Do you have a really abominably painfully ugly book cover to nominate? Something so bad that you feel a need to put a post-it note over it while reading what is inside to keep from cringeing? Please feel free to add to the list.

PLEASE NOTE: Nominations should be considered only on the Cover Art--the outside packaging. Not to what is inside. Remember, authors rarely get to influence their cover art choice and bad covers are usually not their fault. (There are different lists for criticizing the insides. This is not one of them.) Ugly cover art only, please!

Again, this Listopia list refers only to the outside packaging! Not to the book inside.

Let's try to be nice about self-published books. But publishers that can afford to hire professional artists are fair game.
201

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3.43 avg rating — 98 ratings
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202

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3.85 avg rating — 24,629 ratings
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203

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4.05 avg rating — 593,944 ratings
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203

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3.77 avg rating — 51,777 ratings
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205

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2.88 avg rating — 8 ratings
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206

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liked it 3.00 avg rating — 2 ratings
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207

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4.07 avg rating — 2,143,097 ratings
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208

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4.38 avg rating — 189 ratings
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209

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3.58 avg rating — 574 ratings
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209

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209

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209

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213

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214

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214

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4.01 avg rating — 7,378 ratings
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216

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3.62 avg rating — 811,739 ratings
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216

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2.73 avg rating — 11 ratings
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218

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4.47 avg rating — 51 ratings
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219

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0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
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220

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3.71 avg rating — 3,385 ratings
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221

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3.44 avg rating — 18 ratings
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222

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3.62 avg rating — 52 ratings
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223

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3.59 avg rating — 96 ratings
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224

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3.63 avg rating — 5,584 ratings
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225

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3.75 avg rating — 16 ratings
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226

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4.24 avg rating — 30,337 ratings
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226

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3.97 avg rating — 320 ratings
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226

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3.89 avg rating — 9,392 ratings
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226

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3.96 avg rating — 75,729 ratings
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226

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3.75 avg rating — 8,408 ratings
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226

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3.83 avg rating — 344,340 ratings
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226

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3.86 avg rating — 96,404 ratings
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226

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3.87 avg rating — 6,481 ratings
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226

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4.09 avg rating — 141 ratings
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226

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4.11 avg rating — 172,498 ratings
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236

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3.89 avg rating — 797 ratings
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236

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3.85 avg rating — 1,909 ratings
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236

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4.22 avg rating — 603 ratings
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236

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3.66 avg rating — 37,188 ratings
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236

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3.73 avg rating — 11 ratings
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236

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3.86 avg rating — 16,929 ratings
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236

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1.42 avg rating — 50 ratings
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236

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3.72 avg rating — 31,176 ratings
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236

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4.40 avg rating — 55 ratings
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236

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3.94 avg rating — 338,475 ratings
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236

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4.17 avg rating — 29,896 ratings
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247

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4.08 avg rating — 12 ratings
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247

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4.07 avg rating — 2,879 ratings
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247

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3.47 avg rating — 219 ratings
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247

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4.12 avg rating — 389 ratings
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247

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3.61 avg rating — 2,194 ratings
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247

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 82 ratings
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247

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3.69 avg rating — 41,936 ratings
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247

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4.22 avg rating — 1,986,816 ratings
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247

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4.59 avg rating — 75 ratings
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247

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3.86 avg rating — 182,475 ratings
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247

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3.56 avg rating — 1,333 ratings
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258

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3.91 avg rating — 74,185 ratings
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258

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3.20 avg rating — 10 ratings
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258

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4.36 avg rating — 22,027 ratings
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258

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4.11 avg rating — 83,177 ratings
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258

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4.38 avg rating — 391,612 ratings
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258

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4.30 avg rating — 16,136 ratings
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258

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it was ok 2.00 avg rating — 1 rating
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258

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3.75 avg rating — 1,227,843 ratings
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258

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4.04 avg rating — 115,352 ratings
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258

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liked it 3.00 avg rating — 11 ratings
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268

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0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
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268

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4.42 avg rating — 1,008,079 ratings
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268

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4.10 avg rating — 31,866 ratings
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268

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3.94 avg rating — 42,024 ratings
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268

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3.81 avg rating — 373,975 ratings
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268

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3.55 avg rating — 10,654 ratings
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268

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3.56 avg rating — 2,810 ratings
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268

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4.08 avg rating — 120,261 ratings
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268

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4.03 avg rating — 123,188 ratings
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277

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3.98 avg rating — 86,451 ratings
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277

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4.55 avg rating — 836,439 ratings
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277

