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Monday, January 11, 2010

And That, As They Say, Is That

After almost 5 years and 1,112 posts, I've decided to put The BDR on indefinite hiatus.

It's been a great ride. I've enjoyed almost every minute of it. But the joy of discovering and sharing has, over the past few months, become the tedium of finding and posting. So it's time to stop. I might resurrect The BDR if it feels right, or I might blog about something else. It's too early to tell.

2009 was a wonderful year, and I can't thank you enough for showing up: a third of a million visits from 190 countries yielded just shy of 640,000 page views. 3 of those visits came from Nuuk, Greenland. Thank you, Nuuk :-)

Follow me on Twitter (@theBDR) for book-related (and other) stuff, and satisfy your book design jones over at The Casual Optimist, Faceout Books, and The Book Cover Archive. Those guys are the best.

Again, my heartfelt thanks for 5 fun years. Talk to you soon.

73 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, I'll miss you and your sharp observations! Thanks so much for your efforts to bring the world of design home to me. Enjoy your break!
Best, Michael

Joseph said...

Thanks Michael.

Unknown said...

Sorry to hear it, man.

Joseph said...

Thanks, Ben. You need to step up for the good people of Nuuk :-)

Your escalator operator said...

Bummer for us - I've really enjoyed checking in - but congrats to you. It was always interesting, even for a non-designer like me. Thank you for sharing the art and the thoughts.

karen said...

Your site has been one of my weekly habits. Thanks for the past 5 years and I wish you happiness in what lies ahead.

Robin said...

Oh, no!! I'm going to miss the BDR a lot... Thank you for putting so much time into a great blog. Good luck in your other projects.

dan powell said...

As a latecomer to this blog I am sorry to hear this news. I just got here. Still, I can start attacking the archive now. Thanks for providing an engaging look at book design.

Jan Marshall said...

Really sad news... I'll miss The Book Design Review. :(

Best of luck for your future projects! Let's hope you'll be back one day on the BDR...

Alan Trotter said...

Aw man, that's sad – but thanks so much for the site these last years. It's been really great.

Get Info Here said...

Wow, that's a great adventure. i also want to explore that big lonesome land in northern hemisphere.

saat omar said...

oh come on dont give up now. I like your blog....

V. said...

Thanks for this great ride... and too bad it stops, I liked it a lot.

Best luck for what's to come.

V. said...

Also, since the comments (and thus you people) are also a great part of what so good about this blog, I suggest we all switch to the same book design blog. Any preference?

You're of course more than welcome to join Joseph.

Unknown said...

Thanks for all your work-- I'll take this opportunity to browse through your archives! Wonderful project. Good luck in your next ventures.

Ken Harrison said...

i just wanted to say that I enjoyed reading your blog. Although I'm not a designer, The BDR gave me insight into book cover design and was a pleasure to read.

Good luck with everything you do,
Ken.

Dan said...

Hey Joseph. Thanks for all your work over the last 5 years. The BDR was amazing and clearly a labour of love. I can honestly say that I would not have started The Casual Optimist without it. I certainly can't replace you! Good luck with all your future projects and stay in touch man.

Ingrid Paulson said...

Thank you, Joseph, for sticking it out this long. Keeping up with a blog is quite the committment, and you sticking it out for five years is a testament to your dedication.

This blog was one of the first - and certainly the most high-profile - blogs to showcase book cover design. You set the standard. Thank you for shining some light on this curious subgenre of design.

Aanwinsten Howest said...

Thx so much for all the posts. (And please don't give up.)

P

Jason J said...

Thanks for all the love and hard work you put into this blog over the years Joseph. I will miss it and hope you return after your hiatus. Enjoy!

Unknown said...

I just realized this probably makes my BDR t-shirt a collector's item. Hot dang.

Joseph said...

Ben: hah!

Maarten Das said...

Sad to hear, but you can go on in the happy knowledge that after discovering your blog and coming back to it on a fairly regular basis, I no longer look at books in a book store the way I did before. So thanks, and take care.

Chris Sergio said...

Dang it! The BDR is one of my favorite blogs....

Thank you for all of the great design, commentary and fun over the years. You are a class act, sir, and The BDR will be sorely missed. I look forward to joining you on your next online adventure, whenever and wherever that may be.

Break a leg, Joe.

Catherine Casalino said...

I will really miss your posts! You always chose great covers to feature and I thought your commentary (and comebacks!) were always smart and classy.

Dan Mogford said...

Hi Joseph, I've really enjoyed everything you've done here - didn't realise you'd been at it for 5 years! Time for a well deserved break and new pastures... Hope you bring your wit and insight to some new project in the future. Cheers! Dan

Anonymous said...

You will be missed Joseph. Thanks for the 5 years of BDR.

Jacob Covey said...

I've got a very short list of blogs I visit and it just got shorter. Thanks for all the posts over the years Joseph.

Maria Teresa Carbone said...

grazie, mi mancherà

Katrina Stonoff said...

Oh, SOOOO sad! Yours is one of the blogs I most look forward to seeing. I've enjoyed the interesting covers, and especially hearing your insightful comments.

I certainly respect what you're saying though. If the passion is gone, what's the point? Good luck with whatever your passion leads you to do next.

But if you feel the urge to occasionally post a cover, just for the fun of it? I won't be deleting the BDR from my reader, and I'll always be delighted to hear from you.

