# Do you consider book covers when determining the book to read?



## Ciuri Di Badia (May 3, 2012)

Constantly, I an always attracted to books based on their covers. Most of the times the books with nice covers have not been that nice. Whereas, there are very good books with poorly done covers. What's your experiences?


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## LTucker (Aug 8, 2012)

A good cover is essential. Not necessarily a fantastic work of art, just something that makes people click the book to find out more.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I want to say they don't matter to me. . .but they probably do. I know I've seen lots of covers in signatures here that absolutely don't encourage me to click. OTOH, there are very few that catch my eye so much that I click something I might otherwise have ignored. Mostly, my decision on whether to buy the book, though, is going to be based on word of mouth and the description.

There have been cases, both BK and AK where, when shopping in a book store, a cover would catch my eye. The style made me feel like it was a book that I would like. . . .but on reading the description, it turned out to be something very different to what I expected based on the cover image.

_moderator note: we're in the Book Corner, so discussion of your own covers in any way is not allowed. thanks.  _


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

Covert art is a marketing tool. It (and the title) is the first thing readers come into contact with, of course it's going to influence them. Anyone who doesn't take that seriously isn't very professional and I'm not going to read a book that conveys unprofessionalism from the start. Could it be a great book? Sure. But I don't have time to read every book out there in hopes it might be great. There has to be a vetting system and for me, after genre, it starts with the cover.


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## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

I do find that the cover is a pretty good indication of what might be inside. Not always, but pretty good. If the cover looks professional, then I move on to read the blurb and reviews. 

The cover really seems to be what makes or breaks you if you are unknown. If you're a known quantity and have found your audience, then it might become less critical. I know I've bought books where the covers were absolutely horrendous, but I knew the authors and their work so I bought them anyway.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

history_lover said:


> Covert art is a marketing tool. It (and the title) is the first thing readers come into contact with, of course it's going to influence them. Anyone who doesn't take that seriously isn't very professional and I'm not going to read a book that conveys unprofessionalism from the start. Could it be a great book? Sure. But I don't have time to read every book out there in hopes it might be great. There has to be a vetting system and for me, after genre, it starts with the cover.


What she said.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Research a while back showed that a good cover is very instrumental (around 80%) in getting someone in a bookstore to pick up a novel by an author they don't know. How that translates to Kindle I am not exactly certain, but it has to be a factor, surely?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Tony Richards said:


> Research a while back showed that a good cover is very instrumental (around 80%) in getting someone in a bookstore to pick up a novel by an author they don't know. How that translates to Kindle I am not exactly certain, but it has to be a factor, surely?


I'd say so. I browse for things to read on Amazon. . . . . I do generally go the genre section I like, but sometimes it's one of the deal pages. I definitely look at the covers there and will click if one catches my eye. And, here's the thing, if it's in say 'mysteries and thrillers' which is one of my favorites, but the cover looks like 'womens fiction' or 'chick lit' I assume it's been mis-categorized and I don't click it. I'd assume 'womens fiction/chick lit' readers would have a similar reaction of a cover looked like 'thriller'.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Absolutely. A good cover is like the beginning of a first date, or a job interview. If you don't care about presentation, how do I know you care about the work?


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

I'm not going to buy a book because of the cover, but a good cover might get me to take a look. Then I'll read the blurb, and if I like that, I'll read the sample, and if I like that, I'll buy the book. If a book cover looks like it is some art hanging on the refrigerator, I probably won't look at it. (Unless the cover art was deliberately made to look like that).


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

Tony Richards said:


> Research a while back showed that a good cover is very instrumental (around 80%) in getting someone in a bookstore to pick up a novel by an author they don't know. How that translates to Kindle I am not exactly certain, but it has to be a factor, surely?


I'll bet it's an even bigger factor. In a bookstore, a lot of books are shelved with only the spine showing and therefore the title might be the first thing to grab someone's attention, cover second. On Amazon, you see the covers of all books, no spines.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

I don't browse for books very often, so covers don't have a lot of impact on me.  I generally just get interested in a book because its from an author I've read for years, or I read a review/blurb (or saw a post on here) that made me wan to check it out.  So most of the time if I go to Amazon (or a physical book store) I'm there with a specific book in mind to buy/get the sample for already.

That said I do sometimes browse the pages of monthly sales at Amazon, and sometimes used to browse around book stores even if I went for one specific book.  So I'm sure there are still times a cover catches my eye and thus gets me to read the blurb.  But I don't do that all that often as I have a decent to be read list already and mainly just stick to picking things off that rather than discovering new things to add to it.


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## MalloryMoutinho (Aug 24, 2012)

They do to a very small degree. In the past, they definitely influenced whether or not I wanted to take a first look. But now....with how much I read...I search by genre, then price, and then look at ratings. I'm not going to hold it against someone for not necessarily designing the best cover when their craft is the written word.