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4.17 avg rating — 44,925 ratings
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277

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3.69 avg rating — 32 ratings
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277

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3.75 avg rating — 4 ratings
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277

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3.94 avg rating — 67,730 ratings
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277

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3.97 avg rating — 152,122 ratings
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284

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 29,950 ratings
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284

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4.05 avg rating — 1,456 ratings
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284

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3.98 avg rating — 63,444 ratings
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284

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4.01 avg rating — 172,018 ratings
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288

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3.96 avg rating — 7,689 ratings
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288

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4.51 avg rating — 55 ratings
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288

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3.89 avg rating — 8,690 ratings
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288

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 24,379 ratings
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288

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3.95 avg rating — 325,436 ratings
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288

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3.85 avg rating — 242 ratings
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288

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4.09 avg rating — 902,846 ratings
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288

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1.61 avg rating — 95 ratings
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288

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3.45 avg rating — 38 ratings
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297

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3.28 avg rating — 2,164 ratings
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297

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3.71 avg rating — 219,549 ratings
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297

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4.04 avg rating — 22,524 ratings
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297

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3.72 avg rating — 13,246 ratings
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506 books · 230 voters · list created January 26th, 2011 by MB (What she read) (votes) .
16 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


MB (What she read) 8758 books
122 friends
Nina 995 books
54 friends
Brad 2673 books
705 friends
A 3805 books
1095 friends
Kimberly 2004 books
281 friends
Rachel 415 books
56 friends
Zuzana 728 books
110 friends
Cindi 2325 books
62 friends

More voters…


Comments Showing 1-13 of 13 (13 new)

dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by A (new)

A Dude! I love The Dark Divine's cover! :) I just won't vote for it, hehe.


MB (What she read) No problem, our tastes are subjective. It'll be interesting to see what gets the most votes.

I'm going to add a lot more when I have a chance to think about it.

Frankly, I look at this as constructive criticism for publishers. Ha!


message 3: by A (new)

A Don't get me started on indie publisher covers. It's like they're not even trying.

Notable exception: Flux Books, of which there is already one on this list (imho just meh but not the WORST I've seen!) I loooove the cover for Mahoney's Iron Witch.

I'll be back to vote (and abstain from voting) some more!


message 4: by Cindi (new)

Cindi I especially hate when they just put a bulging body with no head showing...it's too embarrassing to read them in public. It says, "Who cares about brains or personality...I only care about animal physicality!" What an insult to the author and the readers!!!!


MB (What she read) Oh, me too, Cindi! That is a style I dislike. For some reason the older style of romance covers that was popular a few years ago with a woman's legs and shoes didn't bother me as much. But chopping off the head/s is just annoying.

Subliminally, I feel like I'm being told to 'check my brain at the door' while reading.


Therealbadkitty All of the newer Nightshade covers are awful. The orginals are so beautiful why did they change it?!


message 7: by [deleted user] (new)

Cindi wrote: "I especially hate when they just put a bulging body with no head showing...it's too embarrassing to read them in public. It says, "Who cares about brains or personality...I only care about animal p..."

I agree!


message 8: by Lu (new)

Lu I vote for any cover with a shirtless dude and little else on the cover...then again I don't think I've ever read a book like that. Not my genre :D


MB (What she read) Lu wrote: "I vote for any cover with a shirtless dude and little else on the cover...then again I don't think I've ever read a book like that. Not my genre :D"

I hate those covers too. Unfortunately, they must sell well.


message 10: by Jan (last edited May 07, 2021 10:40PM) (new)

Jan All these covers are beautiful. I will not comment that somebody thinks ugly book cover art is possible. To each their own, but these are evocative covers that take me places. Anyone who thinks they're ugly is missing out on magical dreams.


message 11: by Ketutar (new)

Ketutar Jensen Jan wrote: "All these covers are beautiful. I will not comment that somebody thinks ugly book cover art is possible. To each their own, but these are evocative covers that take me places. Anyone who thinks the..."
It's very nice of you to think everything is beautiful, but you are pretty unique with that opinion.
I'd rather let the book take me places.


message 12: by Ketutar (new)

Ketutar Jensen Laura The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Donald Zochert
WHY THE HECK DID THEY USE THE TV SERIES THAT HAS PRACTICALLY NOTHING TO DO WITH LAURA INGALLS WILDER!!!??!?!?


message 13: by Ketutar (new)

Ketutar Jensen Yes, one could fill up this list with self published and the "Chinese" classic covers where they have just whacked on some image that may or may not be some way associated with the story itself...


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