Do you judge a book by it's cover?

[Barbara, Founder and Moderator]

When picking a book do you tend to lean toward what the cover of the book looks like? If it was a bad cover would you put it down without even reading the inside?

[Sheri]

Yes. Covers do invite my curiosity, along with title, and then I read the synopsis.

[Skye]

Yes, I do judge a book by its cover. However, only to whet my interest. Then I look at the title and read the inside cover and quotes on the back. Some of the DogWise books are simply fantastic but the covers just aren't. And some books just don't live up to the cover!

[Barbara, Founder and Moderator]

I agree Skye, you never know.

[Tui]

The cover is the first thing you see. First impressions are powerful, however much we might deny it.

[Jazzy]

Actually, yes. I'm inclined to ignore a book that has a cheap and tacky cover or photos that have been converted to 'comic' by photoshop. I expect quality. When browsing for books I'll occasionally pick one with a cover I don't like, but more often than not i'll just pass it by.

[Debbie]

I try not to, but as Tui says, it is the first thing we notice about a book so it is impossible to ignore.

[Kim]

I really don't judge by the illustration, but I always read the synopsis on the back or the inside flap to see if it's something I would be interested in. Some of the best books I've ever read just had a plain cover, no illustration, no synopsis, just the title. In those cases, I usually flip through the book and read a few pages to see if it sounds interesting.

[Leah]

I think the cover matters a lot! I've actually read a few romance novels and things that I never would have read if they did not have a beautiful horse scene on the cover.

I did two mock covers for my book and I polled a couple dozen of my friends and family as to which they likes. I was actually quite surprised by how opinionated they were as to which they would pick up and which they would pass over.

[Skye]

And has anyone bought a book twice because the covers were different? Sometimes they change the cover, update it after a couple of years to garner more sales.

[Barbara, Founder and Moderator]

Skye wrote: "And has anyone bought a book twice because the covers were different? Sometimes they change the cover, update it after a couple of years to garner more sales."
Oh yes! I have done that and it makes me mad. I feel like I'm being duped.

[Jazzy]

yes unfortunately I bought The Best Of Jackie Annual with more than one cover to find out it was the same book.

[Kathryn]

I judge a book by its cover too, I am sorry to admit. I hope my cover did not turn anyone off!

[Hákon]

Kathryn wrote: "I judge a book by its cover too, I am sorry to admit. I hope my cover did not turn anyone off!"

I think your cover is pretty good actually.

I do often judge books by the cover, but not always. Sometimes there is something else that pulls me towards books, the blurb, or something else, and then I'll ignore the cover if is bad.