Judge a book by it's cover??

[Nadine]

Covers add to the feeling of a book if they are well picked, I will more likely reach for a book and read what it is about when the cover is appealing, but if the story doesn't seem convincing I won't buy it.
What I dislike is how similar many covers look these days... all the teenage vampire books look very much alike I think.

[Cheryl]

- good book, bad cover.

In fact, I'm going to try to find one of the other editions and re-read it. The cover was so misleading as to tone & theme that I know I under-appreciated the text. Maybe I'll try or .

[Grace]

Sam wrote: "If I'm just browsing the shelves I do look at the covers but will read the blurb on the back most of the time too. I think the covers are useful as they can indicate what the book is like to a cer..."

I also bought that book because the page edges were black LOL - mind you the blurb looked good to!

[Sam]

That caught my attention too Grace, not something you see very often, especially on new books.

[Tara]

I'm struck by how different the covers are that have drawn people in and I love Ivan's example of Lord of the Flies. I think I read recently that one of the reasons romances are doing so well as ebooks is that no one wants to be seen reading a book with a lurid cover.

[Dorottya]

I do it, if I wanna be honest. I'm more likely to read something with an exquisite cover - but only if he blurb catches my attention, too. And I may pass on something that has a downright ugly / cheap cover... it's like, if someone wants to publish a book, they should pay the money for a decent cover (if not anything else, a nice plain background with a cool font is fine)... not making a SIMS-like fake-looking 3D character with the worst font ever.

[Emma]

The front cover is the first insight a reader gets into the novel - so of course it's important! But it shouldn't be the deciding factor - an interesting blurb, or my favourite genre or writer can sell a book for me regardless of whether the cover is appealing.

[Cathy]

I might look at a book whose cover is interesting ... but to make it as one of the 2000 books I have left to read in my lifetime, I read the first page or two and the blurb...

Mostly though I choose my books on recommendations and reviews

[Cherie]

Cathy wrote: "I might look at a book whose cover is interesting ... but to make it as one of the 2000 books I have left to read in my lifetime, I read the first page or two and the blurb...

Mostly though I cho..."

Yep - covers and titles suck me right in! I DO pick my books on recommendations and reviews a lot of the time or on known authors, but there is nothing that makes me pick up a book more than the picture on the front or a catchy title. I read the summary or the first page too, but many times - and I HAVE been burned, I just want to read THAT book without knowing anything else.

[Janice, Moderator]

Cathy wrote: "I might look at a book whose cover is interesting ... but to make it as one of the 2000 books I have left to read in my lifetime, I read the first page or two and the blurb...

Mostly though I cho..."

Hi Cathy! Welcome to our group. :)

[Gavin]

No, never.

[Debs]

While browsing a book store most definitely it is all about the cover to attract, but like Cathy I read a few pages prior to purchasing. If Kindle it is all about stars and reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, I also read the sample available. If audio book it is reviews and I always listen to the narration sample before purchasing.

[Debs]

Gavin wrote: "No, never."

Wow, that is impressive, men in general are stimulated visually. I am intrigued what draws you to pick up a book at a book store?

[Gavin]

Well, I don't really walk into a bookstore to buy whatever. I usually have some book(s) in mind.

[Dawn]

I am really bad for this. I pick books based on their covers all the time. Though, like Cherie, it doesn't always work out that well!

Thank goodness for GR's or I would have missed so many good books with crappy covers!

[June]

Sometimes when I head to the bookstore I don't know what mood I'm in so I do take notice of the covers. Since the bookstore is where my husband and I have a date night once a week, I have enough time to read in about 50 pages before they close. If it's something that's hard to put down it normally comes home. So mostly I look at covers to figure out what genre I want. of course if it has a plant on it I'll take a second look because that will always be my passion.

[Camilla]

I don't pay any attention to the cover. When browsing in bookstores, I am attracted by the name of the book and the author. I always read the blurb and maybe look at a few pages inside the book as well. But generally I am more like Gavin: I go to buy a specific book. I also order a lot online, so there the cover has no meaning whatsoever. I'm interested in what's between the front and back covers of the book, not in what's on them. That said, if the cover is beautiful, that is nice.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Welcome Cathy, Emma and Dorottya! Missed you guys joining the group elsewhere.

[[deleted user]]

One of the first things that grabs my attention when I am browsing for a new book to read is the spine, then the cover, then the first page. All those together help me decide what to read next!

[Ronyell]

Sometimes I judge a book by it's cover, especially if the designs look creative and I assume that the book is going to be creative. However, I tend to read the blurb to find out if the story they are summarizing is worth reading.

[Janice, Moderator]

I denied it for a long time, but I am definitely influenced by the cover.

[Stephanie]

Me too! Especially if there is a dog on the cover :-)

[Mariab]

Me too but in a inverse meaning (I tend to not read books with covers that repel me)

[Cherie]

Gotcha there, Mariab. I have the same aversion. Big HOWEVER tho. If it were not for some folks in the group encouraging me to read Like Water for Elephants I would have missed such a great story. I put a brown paper cover over it while I read it. (The original picture on the book "felt dark and threatening" to me. I don't know why. I bought it at a sale but could not bring myself to want to read until I covered it up.)

[Lisa]

I do sometimes get influenced by the cover. After all, who can resist a pretty book? However, most of the time I am drawn to the title or the author (sometimes both). I always try to read the blurb prior to purchasing as well to see whether I think I will like it.

[Sandra, Moderator]

I would never waste my time picking a book with an ugly cover like this: , even before reading the title...

But a beautiful cover will probably making me to pick it, look at the title, author and the blurb, and then decide.

[KimeyDiann]

Covers are what first draws me to a book in the store. Then the title. If both of those grab my attention, I read the blurb and usually a few reviews as well.

I am really not liking the current trend of putting half naked torsos on practically every book that comes out. My favorite series (as I know I've mentioned before, sorry) is The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning. When I first read Darkfever, it had this cover , then ordered a used paperback copy and got this cover , which isn't horrible, but not a book I would have picked up. Now, they are putting half naked men on all of the covers...
The newest book in the series that comes out this month has this horrid cover . If I were looking in a bookstore and saw this book, I would immediately think smutty romance book, not book 7 in a great urban fiction series! This was what the original cover was going to be so much better!

Thank goodness for ebooks, I would be so embarrassed carrying that cover around with me in public. lol.