Do you judge a book by its cover?

[Kenny Shovel]

I think of the cover the same as I do a movie preview; you've probably seen the best part. Best to take a good look inside before you decide.

You cynical old sea-dog Robert.






(in some cases you're probably right though)

 

[Prairie_Girl]

The most beautiful book a own is a hardcover copy of The Passion Dream Book by....can't remember. She also wrote How To Make an American Quilt. Whitney Auto. It's gorgeous and I love it!
If I book has been made into a film, I will NOT buy a book with a new "film cover" my copy of Ya Ya Sisterhood has that cover and I hate it. I actually have two copies of Wicked, because I have the musical cover which I like for the pictures, but then I really wanted the original as well.
I have the copy of 100 years with the Oprah sticker on it, but I actually peeled it off in the bookstore before I bought it. If it would have stuck, I wouldn't have bought it. I remember 5-6 years ago, bookstores were using the most AWFUL stickers that didn't come off cleanly. Chapters has, thankfully, stopped that.

 

[WoundedThorns]

well i've taken out books by judging the design cover. lets face it, thats what catches our eyes. in middle school the shiny, new, hardcovers stole my attentions since those were the new releases.. it was my teenager-realistic-fiction "phase". now i usually know what book i'm looking for, therefore nothing really catches my eye.

 

[MonkeyCatcher]

The covers on some books definately draw my eye, but I never buy a book unless I know that it's going to be good or it's not available at my library - I don't like to waste my money. I buy most of my books second-hand as well, so what the book looks like isn't really that important to me. I do like the smell of new-book pages, though

 

[WoundedThorns]

lol aye.. i love that smell too. i remember actually shoving the book in my face when i was younger to smell said smell =P

 

[sirmyk]

M.I.B. has new images posted on his site.

 

[MonkeyCatcher]

I don't buy a book because of the cover alone, although I do spend a bit of time admiring some of the covers in the bookstore. When I have decided that I want to buy a certain book, I usually do look around for the nicest cover, though. Oh, and I can't stand having a series of books where the covers don't match, so if I buy the first book in the series with a specific type of cover, then I'll do my best to try and get covers that match for the rest. A little pathetic, I know, but it really irks me when I have a series that don't match.

 

[Scottishduffy]

The cover will usually catch my eye.

First, I look for an interesting name. Then the cover will catch my eye. Then I'll go and read the inside flap to see if it sounds like something I might be interested in. The cover might not get me to buy the book, but it has been known to make me pick up the book and look at it.

Ever since joining this forum I have been walking into the bookstore with a list of things I want. Not much free wandering in the bookstore now.

 

[novella]

A book's cover will often be enough for me to pull it off the shelf and give it a look, but I wouldn't buy it on the basis of a cover alone. I always read the first few pages, a few pages in the middle, and, of course, taken into account any other work I've read by the same author.

There's a language in book covers that signals clearly to people what the book is like. Publishers and designers almost always conform to the same set of rules.

Cop-type mysteries: sans serif font, author's name large and visible. Dark, masculine colors, some shine but not too much, hard graphic lines.


'feminine' literature: scripty fonts, author's name less visible and small, muted colors and images.

chick-lit: some brightish neon colors, playful fonts, sometimes different colors in the lettering, weird trim sizes.

gift books: small 'special' trim sizes, expensive print job, elegant appearance.

trendy cross-gender-appeal lit: san serif fonts, straightforward colors, minimal graphics, usually punching up the author's last name a bit for recognition.

as Halo says, I could go on . . .

 

[Kenny Shovel]

I'd say that the design on the spine is just as important, that's all you see as you browse the shelves.

 

[sirmyk]

I usually pass on books that have the author's name in a larger font than that of the title. For a while I couldn't figure out why there were twenty-something books titled James Patterson.

 

[astralKnight]

Good book cover is the beginning of success.

A good book cover design is the beginning of success.

Try to adviod too many words on the front cover.

Any input?

 

[daryl?]

I've definitely bought books based on the covers. One instance that stands out in my mind is the cover of Martin Amis's The Information. The front cover was blue, with a lower case 'i' printed in the middle. The back had the title, again in lower case across the middle, and the spine had the author's name, with one of the 'i's in a different font, and that was it! At the time I didn't know anything about Martin Amis, but I just had to buy that book.

But do you mean keep the actual title short, or keep everything else off of the front?

 

[Stewart]

A good book cover design is the beginning of success.

Try to adviod too many words on the front cover.

Any input?

Surely you should be more concerned with what's inside. Leave the cover to the marketing department. And, if you are self-publishing and have drawn your own cover in MS Paint, forget it.

 

[Miss Shelf]

The old adage "never judge a book by its cover" is still true. I'm guilty of buying a few books because I liked the cover plusthe blurbs-I never buy books based only on the cover art. I've bought books that are terrible, and the cover is terrific. I don't think an author has any real input on a dust jacket, unless the author has some influence with the publisher.

 

[abecedarian]

The sole purpose of cover art is to make the reader pick up the book and investigate the words inside. If the words inside have no meaning or interest to the reader, the cover art is wasted. I don't buy or check out books for the cover. But, there have been books I've shunned because of overly smutty or violent covers..

 

[Miss Shelf]

Yes, some covers are a real turn-off. I've passed up books because I didn't like the cover art even if they weren't objectionable-I simply didn't like the art. Also, DJ turn-offs for me can be overly cute or amateurish, or even too much pink-to me, that screams "girly-girly book".

 

[astralKnight]

I've definitely bought books based on the covers. One instance that stands out in my mind is the cover of Martin Amis's The Information. The front cover was blue, with a lower case 'i' printed in the middle. The back had the title, again in lower case across the middle, and the spine had the author's name, with one of the 'i's in a different font, and that was it! At the time I didn't know anything about Martin Amis, but I just had to buy that book.

But do you mean keep the actual title short, or keep everything else off of the front?

I mean writers should try to avoid that too many words on the front cover. Sometime I see book cover has lots of words, and it is taking the entire cover.

It is a real "turn off".

It would increase my desire to get the book, if it has good cover design.

 

[steffee]

I would, and have, purchased a book based on the cover art. Also, there are some author's books, for example Margaret Atwood's, that have awful covers, and I won't purchase them, unless I really really like the author, but I would pay extra for a different cover. Also, I think author's who have a range of books, all with similar covers, that this makes their books look tacky... though I suppose that's the publisher at fault? Example, Ishiguro. Too twee.
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[Stewart]

I think author's who have a range of books, all with similar covers, that this makes their books look tacky​

Similar spines looks great on the shelves though.

Example, Ishiguro. Too twee.

The differing tones of the recent covers are especially nice.
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