Does Anyone Else hate it when It Shows a Persons Face On the Cover of a Book?

[karlipagemaster]

Maybe it's just me, but it always gets me upset to see a persons face on the cover of a book because it takes away my ability to be able to imagine what the character looks like. The person on the cover is always going to pop up in my head!

[The Unicorn Riding Faerie[Vee]]

I just ignore it....

[Jennifer]

Yeah I agree, faces on the book tend to somehow make me imagine that person on the cover, and sometimes the person on the cover doesn't always look like how the book describes... so I end up having two different images in my head...

[karlipagemaster]

Jenny wrote: "Yeah I agree, faces on the book tend to somehow make me imagine that person on the cover, and sometimes the person on the cover doesn't always look like how the book describes... so I end up having..."

Yeah, and it's so frustrating when the person on the cover doesn't add up to the description.

[Veronica]

What's worse is a book where the character is brunette and the model on the cover is blonde...

[Valerie]

Veronica wrote: "What's worse is a book where the character is brunette and the model on the cover is blonde..."

I know. Unearthly is like that! And same with the book Haunting Violet.

[Veronica]

I noticed it recently on "The Girl in the Steel Corset" and plenty of others throughout time :P

[Olivia]

Yes! And I kind of hate it when the movies come out and then every time that I reread the books, they come to mind. Thats how it is with Twilight. Edward is so much hotter in my mind. No offense Edward junkies.

[Veronica]

Libby wrote: "Yes! And I kind of hate it when the movies come out and then every time that I reread the books, they come to mind. Thats how it is with Twilight. Edward is so much hotter in my mind. No offense Ed..."

Yeah, I don't get the Robert Pattinson craze...

[Olivia]

Veronica wrote: "Libby wrote: "Yes! And I kind of hate it when the movies come out and then every time that I reread the books, they come to mind. Thats how it is with Twilight. Edward is so much hotter in my mind...."

Neither do I! He was so much better looking in my mind.

[Veronica]

He's always looks disgusting and his sense of humor is so strange, lol.

[Chelsey]

i find that it the cover not meant to represent the character more to draw attention to the book so more likely read

[Veronica]

Chelsey wrote: "i find that it the cover not meant to represent the character more to draw attention to the book so more likely read"

Sometime that works but I'm a fan of more artistic covers or those with certain symbols. I'm just a cover whore ;)

[Chelsey]

Veronica wrote: "Chelsey wrote: "i find that it the cover not meant to represent the character more to draw attention to the book so more likely read"

Sometime that works but I'm a fan of more artistic covers or t..."
I find I'm the same way. I'll admit I read this story because of the cover. but i don't picture things when i read as story so if the cover and story don't match it doesn't really bother me.

[Olivia]

Veronica wrote: "Chelsey wrote: "i find that it the cover not meant to represent the character more to draw attention to the book so more likely read"

Sometime that works but I'm a fan of more artistic covers or t..."


LOLZ! I think that they should make it more artistic, like you said. That draws me in more than faces. I am more drawn to colorful covers. Some covers have people that don't show their faces, I think that is O.K. like the Clockwork Angel cover.

[Veronica]

I think something like Shadowcry is an amazing cover. It just drew me in and the person isn't too much. It's mysterious...

The Daughter of Siena is also great because her head is cut off and the dress and colors are amazing! I fell in love with the cover :)

[Olivia]

Those are cool book covers. I also like to cover of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitspatrick. And As I wake by Elizabeth Scott. THAT IS AN AMAZING COVER! You should look it up.

[Veronica]

Libby wrote: "Those are cool book covers. I also like to cover of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitspatrick. And As I wake by Elizabeth Scott. THAT IS AN AMAZING COVER! You should look it up."

Love the Hush, Hush covers! "As I Wake" is very trippy...

[Olivia]

Veronica wrote: "Libby wrote: "Those are cool book covers. I also like to cover of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitspatrick. And As I wake by Elizabeth Scott. THAT IS AN AMAZING COVER! You should look it up."

Love the Hush..."

It is odd, but I like it. :)

[Abreanna]

I actually love seeing characters faces on the cover. I like knowing what someone looks like because its better to visualize!

[Veronica]

Abreanna wrote: "I actually love seeing characters faces on the cover. I like knowing what someone looks like because its better to visualize!"

But what do you do when the model doesn't match the characters description?

I know I personally have certain aspects that I apply to character. Nearly all of the females I read about are brunette in my mind (maybe because I am?) even if they have a completely different hair color. I also don't really see faces as I read... My mind just doesn't form them...

[Olivia]

Veronica wrote: "Abreanna wrote: "I actually love seeing characters faces on the cover. I like knowing what someone looks like because its better to visualize!"

But what do you do when the model doesn't match the ..."

Yes, sometimes I find it hard to visualize the characters face. And sometimes I like to come up with my own visualization of the character because the way the author describes them just sounds... ugly.

[Veronica]

Libby wrote: "Veronica wrote: "Abreanna wrote: "I actually love seeing characters faces on the cover. I like knowing what someone looks like because its better to visualize!"

But what do you do when the model..."

Have you ever read The Girl of Fire and Thorns? She's a character who is "larger" but the entire time I read I just imagined her being curvy, not fat.

[Olivia]

Veronica wrote: "Libby wrote: "Veronica wrote: "Abreanna wrote: "I actually love seeing characters faces on the cover. I like knowing what someone looks like because its better to visualize!"

But what do you do wh..."


No, I haven't read it. But yeah, whenever I read books I try to make them look, nicer. That sounds bad, but that is the only way I can think of to say it.

[BookCupid]

Covers sure are important. I postponed reading Divergent for the longest time because of its cover, tsk, tsk, tsk....

