Do you judge a book by its cover?

[Flower]

I’m guilty, I sometimes judge😭. Gonna admit I don’t like when covers have real people.

[[deleted user]]

absolutely I do. I hate also when the covers have real people on it

[Artemis~Ebonie (Inactive)]

If the cover looks interesting I'm likely to pick it up but really I judge off the title more.

[meg *ੈ✩‧₊˚]

i tend to be persuaded more if a cover catches my attention to pick it up or look at it, i hate books with ugly covers honestly and real people on them 🥲

[Alanna]

I feel like everybody does to a point......

[cams]

yees

[Clara]

The answer of that it’s definitely Yes! I mean I think the cover is one of the most important things about the books because with that the author transmit the essence of the book so it’s true that sometimes you can be wrong about some book because later can be the best book that you’ve ever read but that happen a few times

[Aleksandra]

I do most of the time

[✩♡Carolinaa✩♡]

I usually don't judge a book by its cover, but if the cover is amazing I buy it :)

[✩♡Carolinaa✩♡]

and I also don't like when the book cover have real ppl on It, only if they are like a cartoon

[athena ᢉ𐭩]

yes. But if I KNOW the book is gonna be great, then imma read it either way

[Celeste]

if it looks like the first slide of a a power point presentation i'm not even picking it up 🚶

[Rachael]

Yes but that being said I also like real people on the cover. There are 100% some really stunning and beautiful covers that feature real people! Especially when they're artistically designed.

For example these are covers I love with real people on the cover:


I think most people are just thinking of those smutty (kinda trashy) naked men ones, notably:

These are incredibly cringey to me.

I also dislike cartoonish covers for smut /romance books as it is kind of like false advertising? (I've seen young teens pick up books like icebreaker and their parents buying it for them not knowing it's not suitable for them).

[Courtney✨]

Guilty Guilty and Guilty.. The covers are just so pretty though

[Courtney✨]

✩♡Carolinaaa✩♡ wrote: "and I also don't like when the book cover have real ppl on It, only if they are like a cartoon"

omg I agree cartoon style covers are so much better

[leanna]

Absolutely.

[hearts4ken]

I absolutely DESPISE when there are real people on the covers. I prefer the cartoon or the like pop of color, yk ?

[Lizzy⋆·˚ ༘ *]

I hate real people on the cover, but the infernal devices is an exception. I guess it depends on

[Tayjah]

I do heavily

[Lia]

I do but it always backfires lmao

[Alexa]

I usually pick up a book because of its cover, if it’s popular on booktok, or if one of my friends recommend a book

[rae]

Rachael wrote: "Yes but that being said I also like real people on the cover. There are 100% some really stunning and beautiful covers that feature real people! Especially when they're artistically designed.

For ..."
absolutely! i actually love the selection covers, and everyone is hating on them... LIKE it works for this book! i wanted to read icebreaker and wildfire because the covers are freaking adorable, but then i heard how smutty they are, and i was like... EXCUSE ME?

[rae]

i do. i wish i didn't but i do. one case i didn't was tfios, loved it, so maybe i should do less judging.

[Kayla]

I do judge the cover but that’s one of many things I judge. I also hate real people on covers of books.

[Marie]

It’s inevitable 😅 I don’t like when the have people on the cover. I mean if it has good reviews I will still read it, but I will judge it

[anastasia]

Yes, always, except when the reputation or the hype for a book is so big that it makes up for the cover (Throne of Glass for example).

Oh and covers like those "dark" romance books on Kindle Unlimited where you can see a guy flexing his abs or his jawline? Yeah, I judge them.

[Kelsey 🦋]

Some of the best books I’ve read I’ve -1⭐️ because the cover is ugly lol

[romi]

when it has real people on it - yes

[macee :D]

yes😭im not proud of it but there are books that look boring based on their cover…

[Tasha]

nope, i just judge it by the summary

[shaiviii]

yes😭but if someone's recommended it to me or I've seen a lot of good reviews abt the book, i'll read it

[Kayla]

I wish I could say no, but I definitely do

[Read with Alex]

I do, sorry not sorry
But I still read books with covers I don't like. I HATE people on the covers
I HATE when it's just a naked torso or they're touching
it gives me the ick ‍☹️

I have a list of books I personally love the cover as my Pretty TBR list xD

[Daisy🍓]

unfortunately yes. i only pick up a book to read the back if the cover interests me

[Victoria]

I agree 100% with Rachel!

Yes, the real people one is true - but only if it's just like a photo of the person(s) and nothing else. Basically if it looks like a fashion magazine cover I'm out.

It's a whole other story when it's experimental photography style. Crop it, hands, or an interesting aesthetic profile etc. and it's amazing. Alternatively add interesting edits on it and I'm sold!

Also I second the cringe I feel upon seeing any cartoonish covers for romance or fantasy books. Please writers and publishers take a note - if it's not aimed at kids, avoid cartoonish covers. Especially if they're the stupid vector style that's only semi good for web illustrations. These are the worst!

I read a bunch of these because I was reading through everything from an author in an ebook format and honestly I'd never have touched them if I had to physically buy them or check them out from a library.

I'll never lower the rating based on the cover of course. I'm a graphic designer and I know damn well that lots of times authors don't have the budget and/or the skill to choose a good cover. Or their publishing houses might work with atrocious designers because their agents are stuck in the 90s.

But I recommend to all of the self publishing authors to go simple rather than hot for romance (and basically anything else).

Just think how much better the Twilight covers look compared to all these real people covers we've been discussing here?

[Mackenzie]

I don't love when books have real people on them, usually my only issue. Also when the title is Lowkey embarrassing.

[Mya]

sometimes ngl

[Maxine]

I agree with flower

[Dominika]

Yes !

[🥀ebony]

guilty😅

[Molly]

Yes! Mainly bc if it has a scandalous cover I can assume it’s scandalous. And If I see a cover I like I’m more likely to look at at! Lol!

[Julia]

yes i do, of course! first look is always the cover and if the titel sounds interesting, but i will read the back before buying :)

[Nat]

Definitely. I hate corny animated characters on the fronts of books. Like icebreaker for example. Idk why I just don’t like it

[roma]

i’m guilty, sometimes i do😭

[Rhonda 🌒🌕🌘 🐈‍⬛]

Yes, it’s how I decide if it looks interesting enough to read

[Charnora]

**sigh** I’m a sucker for a good cover

[Polly]

yesss!! if its adorable i will buy it and frame it and be obsessed with it for months 😍 but if theres a real person i cannot read it

[Kar]

sometimes but not always

[Nimat]

sometimes..

[tiffany dai jel 🐝✨]

sometimes..