You’re reading Signal vs. Noise, a publication about the web by 37signals since 1999.

I like how the donut (with sprinkles, even) combines with the character below it to create a little pink person.

That’s hilarious, do you have any idea how sales are over there?

That might give you an indication of whether or not this was just adjustment for culture and if it was successful.

FYI , we have no influence over the cover of international editions. Each publisher can work up their own cover

Rather strange, it’s YOUR book, and you can’t decide on the cover. I guess that’s pretty common in the world of international publishing. Can you at least send them the feedback that they misspelled 37signals?

WTF does a donut have to do with anything? This cover would make more sense in Canada than China. A donut or a box of Kraft Dinner, Canadians will snap it up!

Awesome! They are selling this book while making fun of it.

The re-design is poking fun at the fact that the book is written by a small group of very rich white people making radical (backwards) and arrogant claims about work. – Background has been changed to white. – R is backwards – Donut suggests that the authors can afford to eat too well

Um…that’s odd. I’m not seeing how the donut fits. And why is the R backwards?

I have three books published in China. There are two editions of the same book and one is half the length.(?) In traditional publishing foreign rights are sold for a lump sum which is usually split with the publisher and you have no control over anything after that. Love the pink donut…

Why don’t you have na influence on how the covers look like? This one looks quite tasty – like Meatball Sunday one (US edition as the UK edition is crap).

I’m really not a fan of this cover design. As a person familiar with the Taiwanese culture, I must say the donut doesn’t make sense to me either. Worse still, I think it evokes the wrong message.

I am however very glad to see a Traditional Chinese translation; I can finally get my Taiwanese peers to read the book.

Wow~ You know what, Traditional Chinese version is very popular in our Taiwan bookstore. Lot’s of people will grab it and take a look what it’s all about.

I bought the English version REWORK for my self and read completed, and we got Traditional Chinese version in our office too. We definitely love it!

I think the whole message about the cover is that the book is all about breaking conventions.

The donut belongs to the stereotype of the American office worker. Using a pink one is probably meant to convey the message that this isn’t your typical book about business strategy.

Same thing about the backwards “R”, it’s the same message : “look, this book is very uncommon”. And the way that they put the whole chapter list on the front cover is also an indicator that they want to put the emphasis on the fact that this book is full of controversial messages, or in other words : “everything that you assumed was good for business, is wrong, and vice-versa”.

Reminds me of the comparison of the covers of the international editions of Freakonomics :

http://freakonomicsbook.com/around-the-world/

I’m right where you are Allen!

Excellent that you have a Taiwan edition. A very well matched message for the audience there.

@Deltaplan – You had me at Freakonomics: Turkey edition.

It’s so off the wall. I kinda like it.

The Chinese characters below the big Rework means ‘Liberate your job, you can make your job more success by this way’. I guess the donut stands for ‘you can have more break time if you work this way’. This could be culture difference between east and west, but 37 Signals story in this book really inspires those small firms like the one I am working for. Thank you.

Love it. Having lived in Taiwan for a number of years it is abundantly clear to me that cute and curious is a HUGE selling point over there in the Republic of China (not to be confused with the People’s Republic of China, which is just over the straits)

Over there I’ve seen mafia like guys wearing pink Hello Kitty motorcycle helmets. So I see the pink donut as meaning “we have some bad ass shit” here.

I think the Taiwanese will love this book, and it does not hurt that the title in Chinese is “hugely liberate your work”, the subtitle reads “working this way will oddly enough make you more successful”. I will have to pick up a copy when I am over there next, I love reading this kind of stuff in Chinese.

Be thankful at least they didn’t put some over-plastic-surgerized teenage girl on it.

Possible explanation for the donut ?

The Donut Project is a design inspiration site created by a group of young designers who aspire to inspire.

http://www.thedonutproject.com/inspiration/rework-illustrations/

Man, this is so funny. It went from too serious to too cute! to each culture its own

Let’s put it this way: if they decided to put a picture of any of the staff at 37signals, we would have a best selling horror novel. I’m glad they went with a dounut, it’s far better to look at and not feel Ill.

The French edition is strange also : SS500 .jpg”>http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PoENlyFGL. SS500 .jpg

I prefere the original one…

The French edition is strange also : http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PoENlyFGL. SS500 .jpg

I prefere the original one…

Sorry for multiple links, here is one that works http://tinyurl.com/2e2kohw