[Veronica]

Natali.D wrote: "Covers sure are important. I postponed reading Divergent for the longest time because of its cover, tsk, tsk, tsk...."

HATED Divergent. "Insurgents" cover is pretty cool, though.

[Olivia]

Veronica wrote: "Natali.D wrote: "Covers sure are important. I postponed reading Divergent for the longest time because of its cover, tsk, tsk, tsk...."

HATED Divergent. "Insurgents" cover is pretty cool, though."

Divergent just sounds like a recreation of The Hunger Games.

[Veronica]

I actually have never read "The Hunger Games" but I know the basis of it and all I could think while reading "Divergent" is "this seems just like 'The Hunger Games'"...

[Olivia]

Veronica wrote: "I actually have never read "The Hunger Games" but I know the basis of it and all I could think while reading "Divergent" is "this seems just like 'The Hunger Games'"..."

The Hunger Games is one of my personal favorites. My friend Audrey has been telling me to read it nonstop but I refrain from reading it because it sounds to much like it.

[Veronica]

To read what? Divergent? It's not worth it. Reading it will just cause you to confuse the two series which is no fun!

I think one of the main reasons I didn't like it is that I don't like Dystopian novels. I'm guessing you do, though.

[Olivia]

Veronica wrote: "To read what? Divergent? It's not worth it. Reading it will just cause you to confuse the two series which is no fun!

I think one of the main reasons I didn't like it is that I don't like Dystopia..."

... I'm going to sound stupid, but what are Dystopian novels?

[Veronica]

Novels that are set in the future where some sort of disaster or government control has happened. Hunger Games is dystopian because the government or whatever has control and Divergent is dystopian because it's set in the future with different factions that control their people and hate each other.

[Olivia]

Mmm. I did not know that. Learned something new today!

[karlipagemaster]

Libby wrote: "Veronica wrote: "Abreanna wrote: "I actually love seeing characters faces on the cover. I like knowing what someone looks like because its better to visualize!"

But what do you do when the model..."

I totally agree. I hate it when the authors description of a character is weird. Haha

[Olivia]

Eevee wrote: "Libby wrote: "Veronica wrote: "Abreanna wrote: "I actually love seeing characters faces on the cover. I like knowing what someone looks like because its better to visualize!"

But what do you do ..."

Yeah, it makes it less enjoyable.

[Mel]

No, I don't pay attention to it because I read on my kindle app. As far as the characters, I usually have an actor or model in my mind as soon as I read the description. What I hate is when the author gives no description at all, it's sooooooo annoying:)

[Olivia]

Mel wrote: "No, I don't pay attention to it because I read on my kindle app. As far as the characters, I usually have an actor or model in my mind as soon as I read the description. What I hate is when the aut..."

Agreed. :)

[Angela]

I don't like when they show faces either. It's like they are telling you how to picture the character. This is especially bad when it doesn't even look like the description. Although, the only exception for me would be if it's a movie tie-in edition. I think the cover of Everneath is beautiful, and a good example of not using faces. Not that it can’t be pretty w/ a cover, I’d just rather form my own opinion. (just look at my icon...)

[Lea (Peeta's #1 Fangirl!)]

I annoys me. I love to have my own image of the main character. I really don't imagine Clara like that.

[Lauryn]

Well I have a different cover where you see the back of Clara and her orange hair so Im fine with it but I do hate it when they show the persons face like with Harry potter I just automatically think of Daniel Radcliffe its so annoying!

[Erin]

Yeah I get that way sometime....I love when cover are decorated with scenery like Shiver and Linger...I kept looking at the cover when I couldnt remember her face so I guess that kind of took the imagination away...

[Is]

It doesn’t affect my reading or my perception on the characters. As I read their descriptions, I focus on how I see them and I have never thought of the character as i see them in a cover.

[Molly]

Yes! It drives me nuts. The only exceptions I can think of are books with illustrated covers like The Théâtre Illuminata books.



With these, the character matches the description, and the artwork is beautiful in its own right. It's not some stock photo of a model that publishing company on hand like so many of these books.

Plus, I've found a surprising number of books that have the same cover model wearing the same clothes for two different book covers. This happens a lot with romance novels, but it's cropping up more often in YA books as well.

[Molly]

Megha wrote: "ooo that looks really cute! Was it a good book?"

Wonderful. They were creative, fun, and the main character is pretty awesome. There are three. For some reason I couldn't get the second cover's picture to work so I just didn't include it.

Here's a link to the first's good reads page: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38...

[LE]

Molly wrote: "Yes! It drives me nuts. The only exceptions I can think of are books with illustrated covers like The Théâtre Illuminata books.



With these, the character matches the description, and the artwor..."

I agree. If there is going to be a face/person on the front of a book, it should actually relate to the character of the story in some way. Some covers are completely irrelevant to the narrative, completely inartistic, and it’s obvious they’ve been created hastily as a general stock image to draw readers in.

Cassandra Clare’s covers are great though (especially for Clockwork Prince); they show the atmosphere of the world and era she’s writing about. It’s always best when the illustrator/photographer has read the book, or at least been given a basic outline of key features; sadly, with a lot of the YA fiction these days, it doesn’t seem to be the case…

Oh, also, I hate it when they don’t bother to get the colour of the character’s hair right. Grrr. That’s a real bugbear for me *big sigh* :o)

[Molly]

Lauren wrote: "Molly wrote: "Yes! It drives me nuts. The only exceptions I can think of are books with illustrated covers like The Théâtre Illuminata books.



With these, the character matches the descripti..."

Agree so much with the color of the hair thing. I remember reading a book years ago for school that couldn't even bother getting the race right. I can't remember the name of it, but the boy in the story was a Native American, but on the cover the guy was clearly Chinese or Japanese.