Legitimate sources for cover art? (Amazon leaving as data source)

[Sarah (Presto agitato)]

Where are legitimate sources for finding cover art? Now that Amazon data is going away, particularly Kindle data, there are going to be a lot of generic no-cover books on people's shelves. I was wondering what the best way to find cover images is. Of course photographing our own books is an option, but I am going to have a lot of Kindle books without covers. In particular, a lot of the older works/classics have that generic Kindle cover. It's not great, but it's better than the Goodreads blank. Is it okay to obtain those images and use them, since there won't be any alternative cover for those books that doesn't come from Amazon?

[Paula]

From the publishers website or author website are the best places.

Worldcat has started to list kindle editions so you can try there.

[Sarah (Presto agitato)]

Thanks for your answer. I'm concerned probably most about "old" things where there is no publisher's or author's website. A lot of my Kindle books are of old public domain issues. I saw another thread where there is an explanation of how to extract Amazon cover images:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/3...

I'm not sure if that's still okay (or maybe it wasn't okay in the first place?)

[Paula]

Taking anything from Amazon should not be done

There are a list of sites that can be used here

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/7...

Check these out for images also, you may be able to find the appropriate cover here

[Sarah (Presto agitato)]

Do you know then if it's okay to put a substitute cover image for a book even if it's not the "correct" image?

For example, let's say I want a cover image for _Great Expectations_, the generic Amazon Kindle version. I can't use the Amazon picture, but there isn't another source of a correct image for that edition. Can I use another picture for _Great Expectations_ from an acceptable source?

I think it's better when the cover images match the actual edition, but there will be many books where there's no acceptable image at all. They will either be blank or have the "wrong" picture.

I also wonder about taking a screen capture of the cover image (say on an iPad), editing it, and using that. In a way it's analogous to photographing the cover, which otherwise wouldn't be possible for electronic editions.

[Cait]

Sarah wrote: "I think it's better when the cover images match the actual edition, but there will be many books where there's no acceptable image at all. They will either be blank or have the "wrong" picture."

Blank is better than wrong -- for people who care about exact matching to the edition which they read, the wrong cover means the wrong edition, even if the other details match. (This is why we have to create alternate cover editions when an edition changes covers without changing ISBN.)

"I also wonder about taking a screen capture of the cover image (say on an iPad), editing it, and using that. In a way it's analogous to photographing the cover, which otherwise wouldn't be possible for electronic editions."

Huh! That makes sense to me. I don't see why it shouldn't be valid.

[Sarah (Presto agitato)]

Cait wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I think it's better when the cover images match the actual edition, but there will be many books where there's no acceptable image at all. They will either be blank or have the "wrong" picure."
Blank is better than wrong -- for people who care about exact matching to the edition which they read, the wrong cover means the wrong edition, even if the other details match. (This is why we have to create alternate cover editions when an edition changes covers without changing ISBN.)

I agree. I don't like the idea of having the wrong cover for an edition. But for many of these Kindle books, there will be no legitimate source for cover art other than Amazon, so there will just be the ugly blank over and over again.

Maybe when this Amazon mess is sorted out, Goodreads could consider a new "blank" cover. Maybe something a little more colorful. The Kindle covers for classics aren't that exciting, but at least they are different colors and have the name of the book on them, so there is some visual representation. I know Goodreads and us librarians have plenty on our hands right now, but maybe someday.

[Helen]

I love seeing the covers, that's my fav part. And I do like the right cover. Hadn't thought about future kindle covers.

[Sarah (Presto agitato)]

Helen wrote: "I love seeing the covers, that's my fav part. And I do like the right cover. Hadn't thought about future kindle covers."

I know, I love covers too. Despite the fact that you can't judge a book by them and all that . . . But they definitely add visual interest to the site. It would be a shame to lose so many.

[Paula]

Sarah wrote: "Cait wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I think it's better when the cover images match the actual edition, but there will be many books where there's no acceptable image at all. They will either be blank or ha..."

There is always the option of the authors website and contacting the author asking that they supply a copy.

[Misfit]

Question on the Kindle covers. If I own the book, is there anything wrong with pulling said book up on the PC app,taking a snapshot of the cover, saving the image and uploading here?

[Paula]

Can't see why not - much the same as taking a photo and uploading

[Misfit]

That was my thought.

