*

    Audrey-Sensei: Agreed. Though it was brain-hurting, it actually explained the text better. Srsly! (I can has hard-copeh, pwease?)

  25. Im from Australia, and i have that cover of Peepes, and i love it!! (im a major fan :P) But i think that the same cover for a Vampire love story in which the main characters are always horny, is somewhat ironic to be the cover for a bibel to.. he he he.
    Good spotting though,
    Livvey-la,
    xx

  26. Audrey-Sensi:whats an LOLcats bible?…..is it a bible with cats on it?…….u should show it 2 the Jesus fan club@ my school.=D
    G2G2 school, 2day is our Christmas Carol play!!!!i m pretty excited 4 it, but if i mess up i get a bad grade in the class(i don’t have any lines, but i can’t stand in the wrong spot)bye,bye!!!=D

  29. That’s insane, if I saw a bible like that, I’d be like ‘What kind of religion is this? Peep religion?’ and everyone would look at me like I was crazy.
    I think the girl for Midnighters/Shelter Me is pretty! That’s insane. (blowing my mind)
    *Crosses fingers for snowday tomarrow, while checking out the cat bible(wow) and other look-a-likes*

  31. we have no scool today! which is why im on the computer wasting away the scool hours. i think scool just got out like nine minutes ago tho… hehe.

    we had two hour late starts all the other days.

    i love the snow! LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW!!! (Justine-la would probably say the opposite. hehe)

    -Lizzy-wa OUT! 8)

  32. Trish-la: thnks……sounds cool(the LOLcats bible)
    Jay-wa: there should b a snow day 2morrow& if the news people r lying then there will b problems!!! i will scream if i have school 2morrow!!!!=D

  34. Yesterday our bus ditched, and was like three feet from tipping completely over! We should have had a snow day…I hope We have one Tomorrow! And everyone else does, so they don’t have to go to school!

    Lizzy-wa: School gets boring so close to break! WOO Snow Snow Snow Snow Snow Snow Snow Snow Snow Snow Snow Snow Snow Yay!

    (that’s insane that people re-use other people’s book covers…still insane…)

  35. on my way 2 school the roads were not cleared @all, it was soooo retarted that they made us go 2 school, yet didn’t plow the roads!!! i would have been soooo scared if my bus almost tipped over!!!=D

  36. Luckily I Wasn’t on it, Instead I was waiting outside for, like, ever. But we got to go to school late, not late enough to miss first period, but late enough to have clear hallways :P!!

  38. Jay-wa:i carpool w/ neighbors 2school, but about 3 years ago this bus got into a car accident……all the kids got 2 school late, but nobody on the bus was hurt(i think the person in the other car went 2 the hospital tho)
    Random question: what’s your favorite movie??? mine is…..ummm…….Mean Girls=D

  39. hes cute. 😯

    +-+miko kagome+-+: Your geography book is so awesome! And it’s the same cover as The Host! INSANE. (Kenzie-la already said this, and I didn’t realize it. But still, INSANE!)
    insane. insane. insane.

    Tally&Zane
    I’m BACKKKKKK! I missed coming on here so much! My computer went completely insane and I couldn’t figure out how to fix it! It made me so sad! I’ve missed so much on her, I was like having freaking seperation anxiety!

    Her? Does she have a name..?

    I forgot (and now can’t find) who said the old covers of Midnighters were cooler, but they are. HOWEVER, The guy on Blue Noon, is fiiiine. Rawr. And I think the girls are pretty. Kind of like Pretties pretty a weensy bit. And the model on The Secret Hour looks like evil, very Dess like.
    Have a good week/day/month/holiday. (No SCHOOL!!))Hopefully
    :happy:

  40. I can’t pick a favorite movie. In History we were watching Les Miserables, which is good. Man in the Moon is good. Comedy is best though. Mean Girls was like, eye opening.

  41. SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!! SNOW DAY!!!

    Bye! (for real this time..maybe!)
    Ashley-wa: Juno was good, I thought.

  42. yeah, Keri luv’s that movie!!!(every time she likes a movie she gets into this phase where she gets a little ubsessed w/ a movies) 2day in spanish we watched Rudolph in spanish……boring!!!

  44. never saw that b4…..it sounded good tho!!! i want 2 c the boy in striped pajamas!!! the book was very good…..kinda sad tho=D

  47. what game?

    OMG!the bible?!?!?!?!?!?!
    wth????????????

    HHHEEEERRRR EEEEE
    i dont have a name for my computer
    but i do for my reading light(Zoey), my old pencil shapener(beaver-i was in 2nd grade ok????), my radio(Felicity-she brings me happiness), my phone(rebecca-cause my friend rebecca made fun of me for nameing zoey)
    haha

  48. Peeps is the new Bible.

    Does that mean Cal is Christ?

    Calstmus?
    You know, I prefer Christmas, I think.

    (Despite the fact I’m Jewish)

  49. The first two don’t look that much a like (I still like the old Midnighters covers better!), but Peeps and the Bible??

  50. Huh, I forgot who said it, but their right, it is ironic that a sci-fi novel about horny vampires would have the same cover picture as the bible. And the people who were talking about the new J.K. Rowling book, it’s not bad, although in a way it really does dissapoint (I’d been hoping for Harry Potter closure *sigh*). Some person brough up how eyes are ALWAYS on covers, and it’s really true. What’s wrong with a whole face? Or just a disign? I’ve seen so many books with eyes, it’s insane. The new Midnighters covers aren’t bad, I guess I’m just biased because they’re not the ones I have. I still like imagioning the character better though, and the new covers are nothing like how I imagined Jess, Melissa, and Jonathon.

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