A tale of ten covers (the importance of cover art, part II)

Further to my post earlier in the week talking about the importance (or otherwise) of good cover art, and sharing the striking cover for the Polish-language version (pictured right) of Paul Cleave's THE CLEANER, due to be released this week, I thought I'd take the opportunity to look at and compare the ten different covers Cleave's fantastic debut novel has had in various countries.

Interestingly, the book, which was a top bestselling crime/thriller title on Amazon Germany in 2007, hasn't yet been released in the United Kingdom or the United States - but hopefully that will be corrected by Cleave's publishers in the near future. I understand it has also been signed up for release in Taiwan in recent times, but I haven't yet seen a cover for that version. Here are the other nine covers thusfar for the various versions of THE CLEANER:

The above nine covers are for the:

1. New Zealand version (top left);
2. Australian version (top middle);
3. German version (top right);
4. Russian version (middle left);
5. French Sonatine version (centre);
6. French version (middle right);
7. Czech version (bottom left);
8. Japanese version (bottom middle);
9. Turkish version (bottom left).

Which version(s) do you prefer? I think the Polish version is probably the most striking, although I'm not entirely sure about having an image of 'Joe' on the cover. I also like the simplicity and starkness of the French Sonatine version, and now having seen all the versions side by side, the New Zealand and Australian versions are probably better than I first gave them credit for - although I think the 'blurry' title font takes away from some of the impact of the images used in those versions, which is a shame. I think the New Zealand one actually could have been the best, if the fonts used were better (the image is actually pretty cool).

I tell you what; if you leave a comment, noting your favourite cover(s) and the reasons why it's your pick, then you will go into the draw to win a copy of Cleave's novel - in the language of your choice (I may have to pull a few strings, but oh well). Might as well run Crime Watch's first giveaway of 2011, eh? Draw will be made the end of next week. Spread the word.

I look forward to reading your opinions.