[Sarah (Presto agitato)]

Paula wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Cait wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I think it's better when the cover images match the actual edition, but there will be many books where there's no acceptable image at all. They will either ..."

There is always the option of the authors website and contacting the author asking that they supply a copy.

Yeah, again, my concern is more with so many of these that don't have a living author and certainly no website associated with them. I have found Kindle to be a great place to find many public domain books (albeit some formatted better than others). More modern books may have other sources of similar cover art, since the Kindle cover is usually the same as another edition. But for old stuff, there's nothing. That means having no cover art at all or the "wrong" art. And even the generic Kindle cover used by so many public domain books would be better than nothing.

[Sarah (Presto agitato)]

Okay, I'm updating here for anyone else who is working on the Kindle cover image problem. I'm taking a break from working on rescuing books to rescuing cover art.

A lot of Kindle editions have counterpart hardcover/paperbacks with the same cover art. If those aren't sourced from Amazon, I have been downloading them from the other editions on Goodreads and then uploading to the Kindle edition to replace the Amazon edition.

For other books where there aren't equivalent editions (this especially applies to old, public domain books), I have found that uploading a screen capture works perfectly well. I've been looking at the books on the Kindle Cloud Reader app on my computer, taking a screen grab of the cover, editing a bit if necessary, and uploading. I'm hoping that's okay. It seems to be the closest analogy to taking a photograph of a cover, and that's acceptable for non-digital books.

I do think it is a lot easier trying to fix cover images now before they all disappear, because then there's no need to check on Amazon to see what the correct cover should look like. You just need to find something to replace the cover that's on Goodreads.

[Rosemary]

Sarah wrote: "I've been looking at the books on the Kindle Cloud Reader app on my computer, taking a screen grab of the cover, editing a bit if necessary, and uploading. "

I'm doing the same thing.

[CaptKirk42 Classic Whovian]

For me the correct cover is a must as I have many books where I have 2 sometimes more editions of the very same book.

[Audrey]

Is www.fictiondb.com an okay site to use for cover art? I can't tell if the fact that they have links that lead to outside booksellers makes them a bookseller themselves. They have a lot of covers for older HTF traditional Regency romances.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Audrey wrote: "Is www.fictiondb.com an okay site to use for cover art?"

Their terms of service state:

Except as stated herein, you may not copy, reproduce, distribute, republish, download, perform, display, post, transmit, frame, or otherwise use any of the Materials in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of FictionDB or the respective intellectual property owner.

[Audrey]

rivka wrote: "Their terms of service state: Except as stated herein, you may not copy, reproduce, distribute, republish, download, perform..."

Thanks, rivka, I wasn't aware of that restriction.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

The best way to figure out if a non-publisher site is likely to be ok is to check their TOS.

[Steve]

I'm totally confused by all of this. A while back I received an e-mail regarding one Kindle item, which now shows up as "Unknown" (or something like that). It's e-book of a poetry collection, by Bryan Dietrich, called Prime Directive. OK. You can still see the cover if the book is listed as opposed to the e-book edition. So what's happening here is that can not be corrected? Given I have about 500 books on my shelves, one title (as far as I know) showing blank, is not too bad. However, just the other day I found that the poetry collection Fowling Piece: Poems, by Heidy Steidlemayer, is not showing the cover art. It's a nice cover, and it's a shame it can't be included. Is there anything I can do, or Goodreads can do, to correct this? I would need a detailed answer if I were to do it. Thanks!

[Sarah (Presto agitato)]

Steve wrote: "I'm totally confused by all of this. A while back I received an e-mail regarding one Kindle item, which now shows up as "Unknown" (or something like that). It's e-book of a poetry collection, by Br..."

Hi, Steve - I have "rescued" the information on Prime Directive, so it should look right now. Let me know if it doesn't. I have also added cover art for Fowling Piece.

[Steve]

Sarah wrote: "Steve wrote: "I'm totally confused by all of this. A while back I received an e-mail regarding one Kindle item, which now shows up as "Unknown" (or something like that). It's e-book of a poetry col..."

Thank you, Sarah!

[Esme]

Misfit wrote: "Question on the Kindle covers. If I own the book, is there anything wrong with pulling said book up on the PC app,taking a snapshot of the cover, saving the image and uploading here?"

