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What would your Fake Book Cover say? #reading

By 19/08/2016September 26th, 2016books, Uncategorized

I loved this article on using a Fake Book Cover I read recently:

Fake Book CoverSome people have been known to lie about reading certain books in order to make themselves look smart. But nobody pretends to read certain books to make themselves look deranged or perverted. Nobody but comedian Scott Rogowsky that is.

Not only that but he did it on the New York subway, one of the busiest subway systems in the world. In full view of other passengers, the brave comedian pretended to be engrossed by such questionably-named publications as  ……. Needless to say, several passengers were more than a little surprised by the comedian’s seemingly shameless interest in “alternative” literature, although it certainly made their commute to work a little more interesting than usual.

I love some of the Fake Book Covers used by the comedian– they certainly made me chortle! Visit the link to see the covers, I omitted them here because this is a PG13 blog. A fake book cover can make wonderful statements about our culture, about what is considered appropriate, elitist, or, in some cases, could act as statements to the public.

I would definitely buy and use on my commutes fake book covers that said, “How to Teach the Youth to Give Their Train Seats to the Elderly” or “Top Ways Not To Obstruct Traffic When Playing PokeMon Go” and so on.

 Have you ever seen or used a fake book cover? If you did, what would your fake book cover say? Leave me a few ideas for a Fake Book Cover in the comments if you like. Please use asterisks if your titles contain NSFW words!

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Damyanti Biswas

Damyanti Biswas is the author of You Beneath Your Skin and numerous short stories that have been published in magazines and anthologies in the US, the UK, and Asia. She has been shortlisted for Best Small Fictions and Bath Novel Awards and is co-editor of the Forge Literary Magazine. Her literary crime thriller series, the Blue Mumbai, is represented by Lucienne Diver from The Knight Agency. Both The Blue Bar and The Blue Monsoon were published in 2023.

I appreciate comments, and I always visit back. If you're having trouble commenting, let me know via the contact form, or tweet me up @damyantig !

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37 Comments

  • Jaspal says:

    wonderful way to grab eye balls.

  • upasna1987 says:

    “How can you be Unfuckwithable” but I am not a huge fan of reading Books.

  • “50 Ways to Cleverly Conceal a Bad Rash”
    “Scientologists are Watching You!”
    “One light, Two Light, Green Light, Red Light: the Starter’s Guide to Human Trafficking”
    “HONEST! The Unauthorized Hillary Clinton Biography”
    “Shaolin Scatology: Everyone Was Flung Poo Fighting”

  • How about … *Beans for Breakfast to Start Your Day*… for a fake title

    I really enjoyed your post!

  • As a farmer it woul have to be “Everything you need to know about home kill”

  • Nam H Nguyen says:

    Where can I buy those 😐
    Having heard that I want one so bad!

  • Mark Murata says:

    Not a fake book cover. But I think I was in high school when the history or social studies class was having a study time, which just devolved into a lot of talk and noise. I hid a science fiction paperback hidden inside the textbook and pretended I was reading the textbook.

    The teacher pointed me out as a good student.

  • jan says:

    I wish I could come up with a good title for a book let alone a fake one! Let’s see – how about “Bubble Baths with Cats” Or “The Twelve Best Champagnes for Under $1.50”

  • vw37785 says:

    Hi there. You have me thinking about that fake book cover. Thanks.

  • Thank you so much for ‘liking’ my latest post [“Good news on brain-aging from The Nun Study”] – I just got a notice from WordPress that you were the 1,000th one!
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    (Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMore dot com)
    – ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder –
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  • I haven’t used any. Don’t even know where to get them here. It’s interesting, though.

  • I thought this post (before reading it, just seeing the headline) might have been a meme I saw recently about fake sci-fi and fantasy book covers, but, no, I was excited to see it’s something different. Some of those NSFW titles: very funny, Damyanti!
    As to your question, I’ve never considered a fake cover for myself, as I would rather release a ‘real’ book of my own. I could see myself satirising some literary books, though some are more personalized than others, like “Just Ew” as the alternative title for “Lolita” and “Another Sad Commentary about Race; This Time, the Tormented Boy Hides in the Closet and Eats Toothpaste” for “Light in August.”
    That said, I do have a title in mind for my memoir, should I ever write it or feel like anyone would be interested to read it, but, beyond that, not a lot. I had a vivid dream a few years ago with my name at the bottom of a book cover, and it just looked “right”: I’m not a sentimental or superstitious kind of person—in fact, I consider myself pretty logical and analytical—but that has kind of guided me toward writing, as have other life factors. Anyway, fascinating post, as always, Damyanti!

