Judging a Book by Its Cover

[scrapsandsass]

So do you do this?

I hate to admit that I do it, but I totally do. I just got back from the library and ended up with an extra book in my stack because of the cover and typography.

If there is a novel that has a cool graphic design with an eye-pleasing font or typography, I'll totally grab it to scan and see if it is interesting. And if there is a book with an ugly cover and/or awful font choices, I'll ignore it. The real exception to that for me is Stephen King (or other of my must-read authors).

Do you ever select books this way? Or at least pick them up and check the jacket description? Can you imagine writing a book and then having a publisher design a cover that you hated? Were you ever surprised by a great book with a bad cover or vice versa?

 

[klee73010]

I do this too....
I haven't really been reading much lately, but when we go to the library, it is one way I decide on which books to suggest to the kids.... *shame*

 

[Kate W]

I don't necesarily decide whether a book is good or bad by the cover, but I certainly judge it's genre by the cover.

I spent a long time avoiding Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper because I thought it was one of those dreadful 'true life' child abuse biographies that seem to have their own section in my local bookstore. Someone must have set me straight because I ended up reading and loving it, and have since read all of her books.

When I am browsing Amazon I tend to avoid all the fifty shades of grey-a-likes, not because of the subject matter, but because they all look like self-published fan fiction drivel! You can spot them a mile off because of the covers - men (with tattoos) either alone brooding or in Mills and Boon style poses with pouty women. There are hundreds of them.

 

[Karen]

I am definitely drawn to books based on their covers, but mostly I base the choice on whether to read that book or not based on the ratings at Goodreads. I don't have time to read anything less than a 4 stars book.