Anonymous said...

Good luck in whatever you do. Thank you so much for your wonderful blog posts.

umlaut said...

First John Self, now you! You'll be very much missed, but I can well imagine the weariness that five years of such inventive blogging can produce in a man.

Enjoy your break!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the always entertaining, thought-provoking and enlightening blog, and all the best for whatever you do next!
I'm an editor at a small book publishing company and your blog has changed the way I think about and look at book design: thank you. I know I'll continue to explore your archives. You'll be missed!

The Oxen of the Sun said...

gosh, ill miss this blog. thanks for all your hard work--its been an amazing time.

Anonymous said...

noooo! i sent this post to a friend and she had the same dismayed reaction. i'll miss your delightful posts. best wishes.

maartje said...

I'm really gonna miss your posts, thanks for everything (and please reconsider ;-))

Hollis said...

Very best wishes moving forward, and congrats on a great run.

stage3design said...

Joseph, thank you for the wonderful five years you have devoted to helping expand our horizons when it comes to book cover design. It's been a pleasure to ride along on this journey, and I wish you well moving forward.

Joseph said...

Thank you all for your nice words. I'm very humbled.

Anonymous said...

Good. I won't miss you and your empty criticisms.

Joseph said...

Anon: but I will miss your comments.

Joseph said...

And be sure to follow me on Twitter, Anonymous!

Joseph said...

Twitter.com/EmptyCriticisms...that has a nice ring...I wonder if it's taken.

Anonymous said...

It's a real shame that you're not going to continue... You're blog is definitely one I check every day, and I'll miss your observations, and cover choices.

Hope you come back to it soon!

Kerry said...

Thanks for great posts - I only found your blog last year, so I'm sad to see it go, but it was great while it lasted.

Shorty said...

Oh NO. How can I get through the week without your blog?

I'll miss you!

Juan Carlos said...

Saludos from Mexico City, I've been reading your blog for close to four years now. Can't even remember how I got here. Sad to see it go. Good luck on everything and thanks for showing us all those cool covers.

Hasta pronto

Juan Carlos

Jason Gabbert said...

Wow… I'm really saddened to hear this. You've been one of my favorites for a long time. Let me know if you ever want to briefly jump back into the world of book cover bloggin!

Anonymous said...

Oh. What a pity...

Amy said...

Oh no!! But thanks--it's been a great read.

colleen kirley said...

This is heartbreaking!
Every time I go into a book store, I find myself picking up books just because I recognize the cover from your blog.

Thanks so much!

gih said...

Looking forward again on your site sir. Maybe I'll be back here sooner if you update again.

Erika M said...

Joseph,
Really bummed to hear you are closing down shop. This was a great blog and I enjoyed it tremedously. Always fun to dissect book covers! Best of luck with all other endeavours.

his_own said...

Thanks for the engaging, entertaining, and engorging read thus far Joseph.

All the best in your new season of life.

Blessings,
Dave :)

Mr Lucky Doubles said...

Any chance of passing off the blog to someone else you trust? It does serve a good purpose.

Ismael said...

We miss you!!!

From México!!!

mauZ said...

Oh my god, i will miss you a lot.

Andrea from Turin, Italy (ok that's not esotic like Nuuk, but whatever!)

Duncan Long said...

You comments will be missed!

--Duncan Long
=====================
Freelance magazine and book cover illustrator (and sometimes book cover designer) for HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, Solomon Press, American Media, Fort Ross, Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, and many other publishers. See my cover illustrations at: http://DuncanLong.com/art.html

Manon said...

A big thank you from the Netherlands and take care !!

product design said...

5 years and 1,112 posts, wooooo, no wonder your blog is so hot.

gih said...

aw! I've been very busy doing my work, I was once visiting here, but wanted to say sorry because you left for a while. Take care.

Juan Pablo Cambariere said...

We will really miss you.
Thank you very, very much.
If you ever come to Buenos Aires please let me know, ok?

bookslanduk said...

Thank you Joseph to share it with us. We glad to know you and expect lot more from you.

mad4books said...

Wait! No! I discover you two months AFTER you go on hiatus? That is so wrong.

Come back so Abilene, Texas can join your fan in Nuuk, Greenland on analytics reports!

MrsPeterson said...

Lazy.

Ana Carolina Braz said...

You're doing the right thing - I think work should be fun, and if the one you do for pleasure isn't anymore, then it's time to stop :)

Rio de Janeiro will sorely miss you though.

Whoistin-tinandsnowy? said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Reinis Grāvītis (ReinisGra) said...

Now what am I supposed to do? One less blog - one less coffee cup! Are you sure you want to jeopardize the coffee market? If so .. we had a good ride. Thank you.

Tony said...

I only started reading your wonderful blog about 2 months ago - am very sorry as a latecomer that you've taken this decision. I wish you very best of luck, hope you might start another blog one day. Cheers, Tony.

Anonymous said...

NO DONT DO THIS PLEASE!

aussenleuchten said...

Thanks for this great work and good luck. the team from www.aussenleuchten-aussenlampen.de aus Deutschland.

Pru said...

Wow... it has been 5 years! thanks. I've always been fascinated by book cover designs. And your creative observations has been my inspirations. Thanks!

escalante blogger said...

It's been a long time sinec you stop blogging. And we still waiting for your coming back.