What the heck are spredges, anyway?

Sprayed edges, endearingly referred to as ‘spredges’, represent a design feature where the edges of a book are adorned through techniques such as painting, spraying, or stenciling. These embellishments span from solid color blocks, to intricate designs that add a touch of artistry to the book’s presentation.

Why do books have sprayed edges?

Sprayed edges are far from a new phenomenon. Since the 10th Century, books have had their edges painted with intricate artwork in a practice called fore-edge-painting. Although these paintings have grown out of style, the previously dying practice has since had a modern revival. Book subscription boxes, such as Fairyloot, Owlcrate, and Illumicrate, have been producing stunning special editions with alternate cover art, signatures from the author, bonus content, and/or sprayed edges for years. Much of their subscriber-base has been built on the exclusivity of their special editions with sprayed edges. There is even a waiting list to subscribe for some boxes. In short, spredges have always held an association with a special edition of a book.

Book stores and sprayed edges

Despite the already well-established presence of sprayed edges in the book community, there has been a shift in the publishing world, making these ‘special’ editions more widespread and accessible than ever before. Barnes and Noble has recently added a “Judge a Book by Its Edges” section to its website. Additionally, Barnes and Noble – as well as the U.K.’s Waterstones and Canada’s Indigo – are releasing their own store exclusive editions with sprayed edges. Even stores like Walmart and Target, which do not exclusively sell books, are selling titles with sprayed edges. So – how did a book’s spredges evolve from a coveted specialty item to a commodity available so widely? As a reader and influencer, myself, I’d like to think that this evolution largely began with the publication and subsequent social media craze of Rebecca Yarros’ romantasy powerhouse, Fourth Wing.

Fourth Wing and the re-branding of sprayed edges.

For the first print run of Fourth Wing, Red Tower Books included a dragon design on the edges. Upon Fourth Wing’s release, users on BookTok and Bookstagram did what they do best, and soon enough, nearly every reader was trying to get their hands on this special edition. That printing run sold out soon after. Having worked at a bookstore at the time of Fourth Wing’s initial publication, I experienced this craze first-hand. Customers came into the store and asked for the spredges up to two months after it had sold out. After I explained to them why that edition is no longer in stock here or anywhere else, the look on their face was one of disappointment – and in some cases – anger. Readers really wanted their dragon-designed edges.

Continuing the sprayed edges trend

In my opinion, the initial selling point for many readers was the stunning design on the book’s edges, and this undoubtedly contributed to the record-number of sales and social media hype. When Fourth Wing’s first run special edition sold out, Red Tower Books knew they had done something right. So, for the next installment in the series, Iron Flame, they also implemented an exclusive first-printing run of black sprayed edges – no dragons, though. Despite this, readers didn’t want to miss out, and many of us flocked to our local bookstores to pre-order. A lot of bookstores sold out of Iron Flame just as the release date of November 7th, 2023, approached. I think that they will likely continue this marketing tactic for the remaining three books in the Empyrean series upon their publications.

After the Empyrean

Red Tower Books took the same technique, and applied it to, well, practically every subsequent release. As of the writing of this post, Assistant to the Villain (Hannah Nicole Maehrer) and Sanctuary of the Shadow (Aurora Ascher) have been published with first printing runs of spredges. Upcoming 2024 releases with confirmed first-run spredges include The Last One by Rachel Howzell Hall, Cecy Robson’s Bloodguard, and Apprentice to the Villain, the sequel to Hannah Nicole Maehrer’s Assistant to the Villain.

But how special are these ‘special editions’?

Heavenbreaker

Let’s take a look at Red Tower Book’s upcoming adult fantasy title, Heavenbreaker. Online bookstore listings say the following about its upcoming release on May 21st , 2024.

“Preorder now and receive the stunning DELUXE LIMITED EDITION while supplies last―featuring gorgeous sprayed edges with stenciled artwork, as well as exclusive endpapers and special design features.”

Betterworld Books

Aside from endpapers and the stunning sprayed edges, there isn’t really anything that ‘special’ or ‘deluxe’ about this particular edition. It’s not signed by the author, it’s not a part of a hand numbered limited release, and there aren’t any exclusive notes or annotations from the author. There are no bonus chapters, alternative chapters written in another POV, or extended epilogues. In other words, the ‘specialness’ of this deluxe edition is purely aesthetic. While the artwork and spredges are undoubtedly beautiful, I can’t help but feel that something feels missing.

