Do book covers make a difference? - Page 3

mbovenka · 05-02-2013, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Do you mean the book cover is in 3D? How have they done that?

He means the movie.

TCSimpson · 05-02-2013, 08:24 AM

For me covers make a difference. Even with ebooks. If I'm not feeling the cover, I won't look unless the book is recommended by someone.

readingaloud · 05-02-2013, 09:06 AM

The original cover art for The Great Gatsby was done before the book was finished, and Fitzgerald claims to have written it into the book. In at least that case, the cover does matter.

DiapDealer · 05-02-2013, 10:08 AM

I didn't care about cover-art before ebooks, and I don't care about it now. I usually only get a one-time, very-brief, thumbnail-sized glance at it for any given book. Truth be told: I'd rather the practice of adorning books with artwork be dropped altogether (unless it's an art book).

jersysman · 05-02-2013, 11:05 AM

For me, the cover makes all the difference in the world. There are too many ebooks out there and I need a filter to reduce the amount of books that I will look through. So, without a cover that catches my attention, I will not even consider the book. I know that I might be missing out on some gems, but I'm sure that I will find another.

The cover does not have to be gaudy, just something that I find attractive.

Catlady · 05-02-2013, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TCSimpson

For me covers make a difference. Even with ebooks. If I'm not feeling the cover, I won't look unless the book is recommended by someone.

Even if a book is recommended by someone, a cover might influence me not to consider the book if it looks unprofessional or if it has elements I find unappealing.

I'm puzzled by people saying they're not influenced by the cover. It's the old "picture is worth a thousand words" thing. I see the cover in less time than it takes to read a title and blurb; I also remember an image better than a title, so I know what I might have already considered and rejected. There are a lot of generic titles and reused titles, but cover image is usually more memorable.

Just for the record, I hate the blue Gatsby cover. If I didn't already know the work, I would never pick up a book with that cover.

theducks · 05-02-2013, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Do you mean the book cover is in 3D? How have they done that?

I have a few books with those 3D Prism thingies that allowed either a 3d-ish or alternate view
If I never saw another one, my feeling would not be hurt.

I also LIKE a Nice cover that reflects the Story within.
(I have seen covers with one of the MAIN characters holding a big blaster at the ready, which was totally out of character.)

HarryT · 05-02-2013, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catlady

I'm puzzled by people saying they're not influenced by the cover.

It certainly applies to me. When I buy a book I almost always know in advance what I'm going to buy (eg at the moment I'm building up my collection of Robert Ludlum's thrillers, and buying one a week, in publication order). I see the cover on Amazon when I buy it, but that's probably the last time I will see it. I have my Kindle configured to display its library as a text list (I find it more informative), and a cover is of no interest to me whatsoever.

Is this really puzzling?

Catlady · 05-02-2013, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

It certainly applies to me. When I buy a book I almost always know in advance what I'm going to buy (eg at the moment I'm building up my collection of Robert Ludlum's thrillers, and buying one a week, in publication order). I see the cover on Amazon when I buy it, but that's probably the last time I will see it. I have my Kindle configured to display its library as a text list (I find it more informative), and a cover is of no interest to me whatsoever.

Is this really puzzling?

Yes.

I wasn't speaking of displaying the cover on an e-reader, or of buying books by an author already known to you; I was talking about browsing for a book. A cover image conveys a lot of information that tells me instantly if I want to take a closer look.

DiapDealer · 05-02-2013, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Is this really puzzling?

Not to me. The covers are usually barely relevant to the story, and most times, the author has zero say in the choice of cover art anyway. And quite frankly, the "author's say" is the only thing that interests me in a book. Not some picture that an artist (or more and more lately, a Photoshop savant) whipped up after reading a quick synopsis of the book.

I don't care how well singers can dance either.

Books catch my attention through recommendations and news/blog articles and reviews. Then I go buy them (or download a sample). I rarely "browse" books. I see little reward in it.

HomeInMyShoes · 05-02-2013, 01:00 PM

A good cover doesn't usually sway me to purchase it, but it could draw me in to looking at the summary and synopsis. A bad cover definitely can sway me not to look further, unless it is so bad I have to read the synopsis as a joke.

Covers do matter. On a crowded page of text, the cover is what people will see and click on.

speakingtohe · 05-02-2013, 01:31 PM

When I was younger I am sure covers influenced me. Now I often know what I want before purchasing or borrowing from the library.

I actually prefer to see books displayed spine out and look at the back cover before the front. Odd I know.

On overdrive I almost resent the thumbnails.

Helen

Blossom · 05-02-2013, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crich70

Fabio made (or is it still makes) a good living posing for such covers so I can't fault you for that thought.