What says a goodreads employee to this issue?
Is a snap shot equal to a scan or photo as it is allowed in the librarian manual?

[Cait]

Yes, it's been said that a screencap is just as acceptable as a photograph. If you have the book, you can upload an image of your copy's cover any way you like.

[Paula]

But it should not have any reference to Amazon on it.

Edit: I have seen A lot of amazon images will have "Look Inside" or "Kindle" edition written on them, it would be better to ensure that they where not present

[Cait]

Those are the images on the Amazon website, Paula; a Kindle book will usually have a page with an image which is the cover. That's the cover which can be used here. (The book itself doesn't need to tell you to look inside! You're already looking inside the book by the that point!)

[Esme]

I have seen many books with this "look inside" too, these are taken obviously from amazon website.
But I will do it as Misfit said before. Download the eBook to the app and made a screen shot from the cover.

Tanks for clarify, Cait and Paula.

[Paul W]

Just to double check. If I own a Kindle book, is it legitimate for me to:

1. Screen capture the cover image
2. Upload it to BookReads

I'd probably use the Cloud reader, if that makes a difference. I suppose I could screen capture the cloud reader image of the cover, that would be easier than hunting around the book for the cover.

[❂ Murder by Death]

I can say Yes to #1 but cannot comment on #2.

If you own the kindle edition (or any ebook edition) you are allowed to screen cap the cover and upload it when you add the book to goodreads. Also, if the book is already on GR and it doesn't have a cover, you can post that screencap to your profile pics and one of us will add it to the edition record.

But you will need someone else to answer #2 for you. :)

[lafon حمزة]

What is BookReads? To answer your question, exactly as Jennifer said for the first, but for the second (if my understanding of your question is correct, and you want to upload the actual book) you may absolutely not do so unless you own the copyright, or you have been granted legal permission to do so by the person who holds the copyright, or the copyright has expired.

[Stacia (the 2010 club)]

Esme wrote: "I have seen many books with this "look inside" too, these are taken obviously from amazon website.
But I will do it as Misfit said before. Download the eBook to the app and made a screen shot from ..."

This is strange to me. If someone was going to upload a pic that they got from the Amazon site, it would have only taken them a few seconds to download the pic from Amazon and crop the size (in a basic program such as mspaint) so the "look inside" doesn't show.

[Amara]

Stacia ~ mistress of mediocrity wrote: "This is strange to me. If someone was going to upload a pic that they got from the Amazon site, it would have only taken them a few seconds to download the pic from Amazon and crop the size (in a basic program such as mspaint) so the "look inside" doesn't show."

Even when you crop off the LOOK INSIDE!, the little orange arrow still breaks into the image, so anyone who takes a close look at the image can tell that it's Amazon and need to be deleted. Likewise for the "Copyrighted Material" brand some of them have.

But ❂ Jennifer meant screencapping from inside the Kindle app (or whatever other eBook reader), not from the Amazon site (or whatever other bookseller). Consensus seems to be that such screencaps are in the same "fair use" vein as scans/photographs of physical bookscovers.

[Sarah (Presto agitato)]

Amara wrote: "Even when you crop off the LOOK INSIDE!, the little orange arrow still breaks into the image, so anyone who takes a close look at the image can tell that it's Amazon and need to be deleted. Likewise for the "Copyrighted Material" brand some of them have."

Not that I am recommending anyone do this, but you can open the image in a new tab or window and then delete the gobbledygook between the period and "jpg" and it will show the image without the Look Inside (of course that won't remove the "copyrighted material" that some books have, but there won't be any piece of an orange arrow).

"But ❂ Jennifer meant screencapping from inside the Kindle app (or whatever other eBook reader), not from the Amazon site (or whatever other bookseller). Consensus seems to be that such screencaps are in the same "fair use" vein as scans/photographs of physical bookscovers."

When this was discussed a few months ago, that was my understanding. If you own a copy of the book and take a screen capture of the e-book cover on your computer or device, it's analogous to photographing it. I think there could arguably be issues even with photographing a cover of a paper book, since even though you may own the photograph, the cover art is copyrighted, but that seems to be considered acceptable. It all gets very complicated.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Altered cover images taken from Amazon (or other booksellers) are still not ok. Whether cropped, stretched, or rotisseried, uploading those is a big no-no and can get your librarian status revoked.