Don't judge a book by its cover .... or do you? - Page 2

danskmacabre · 07-28-2012, 06:23 PM

I don;t like covers that are badly photoshopped.
Still if I know of an author's work I don't really care, but sure when browsing through 100s of books online, I'm sure the cover has an impact on whether I take a closer look or not.

Anabana · 07-28-2012, 10:15 PM

I'm probably more visually attracted to books than I realized. When scrolling through bookseller sites, a cover image may catch my attention, but I definitely pass right on over the ones with no image at all.
I also have a hard time with really poor artwork, or as previously mentioned, badly edited images even with authors I like. And yes, I'm a lefty.

StoryEnthusiast · 07-28-2012, 10:48 PM

I do. With so many new books to choose, I use the front and then the back covers to decide whether I want to read the book. So the design and the words on the covers are critical.

SteveEisenberg · 07-28-2012, 11:55 PM

The one's pictured on the OP, especially the leather ones one the left, clearly have superior sewn bindings. I'd like to see the titles on them, but they may appeal to me more than The Vaults

With apologies to any commercial artists on the board, if the public library tossed the dust covers the way university libraries often do, it would be fine with me.

Elfwreck · 07-29-2012, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caleb72

Personally I like both covers. Although, I'm getting a bit put-off by authors constantly using "A Novel" appended to titles.

I like that. With most sites not telling you word count for ebooks, and many not giving anything like page counts, a cover that says "A Novel" or "A Short Story" can really help potential customers know what they're getting.

I know I'd be upset if I forked over $5 for what sounded like a fascinating novel-length story and it turned out to be 4000 words long.

Putting "A Novel" on the cover means you know it's fiction, and have some idea of a minimum length. While you would know these things if you were specifically looking for the book, if you clicked on an interesting cover, or saw it in the "people also bought..." list, you might not realize either of those details.

Although usually those will be either all-fiction or all-nonfic, there are some authors who do both, and might show up on those lists. Someone looking at Doctorow's "Content" might see a link to "Makers" and not realize it's fiction.

JSWolf · 07-29-2012, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catlady

I would be much more inclined to take a look at the first cover. The second has too much symmetry, I don't like the way the title is set, and it looks like it might be science fiction, which I don't care for.

Given the title, I would not expect to be seeing a bookcase full of books. I would think the author doesn't have a clue and pass by the book. Neither cover will do.

JSWolf · 07-29-2012, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caleb72

Personally I like both covers. Although, I'm getting a bit put-off by authors constantly using "A Novel" appended to titles.

But if they didn't put "A Novel", we'd be thinking it was a comic book.

JSWolf · 07-29-2012, 09:13 PM

For a look at really lousy book covers....

http://lousybookcovers.tumblr.com/

charlesatan · 07-30-2012, 04:28 AM

I do pick up books with great covers and I do buy books with horrible covers if I know the publisher/author/content.

The first cover in the OP actually isn't so bad, but upon closer looks, tends to be mediocre. I do like the second one better. Will either cause me to impulse buy the book? No...

Ciaran West · 07-30-2012, 04:35 AM

My girlfriend works in publishing and she enjoys reading, but there is not one book on her shelf whose cover she doesn't like. She's all about the cover.

I think it goes double in self-published works, because if (like me) you're a one-man-band, you'll have chosen your cover and (sometimes) designed it and created it yourself. Because of this, I often have no problem rejecting a book or choosing it on the strength of the cover- The way I see it, if their cover is garish and cheesy and embarrassing, their writing is not likely to be much different :-)

You can always be wrong, though.

I like spare writing, timeless and subtle. So I go for (and design) those sort of covers ;-)

Interesting topic!

Crusader · 07-30-2012, 05:17 AM

Gollancz tweeted something about covers that's very true: "A cover *IS* marketing. That's ALL it is. "

I'm definitely attracted to well-designed and beautiful covers, at least when it comes to drawing my initial interest.

carpetmojo · 07-30-2012, 07:01 AM

No....

tompe · 07-31-2012, 09:02 PM

I thought "A Novel" meant that it was literary fiction or more literary than is expected.

tompe · 07-31-2012, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crusader

Gollancz tweeted something about covers that's very true: "A cover *IS* marketing. That's ALL it is. "

I'm definitely attracted to well-designed and beautiful covers, at least when it comes to drawing my initial interest.

Yes, the main purpose is to get you to pick up the book in a bookshop and look more carefully at it.

Andrew H. · 07-31-2012, 10:14 PM

When I spent more time in bookstores, I always paid attention to the cover. Particularly in SF, the cover was almost like a trailer for a movie: at a glance it told you a lot about the contents of the book - whether there were aliens, other planets, spaceships, robots computers, giant cities; whether it was about exploration or fighting or travel; and often something about the tone of the book - whether it was more of an adventure novel or a more intellectual novel. In addition, some artists were A class and some were B class, so if the novel had a cover by a one of the better artists, it was a clue that the publishers thought the book was a better book.

I don't think that covers in other genres communicate as much as sf covers do (since sf can take place *anywhere* at any point in time, past, present, or future. But the covers of crime novels communicate quite a bit as well - is it a police procedural, a private detective story, a lawyer focused story, or a crime focused story. Is it big city, small town, rural area...or maybe a specific location, like the everglades or Boulder, Colo. Is there a lot of action in it, or is it mostly about solving the crime? Is it a "cozy?" Does it involve children? Does it take place in the present day or sometime in the past (i.e., when was it written?).

