Don't judge a book by the Cover

[Naoman]

It is popular advice that one should not judge a book by its cover. Yet many Goodreads members do exactly that. It is unusual for a book to become popular despite a simple cover (example The Fault in Our Stars)
Many people criticize a book in the review only because they don't like the cover. Do you think such behavior is appropriate for our well educated community? How often have you selected a book merely for the cover? Do you believe that a good cover contributes to the success of a book ?
Please Give your opinion below.

[Tracey]

Although I don't like reviews that inflate/deflate a rating based on the cover, I don't think the behavior is completely off base. I've chosen some of the books I have read based solely on their cover. I absolutely think a cover attributes to the success of a book. The cover is part of the marketing of the book. A well done book cover will be reflective of the personality of the book itself. We can't spend all of our time reading every title and book description, so the book cover is one of the faster ways we have of determining if a book is worth a second glance.

[Groovy]

The cover is what draws us to a particular book from among all the other millions vying for your attention on a shelf. But to rate a book solely on its cover, I think, is unfair. To me, the cover is an enticement to what really counts--the adventure inside.

But, no matter how well-done a cover is, if the synopsis doesn't peak my interest, I'll put it back.

I did get a one-star review because the reader (who didn't read my book at all) didn't like the fact that I used the word "cause" on my cover. Go figure.

[Anna]

There's a saying which goes something like 'a picture is worth a thousand words' and it is true that many of us, perhaps most, find a picture is what draws our attention first - just as Groovy says. And I agree with Chase too, a well done cover can, or should, reflect the personality of the book.

But...! There are authors who have employed talented designers and maybe some of those authors are not the best. Then there are brilliant writers whose work is undiscovered and cannot afford anything but the simplest of covers or even design it for themselves. So Naoman's post draws my attention to considering the phrase about not judging a book by its cover because so often it is true and it's wise to take a peek inside the book too.

Overall, I agree that a good cover can and often does contribute to the success of a book.

[Dorottya]

The only time I write bad things about the cover (however, I always mention that it does not contribute to my overall rating, just a note) is when the cover is misleading or really cheaply done (I mean, I am fine with simple covers, a just letters one is fine for me, and I did like the cover of The Fault In Our Stars, here I am talking about cringeworthily bad photoshop and SIMS characters). Like, the girl / boy on the cover looks nothing like how they are described in the book.

With that being said, I am really a visual person, I like nice things. So I can really get interested in a book by a nice cover... but, with that being said, if the blurb does not seem interesting to me at all, I am not going to buy it just because of the cover... and if I get a recommendation and I get interested in a book because of that, I am going to get it no matter how the book looks like.