Can you judge a book by it's cover?

[[deleted user]]

Now I know that you can judge certain genre books by their covers (for instance if you pick up a book sporting the picture of a scantily clad female toting a laser gun on the cover you can be pretty sure whether it's your cup of tea or not). But does the same rule apply to all books?
I am definitely influenced by a books cover - for a few years I kept picking up "Everything is illuminated" in the local charity shop , and then putting it straight down again simply because the cover put me off. Then the book came up as one of my group reads so I took the plunge ........... And landed smack in the middle of Gabriel Garcia Marquez territory - which for me is akin to finding myself in a world where everything is made of jelly (or jello if you're American) and absolutely nothing makes sense. I should have listened to what the cover was trying to tell me - " this book is simply not for you".

[Anthony, Administrator, Keeper of the Really Good Coffee]

i too have an affinity for certain covers, or more precisely a certain style of cover. i am drawn to the trade paperbacks, especially penguin and some publisher who makes covers that look like "Consider this, Senora" a book i love and i think i am secretly hoping to find as wonderful of a book as that in the next one with a pastel bucolic cover:) hate the covers of barbara kingsolver's bean tree trilogy, but managed to get walked backwards into them from prodigal summer:) love the books, pretty much all of hers, but not much her cover art...

[Angela]

Simply put, I can't. Some horrible covers have provided excellent reading material while great covers were horrible reads. Maybe it's my judgement that's off though.

[Seamus]

I can always judge, but whether I'm right or wrong, I don't know. As an inveterate haunter of charity shops and second hand bookshops I buy many books because I'm drawn to the cover.

[Josie]

We can't deny we are visual beings and being an artist myself, I have to say I am drawn more to nicer looking books. Saying this does not mean the book with the pretty cover was to my liking, but some covers are what got me to read it in the first place. A nice cover doesn't guarantee a good book and an ugly cover doesn't equate to a bad book. I truly hate the cover of To Kill a Mockingbird but it is my favorite book. Something about that tree reminds me of an old horror story I read in elementary school and it creeps me out.

In the end, a good book is just an opinion. So a good book to me could be dreadful for you. The cover doesn't affect the opinion or merit of a book, but it might affect if you will even look at the back for the synopsis when it's on a shelf at the book store.

[Anthony, Administrator, Keeper of the Really Good Coffee]

Josie wrote: "We can't deny we are visual beings and being an artist myself, ..."

well said on all points

[Ruth]

If I'm in the bookstore, a striking cover will often make me pick a book up, but online, not so much. I'm an artist, too, and I admit I'm attracted to covers featuring fine art.

[Marc]

A good book cover will definitely grab my attention, but it doesn't always result in me reading the book or buying it. There's usually a somewhat safe assumption that if a fair amount of time/talent/money went into the cover design, the same can be said for the editorial/selection process (most publishers that can afford good design are already spending money on the editorial/selection process, but it usually doesn't work the other way around). I often pay a lot of attention to who the publisher is (and there's often some similarity of design from the same publisher). I think Goodreads will let us share covers, so I'll give it a try right now using Lee's and Anthony's titles mentioned above...



I am disappointed when a new book by a favorite author has a cover I don't like, but it doesn't stop me from reading the book. I'm really drawn to covers that have texture (embossed lettering, foil stamping, layers, etc.).

[Ruth]

Marc wrote: "nI am disappointed when a new book by a favorite author has a cover I don't like, but it doesn't stop me from reading the book. I'm really drawn to covers that have texture (embossed lettering, foil stamping, layers, etc.). ..."

And that's the kind of glitz that turns me off.

[Marc]

Ruth wrote: "And that's the kind of glitz that turns me off."

Would something like this count as "glitz", Ruth?


Simply curious. I'm willing to admit different tastes ; )

[Ruth]

Absolutely. Although I'd hardly call it glitz. Just dull.

[Marc]

It would be interesting to see favorite book covers from BTS members. I imagine there'd be quite a variety ; )

[Anthony, Administrator, Keeper of the Really Good Coffee]

We could do that at the bts Facebook site...

[Marc]

Speaking of Facebook and book covers, this just popped up on my Facebook feed:
10 More Hysterical, Offensive, Ridiculous, Controversial, Frightening, Sexy Book Covers

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse]

No, I do not feel a book can be judged accurately by the cover. Too often I have started in on a book, then taken a double look at the cover because some detail is horribly wrong! Also, everyone's interpretation of a book is different, which would make the cover design susceptible to differing messages.

[Anthony, Administrator, Keeper of the Really Good Coffee]

Hello Margaret! We seem to have become the sleepiest of sleepy book sites. You are so right about covers. Typically the cover, and even the title are chosen by the publisher and not the writer. and sometimes they really miss it. This happens even to famous and successful writers...