He's retired as far as I know. The days of his type of covers have been retired back in late 90s. Now we have actually photographs of couples in various poses or a women with a extremely large dress that goes on forever.

I tend to like the the scenic covers that look like some place I want to escape to. They are widely popular now for small town romances.

Most self published romances use Kimberly Killion to design their covers. She does amazing work! Just look at her Portfolio. She's also an author.

Auricle · 05-02-2013, 02:09 PM

Here's another spin on the cover discussion. I read a lot of fantasy and over the last few years, this genre has seen a lot of growth in books about the undead/vampires, a la Twilight etc. And many of these books have covers that are geared decidedly towards a female audience. I'm male but I don't usually have a problem reading books with female protoganists or even books written towards a female audience. But back in the day of reading paper books, I wouldn't be caught dead holding a book with a cover that looked like a romance novel. Now with ebooks, it's not as important and I've read a few books I might not have if I had to be judged by my book covers :-).

patrickt · 05-02-2013, 02:53 PM

I would never buy a book whose cover features a mostly naked guy with great muscles. Experience has taught me that these just aren't my kind of books. And books that feature a courtroom or a gavel or Lady Justice on the cover aren't either. Covers make a difference but for me it's mostly in the negatives.

If a book has an acceptable cover than I read the blurb, maybe some reviews, a synopsis of the story.

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05-02-2013, 08:24 AM	#32
TCSimpson Fantasy Author Posts: 176 Karma: 1356782 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: New York City Device: Nexus Tablet	For me covers make a difference. Even with ebooks. If I'm not feeling the cover, I won't look unless the book is recommended by someone.

05-02-2013, 09:06 AM	#33
readingaloud Enthusiast Posts: 34 Karma: 55 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Switzerland Device: iRex iLiad; Sony Reader; Amazon Kindle	The original cover art for The Great Gatsby was done before the book was finished, and Fitzgerald claims to have written it into the book. In at least that case, the cover does matter.

05-02-2013, 10:08 AM	#34
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,882 Karma: 207000000 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I didn't care about cover-art before ebooks, and I don't care about it now. I usually only get a one-time, very-brief, thumbnail-sized glance at it for any given book. Truth be told: I'd rather the practice of adorning books with artwork be dropped altogether (unless it's an art book).

05-02-2013, 11:05 AM	#35
jersysman Wizard Posts: 1,747 Karma: 3761220 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Pennsylvania Device: T1 Red, Kindle Fire, Kindle PW, PW2, Nook HD+, Kobo Mini, Aura HD	For me, the cover makes all the difference in the world. There are too many ebooks out there and I need a filter to reduce the amount of books that I will look through. So, without a cover that catches my attention, I will not even consider the book. I know that I might be missing out on some gems, but I'm sure that I will find another. The cover does not have to be gaudy, just something that I find attractive.

05-02-2013, 01:00 PM	#41
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	A good cover doesn't usually sway me to purchase it, but it could draw me in to looking at the summary and synopsis. A bad cover definitely can sway me not to look further, unless it is so bad I have to read the synopsis as a joke. Covers do matter. On a crowded page of text, the cover is what people will see and click on.

05-02-2013, 01:31 PM	#42
speakingtohe Wizard Posts: 4,812 Karma: 26912940 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: sony PRS-T1 and T3, Kobo Mini and Aura HD, Tablet	When I was younger I am sure covers influenced me. Now I often know what I want before purchasing or borrowing from the library. I actually prefer to see books displayed spine out and look at the back cover before the front. Odd I know. On overdrive I almost resent the thumbnails. Helen

05-02-2013, 02:09 PM	#44
Auricle Connoisseur Posts: 66 Karma: 851696 Join Date: Oct 2012 Device: Kobo Aura H20	Here's another spin on the cover discussion. I read a lot of fantasy and over the last few years, this genre has seen a lot of growth in books about the undead/vampires, a la Twilight etc. And many of these books have covers that are geared decidedly towards a female audience. I'm male but I don't usually have a problem reading books with female protoganists or even books written towards a female audience. But back in the day of reading paper books, I wouldn't be caught dead holding a book with a cover that looked like a romance novel. Now with ebooks, it's not as important and I've read a few books I might not have if I had to be judged by my book covers :-).

05-02-2013, 02:53 PM	#45
patrickt Wizard Posts: 1,221 Karma: 8381518 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Oaxaca, Mexico Device: Paperwhite 4 X 2	I would never buy a book whose cover features a mostly naked guy with great muscles. Experience has taught me that these just aren't my kind of books. And books that feature a courtroom or a gavel or Lady Justice on the cover aren't either. Covers make a difference but for me it's mostly in the negatives. If a book has an acceptable cover than I read the blurb, maybe some reviews, a synopsis of the story.