Indie author Whitney Pearl recently found herself in a situation that was equal parts frustrating and hilarious. After ordering a batch of special edition copies of her upcoming sci-fi novel, she opened the covers to allegedly find that the endpapers featured designs for a completely different genre. Instead of the artwork she commissioned for her dystopian release, she was looking at an illustration of a man who looks like Flynn Rider from the movie Tangled leaning over a woman.
In a video posted to both Instagram and TikTok, Pearl asked for help in finding an author. “It’s not my art, BookTok. I need your help,” she said. “I’m super excited today because I got my special edition copies.” Pearl told the community that the copies were printed by Bookvault for her upcoming release of The Boy in the Box, scheduled to hit shelves on September 15. The goal was to have these bundles ready for her shop, but the misprint has put those plans on hold.
Pearl showed off the mysterious artwork, saying that it looks like the start of a romance novel. She pointed out that the illustration featured a carriage, a castle, and what looks like a genie lamp. “I’m intrigued. I wanna know what book this goes to,” she said. She also noted, “I wanna know if they have my art, which is drastically different from this.” She then showed off the text print of her book featuring a cityscape that was far more aligned with the sci-fi, dystopian vibe of her own book.
An expensive mistake
Pearl told her community, “So I don’t know what to do with this copy. But I really want to find the author this belongs to, because I just think it’s funny and I want to connect with other authors and what a cool story.” Then she took the time to address Bookvault directly, a company she has worked with before.
“I have sent so many authors your way because you’ve always given me good quality prints in a timely manner,” she stated in her video. As she had noted in the caption, “This misprint had me cracking up, but it really is an expensive mistake that will impact a few of my release plans for Ordinary.”
Pearl noted, “I can’t sell these. Do you know how these are really expensive per copy? It’s really just a treat for my readership to be able to even get them. I don’t make any money on them. And now I am out an insane amount of money for shipping these copies.”
The community was supportive but very distracted. One user told Pearl, “Ironically this would be a good start to an Author/Aurhor romance,” to which Pearl replied, “The perfect meet cute.” Others saw the humor in the aesthetic clash, with one user noting, “Immediately changed the vibe. I cantttt.”
Some users even expressed an interest in buying the misprints themselves, with one person commenting, “I love misprints as I find them to be extra special editions.” In fact, some of the most valuable collector’s items tend to be accidental misprints.
Endpapers, also known as end sheets, are a fascinating part of book history. According to Europeana, endpapers began as simple blank scraps of paper or parchment used to shield the text from wear and tear. Over time, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries, they evolved into a canvas for beauty and art, with paper marbling techniques becoming a popular way to decorate them.
Today, they serve a more structural role as well. Per the Book Printing Factory, endpapers are the pages that connect the text block to the cover. They consist of a pastedown, which is glued to the inside of the cover, and a flyleaf, which remains free to provide a smooth transition. They are essential for structural support, adding strength to the spine and protecting the first and last pages of the book.
Four days after her initial post, Pearl returned with an update on Instagram. “[Bookvault] got back to me within four days of the issue happening with me receiving the copies. They were super apologetic, said that this should never happen, that they’ve hired some new people, and that they’re going to talk to them directly about it to deal with it.”
The company offered to expedite a reprint, which Pearl accepted. She then praised their customer service, noting that it is why she has historically recommended them over other services.
She also offered a piece of advice to fellow authors: “You need to check every single copy that you get because you never know if there’s just going to be one slipped in there that has a big issue like this or even a small issue.”
Published: Sep 8, 2026 07:40 am