For some reason publishers in the US seem to want to be different to the rest of the world.

Take the recently announced book from the McCartney camp, Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run.

Initially there was no cover art ready for the official announcement, but now not one but two different covers have (ahem) broken cover.

This one is for the UK and the rest of the world:

And this one – the United States:

Who knows why the US needs a different look? There are two different publishers, so that could have something to do with it. In the US it will be Liveright/W W Norton, and for the UK & ROW it’ll be Allen Lane/Penguin.

The UK cover is a black and white version of this 1972 Linda McCartney colour image, taken during the Wings Over Europe tour:

The blue US cover is by artist Alex Trochut. He says “I’m a digital crafter. Wherever and with whomever I’m working, I let the needs of a project dictate its style. I try not to think my way into a design, quality is always my priority but I believe you have to let play drive you. My motto? Easy is boring. If you aren’t having fun pushing yourself, you aren’t doing it right.”

Trochut was born in Barcelona, Spain and after completing his art studies he established his own design studio in there before relocating to New York City. Through his design, illustration and typographic practice he has developed an intuitive way of working that has resulted in an expressive visual style. Alex has created design, illustration and typography for a diverse range of clients including Nike, Adidas, The Rolling Stones, Katy Perry, BBC, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, The Guardian, The New York Times, Time Magazine, and now he can add Paul McCartney and Wings to his resume!

So, which cover do you like best?

WIngs: The Story of a Band on the Run is out 4 November, 2025. Pre order your copy here.