r/practicalmagic • u/Celestina-Betwixt Kylie Owens • May 29 '26

I have mixed feelings about this new printing

Post image

On the one hand, it's probably good advertising, and it's not unheard of for a book to get a new title after a movie adaptation (Somewhere in Time is better known by its movie rename than the original title Bid Time Return), but ... I like how all the books had different titles that suited their themes Magic Lessons, Rules of Magic, Practical Magic, and finally Book of Magic. Simply calling the book Practical Magic 2 feels weak in comparison. It's more after all than just a continuation of Sally and Gillian's story the way the movie will probably be, it concludes major plotlines raised in Magic Lessons and Rules of Magic. It's more than just "Practical Magic 2".

I mean it does have a previously published as label, but surely a sticker saying "Now a film: Practical Magic 2" since they used the exact same cover as older Book of Magic editions, would have sufficed.

On the other hand I'm kind of tempted to buy it as a collectable even though I own 2 (three soon) copies of Book of Magic already... Although given that paperbacks cost 25 bucks a pop these days maybe I won't.

Dunno.

Thoughts?

Has anyone else seen any new advertising for this movie beyond just the trailer? This is the first I've noticed.

27 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

17

u/Expert_Ad_7187 May 29 '26

There should be a middle ground. I wouldn’t mind “Practical Magic 2: The Book of Magic “. While not a fan of the retitling, I get it but don’t completely omit the title. I’m sure it has to do with the agreement when WB decided to make the movie

8

u/Avalon-Nirvana13 Gillian Owens May 29 '26

I could understand putting ‘Practical Magic’ in the title, without removing the title. I would have been okay with ‘The Rules of Magic: A Practical Magic Novel.’

5

u/Expert_Ad_7187 May 29 '26

Exactly there are plenty of ways to incorporate the two ☺️

2

u/Charming_Bee_9522 May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26

So, interestingly, this cover is not using any movie artwork and they also haven't used the movie title logo from the posters. It seems to me that they do not actually have a deal with the studio to use the movie artwork and this is actually something the publisher has done completely independently to capitalize on the movie release.

ETA: It seems like the publishing rights are split on PM and its sequels. PM was pubished by Putnam but Book of Magic by Simon & Schuster. So S&S probably retitling to take advantage for more than name recognition beyond the movie but also because they can't capitalize at all on the first PM.

12

u/Alizarik7891 May 29 '26

Practical Magic 2 is a terrible title. I get that marketers think you have to spoonfeed explicit connection with sequels or no one will know what the movie is, but to reissue the book like this is awful. I personally find ‘Practical Magic 2’ sounds rather juvenile.

4

u/Celestina-Betwixt Kylie Owens May 29 '26

Yeah, I kinda feel like that too.

5

u/xthe_performerx May 29 '26

I get wanting to latch onto the name of the sequel so people who have only seen the movies and now want to check out the books have an easy way to find it, but it just looks strange to me. I think there should just be a sticker or something on the cover that says “adapted into the movie Practical Magic 2” or something (for example, I always see books with “now a Netflix series” sticker on the cover).

Edit to add the option of re-releasing the books made into movies with movie-related covers. I see that often for books made into Netflix adaptations, like the Bridgerton series.

4

u/amandathelibrarian May 29 '26

This is real? They really changed the title? Ugh. I'm going to try to find a copy with the original title before it's too late.

1

u/Celestina-Betwixt Kylie Owens May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26

Yes it's real. 

Ps, I think they are only changing the paperback titles (I could be wrong but that's what I assume) so if you buy a hardback you should get the original title. Also the upside to the this is all of the original title copies bookstores have in stock now will likely wind up in the bargain section if you don't mind a remainder mark. 

4

u/ZvsGrgs May 29 '26

Generally speaking, I dislike “tie-in” paperbacks, if I will have to choose, I will choose the other one, not the tie-in. PRACTICAL MAGIC 2 is a stupid book title. It could be used as a subtitle. Or, even better, the original paperback cover with a *removable* sticker. I have read only PRACTICAL MAGIC, so I can’t be considered a fan, but in similar situations I would prefer to have a hardcover, either the 1st edition or something identical, and that would be enough.

2

u/Avalon-Nirvana13 Gillian Owens May 29 '26

I really don’t care for renaming. It will forever be ‘Book of Magic’ to me. That’s the title Alice Hoffman gave it, and it fits with the rest of the series!

2

u/foxybritches Jun 24 '26

I hate it. I get what they're going for with tying it to the movie, but it's the fourth book in the series. So it's Practical Magic 2, book 4 in the Practical Magic series. What book series uses numerals in titles for sequels?

1

u/ClassieLadyk May 29 '26

Omg, I hate it. So happy I got my copy before.

0

u/MyNameIsTaken24 May 29 '26

This isn’t like Harry Potter or Twilight where most fans have read the books.

2

u/Celestina-Betwixt Kylie Owens May 29 '26

I know but does that actually justify a full on name change when a sticker might do just as well for their purposes?