The Pairing

Let’s take a look at another example, this time, outside of the heavily populated fantasy realm of spredges. Author of Red, White, and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston’s upcoming title, The Pairing, is slated to release August 6th , 2024. The book is a romance novel that follows two bisexual exes who accidentally book the same tour on their European vacations. For its first print run, book retailers have a listing that reads:

“LIMITED FIRST PRINT RUN–featuring spray-painted edges with a stenciled script design. Only available for a limited time and while supplies last.”

So Many Pages

In this case, there aren’t even any endpapers or artwork. The only thing that makes this book a ‘collector’s item’ are the beautiful, sprayed edges.

Ruthless Vows

Now, let’s examine a Fairyloot exclusive with sprayed edges; Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross. This is the sequel to the young adult romance/fantasy/historical fiction smash hit, Divine Rivals. In the original announcement, Fairyloot designates the special features of their exclusive edition, including:

“✨ EXCLUSIVE REDESIGNED COVER by @kelley.mcmorris.art
✨ DIGITALLY SPRAYED EDGE with a block sprayed top and bottom edge
✨ FOILED CHARACTER ARTWORK ON THE ENDPAPERS by @hachandraws
✨ FOIL ON THE FRONT AND BACK OF THE HARDCOVER
✨ BONUS CONTENT
This book will feature a digital signature.”

Fairyloot

This edition was available exclusively at Fairyloot’s online storefront, The Fairy Trove, and went on sale January 18th , 2024. The title is not expected to ship to lucky customers until June or July 2024. As expected, the edition sold out almost immediately after going live on The Fairy Trove, as there was only a limited – though undisclosed – number of copies available for purchase.
Disappointed readers have since flocked to second-hand sources, such as eBay, to purchase the edition at a high resale value. One listing hosted a bidding war with 33 bids, that ultimately sold for $290 USD on February 7th , 2024. A far cry from Fairyloot’s selling price of £23 GBP / $31 USD + shipping. Fairyloot editions are admittedly difficult to get. They’re coveted possessions, and once a reader has one of their exclusive books in their grasp, it’s rare that they let it go. (Excluding the aforementioned scalper who purchased the book just to sell it later on at a higher price).

Not just a pretty face

In my opinion, Fairyloot books with spredges live up to their classification of a special edition. And much more so than the books with first-print run spredges. To really make my point, let’s look at one more so-called special edition. Specifically, another one of author Casey McQuiston’s books. This time, though, we’re looking at a special edition of a previously published title; One Last Stop. Marketed as a Collector’s Edition, the listing for McQuiston’s sophomore novel reads the following:

“The special hardcover collector’s edition of Casey McQuiston’s beloved bestselling novel, featuring illustrated endpapers, bonus content, and more!”

Cavalier House Books

By more, they mean alternate cover art and a signature from Casey McQuiston herself. Oh, and sprayed edges, of course.

Readers have been able to get their hands on this collector’s edition since its release in November 2023. It’s less limited than a Fairyloot edition, but still has more special features than one of the aforementioned first printing editions with spredges.

Why sprayed edges matter

What readers now know as spredges have almost always been a part of the book community, one way or the other. The context of them, however, has recently evolved from being a signifier of an exclusive, special edition to a marketing tactic used by publishers to garner demand for a book’s first printing.
Recently, I have seen some BookTokers comment on this, with some believing that spredges have ‘lost their meaning’ or, alternatively, that the more spredges, the better. I have also seen some readers in heated debate over spredges being pointless in the first place, because they don’t care for the physical appearance of a book.
As for me, I’m neither for nor against spredges. Have I noticed a change in the implementation of sprayed edges in the publishing industry? Of course, I’m an observant reader immersed in the book community and with an interest in publishing. That being said, I do not fall into a specific camp on the spredges debate. Ultimately, I am going to buy, read, and collect the books that I want to – whether they be extremely limited editions or merely a first printing run of spredges – and I think that other readers should do the same. Do what makes you happy and have fun with your hobby.

About the Guest Author:

Born in Toronto, Canada, Jordan Murray is the Amazon best-selling author of three books, including her debut suspense novel, I Did It For You. When she isn’t reading or writing, she’s probably buying & collecting books – which is a completely different hobby, thank you very much – or obsessing over videos of dogs on the internet.
You can find her books on Amazon.