  • The best way to grab attention ?

  • I have never used a fake book cover but I have come across some of them. I think it will drive a lot of traffic to a website or blog if a free E-book that has a fake book cover is posted on social media sites.

  • cathum says:

    What a great idea. Thanks for drawing our attention to it. It would make a fun game…

  • So funny. The fake book covers are hysterical. No I’ve never used a fake cover, too much of a wallflower. But it sure is entertaining!

  • msw blog says:

    Thank you for that article. That video was hilarious and makes me think how much we judge each other.
    https://reallifeofanmsw.com

  • Rajlakshmi says:

    hahaha I just checked the article… it’s hilarious! No I have never done it… except to hide Harry Potter in between my science digest 😛

  • Reading through my weekly quota of blogs visited is like looking through many windows on the world. It’s fascinating and humbling as well as invigorating. I never quite know what’s going to turn up. Life is never dull with those beguiling facets on other people’s lives and ideas.

  • Really! This great and silly idea has never crossed my mind. Now let me set about looking intelligent ?

  • Great fun. I had a good chuckle. Though it did remind me of the sad event recently when a young woman was reading a book about Syrian culture on an aeroplane and was reported by another passenger for doing so and then later interviewed by the terrorism police. So be careful about choices, X rated is OK, but I’d avoid Egyptian gods for instance.

  • Saravana says:

    The two titles you mentioned seems to be a perfect title. At-least some basic manners can be imparted.

  • aj vosse says:

    Great idea!!
    It reminds me of a prank I pulled as a young man. Way back in 1983, I was doing a course in South Africa’s most conservative town. On a whim, I had a T-shirt printed. Large red letters on a plain beige material. The front said… “I’m still a virgin.” The looks I got when walking down the main street on a busy Saturday morning!
    But… the fun came when folk would turn around to keep staring as I walked by. The back carried the words… “This is a very old shirt!” Utter disgust!! 😈
    Thanks for the laugh… and bringing back the memories…

  • this is hilarious…..never attempted that…..:)

  • Peter Nena says:

    I had a blast looking at those titles!

  • shanayatales says:

    LOL. I had never heard of this, but some of them were hilarious, some cringe worthy, and some a mixture of both. I loved your take on fake book covers – I would totally flaunt them around. 😀

  • cleemckenzie says:

    I’m thinking of a cover that will make a fellow passenger raise her glasses just to be sure she’s seeing what she’s seeing. Those were quite eye-glass-raising covers.

  • I never thought about doing this but the idea is hilarious!! I have to admit the Trump cover made me laugh (and cringe) the most. 😀

  • Debbie D. says:

    Those are hilarious and would certainly make riding on public transportation less boring! Thanks for the laugh, Damyanti. 🙂 I remember in high school, some kids used to hide pornography inside serious text book covers. Kind of the reverse of this idea.

  • ccyager says:

    I’d like my fake book cover to say “The History of the Smile.”

  • chinks says:

    How to keep your farts in?? Hilarious!!
    I would try “Top signs the person sitting next to you wants to be left alone”

  • Funny idea.
    I’d like my passenger to be holding up a book that says Slower Traffic Keep Right. Is that wrong?

  • haha It sounds like superb fun and there are quite a few that fake it on Goodreads, claiming to read over one lakh. Amusing!!

  • That is pretty clever. I never thought of that, but I bet high schoolers have.

  • misfit120 says:

    Considering the state of affairs with regard to the 2016 Presidential campaign I think my fake book cover title would be: “My Successful Lobotomy Reversal Procedure” by Donald Trump.

  • This is hilarious! Long commutes definitely need comic relief 🙂

  • Dan Antion says:

    I might try “An Introvert’s Guide to Riding Public Transportation”