And most of this hits you before you read anything on the book's cover.

I put off reading Colleen McCollough's "Masters of Rome" series for almost a year (in the early 90's) because although the descriptions of the book made it sound like historical fiction (with a good dose of history in it), the covers made it look like a romance novel. (It was historical fiction, with copious endnotes; they eventually changed the covers).

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07-28-2012, 06:23 PM	#16
danskmacabre Guru Posts: 733 Karma: 3593438 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Glo. Galaxy Tab S 8.4	I don;t like covers that are badly photoshopped. Still if I know of an author's work I don't really care, but sure when browsing through 100s of books online, I'm sure the cover has an impact on whether I take a closer look or not.

07-28-2012, 10:15 PM	#17
Anabana Zealot Posts: 109 Karma: 2735606 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: San Diego, CA Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Fire 7" & 10"; 11"(?)-12" Lenovo laptop	I'm probably more visually attracted to books than I realized. When scrolling through bookseller sites, a cover image may catch my attention, but I definitely pass right on over the ones with no image at all. I also have a hard time with really poor artwork, or as previously mentioned, badly edited images even with authors I like. And yes, I'm a lefty.

07-28-2012, 10:48 PM	#18
StoryEnthusiast K. C. Lee Posts: 584 Karma: 3652522 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: New Zealand Device: Android phone	I do. With so many new books to choose, I use the front and then the back covers to decide whether I want to read the book. So the design and the words on the covers are critical.

07-28-2012, 11:55 PM	#19
SteveEisenberg Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,470 Karma: 44114178 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: near Philadelphia USA Device: Kindle Kids Edition, Fire HD 10 (11th generation)	The one's pictured on the OP, especially the leather ones one the left, clearly have superior sewn bindings. I'd like to see the titles on them, but they may appeal to me more than The Vaults With apologies to any commercial artists on the board, if the public library tossed the dust covers the way university libraries often do, it would be fine with me.

07-29-2012, 09:13 PM	#23
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 80,727 Karma: 150249619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	For a look at really lousy book covers.... http://lousybookcovers.tumblr.com/

07-30-2012, 04:28 AM	#24
charlesatan Addict Posts: 230 Karma: 3799024 Join Date: May 2012 Device: iPad	I do pick up books with great covers and I do buy books with horrible covers if I know the publisher/author/content. The first cover in the OP actually isn't so bad, but upon closer looks, tends to be mediocre. I do like the second one better. Will either cause me to impulse buy the book? No...

07-30-2012, 04:35 AM	#25
Ciaran West Author Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: London Device: Tabtronics M009S	My girlfriend works in publishing and she enjoys reading, but there is not one book on her shelf whose cover she doesn't like. She's all about the cover. I think it goes double in self-published works, because if (like me) you're a one-man-band, you'll have chosen your cover and (sometimes) designed it and created it yourself. Because of this, I often have no problem rejecting a book or choosing it on the strength of the cover- The way I see it, if their cover is garish and cheesy and embarrassing, their writing is not likely to be much different :-) You can always be wrong, though. I like spare writing, timeless and subtle. So I go for (and design) those sort of covers ;-) Interesting topic!

07-30-2012, 05:17 AM	#26
Crusader Space Cadet Posts: 1,180 Karma: 4030536 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Africa Device: Sony PRS-T1, Cybook Opus, Kobo Glo	Gollancz tweeted something about covers that's very true: "A cover IS marketing. That's ALL it is. " I'm definitely attracted to well-designed and beautiful covers, at least when it comes to drawing my initial interest.

07-30-2012, 07:01 AM	#27
carpetmojo Wizard Posts: 3,117 Karma: 9269999 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5	No....

07-31-2012, 09:02 PM	#28
tompe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,452 Karma: 7185064 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Linköpng, Sweden Device: Kindle Voyage, Nexus 5, Kindle PW	I thought "A Novel" meant that it was literary fiction or more literary than is expected.

07-31-2012, 10:14 PM	#30
Andrew H. Grand Master of Flowers Posts: 2,201 Karma: 8389072 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Naptown Device: Kindle PW, Kindle 3 (aka Keyboard), iPhone, iPad 3 (not for reading)	When I spent more time in bookstores, I always paid attention to the cover. Particularly in SF, the cover was almost like a trailer for a movie: at a glance it told you a lot about the contents of the book - whether there were aliens, other planets, spaceships, robots computers, giant cities; whether it was about exploration or fighting or travel; and often something about the tone of the book - whether it was more of an adventure novel or a more intellectual novel. In addition, some artists were A class and some were B class, so if the novel had a cover by a one of the better artists, it was a clue that the publishers thought the book was a better book. I don't think that covers in other genres communicate as much as sf covers do (since sf can take place anywhere at any point in time, past, present, or future. But the covers of crime novels communicate quite a bit as well - is it a police procedural, a private detective story, a lawyer focused story, or a crime focused story. Is it big city, small town, rural area...or maybe a specific location, like the everglades or Boulder, Colo. Is there a lot of action in it, or is it mostly about solving the crime? Is it a "cozy?" Does it involve children? Does it take place in the present day or sometime in the past (i.e., when was it written?). And most of this hits you before you read anything on the book's cover. I put off reading Colleen McCollough's "Masters of Rome" series for almost a year (in the early 90's) because although the descriptions of the book made it sound like historical fiction (with a good dose of history in it), the covers made it look like a romance novel. (It was historical fiction, with copious endnotes; they eventually changed the covers).