The only thing they really influence at this point for me is the tone of the book. You can often easily distinguish between a serious book and a light book by the cover. Covers help when I'm looking for a quick read before bed, or a good long time investment when I want to escape for hours on end.


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## amygamet (Aug 26, 2012)

Honestly, if I don't like the cover, I don't pick up the book (or click on the preview).  If it's an indie book with an amateurish, homemade-looking cover, I expect the writing to be equally amateurish and riddled with typos.  That's not necessarily true, of course.  But that's the image that's being projected.


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## Richard Raley (May 23, 2011)

Nope.  Reviews and recs for me.  I read fantasy and the whole genre has some serious ugly going on with their covers 99% of the time.


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## MalloryMoutinho (Aug 24, 2012)

Richard Raley said:


> Nope. Reviews and recs for me. I read fantasy and the whole genre has some serious ugly going on with their covers 99% of the time.


OMG that actually made me LOL...not sure if that was what you were going for, but it did.

But, yeah I totally agree, I'll trust the opinions of others that have similar tastes in books over a pretty package any day.

Sure, there have been some horrible buys, but more often than not, I'm pleasantly surprised.


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## Dragonfly Editing (Janet) (May 29, 2012)

For me its the genre first, then I scan covers for something that grabs my eye. If I find something then I'll read some or all of the reviews. If I don't find a cover that grabs me, then I go for titles.


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## Natasha Holme (May 26, 2012)

It is not so much the graphics, but the choice of typeface for me. A badly chosen typeface screams *amateur.* I can't get past Papyrus nor, of course, Comic Sans. ... They are over-used, and they are wrongly used.


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## Lensman (Aug 28, 2012)

The cover is always going to be the first significant thing you see - it can't help but have an influence. Why do you think publishers spend so much time and effort on them?

Of course, the wrong cover on a novel can be worse than useless - a fantasy novel with a "romantic fiction" look to it (and there's a number that fall into that trap) can lose half its market.

The cover includes all the elements - picture, layout, typeface. I agree with Natasha that a dud typeface (either unclear or just inappropriate to the book) turns me off instantly.


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

I'm guessing that when readers are merely browsing, rather then searching through a particular genre, the cover is the first thing that will make them notice the book and investigate it further. However, I doubt that it plays a significant part to most readers in deciding whether or not to purchase. Don't judge a book... and all that.

So I think that the cover is vital in making that initial connection with the reader, but won't usually clinch a sale.


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## Beatriz (Feb 22, 2011)

BTackitt said:


> Absolutely. A good cover is like the beginning of a first date, or a job interview. If you don't care about presentation, how do I know you care about the work?


I disagree with you. Never judge a book by its cover, my dear.


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## cursor system (Aug 15, 2012)

Books cover has nothing to do with the book goodness.


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## Dylan Hayes (Aug 18, 2012)

Well, I know as well as anyone that the cover doesn't tell me how good the book is. But, yes, I do take it into account. With so many books out there and so little time to browse through them, judging by the covers is often essential to me when I want to choose a book.


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## gamarshall (Aug 28, 2012)

I'd say my view on covers changed with ebooks. Another poster said that in bookstores, most books on shelves only exposed the spine. That's the way I think of it. I was drawn to a section of the bookstore in the past, skimming the titles on spines, and occasionally pulling one out. If the cover was exposed that was usually because it was a popular book, by a known author, and the cover didn't matter to me in that situation either. Once I had it in my hand, I was reading the blurb, and hooked by the story rather than the cover. 

Ebooks changed that completely. Now, I judge the cover. It doesn't have to be amazing, but if it looks too generic, I start to worry it's a rushed book and I skip over it. Yet, if it's well known, the cover still doesn't matter. I just bought Cloud Atlas, didn't even look at the cover, and now that I have I think it looks average.


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

This is the sort of thread that has authors nervously staring at their book covers and wondering...


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## Tiziano (Aug 30, 2012)

A very good or very bad cover has me pick up the book and check the blurb (and the cover art credits), a so-so, middle of the ground cover it's likely to have me overlook the book, unless I'm actively looking for it.


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## mestrin (Aug 27, 2012)

The short answer is sometimes I judge a book by its cover.
Usually, I think the cover works on a subconscious level. You see it, but do you really think about it? Usually not for me. So I suppose that the cover is kind of a quick test. If it's appealing and on genre, it's worth going forward to read a description or maybe even some sample pages and reviews.
On the other hand, a lousy title is like posting a cover that reads, "Don't buy this book!" Those work on a pretty conscious level. But the result is poor. I'd say most of the book covers that I notice stand out because they're unprofessional, off genre, or just plain bad. That doesn't always mean the book is bad, but I usually just move on to something else that's good.
On rare occasions, though, I do buy a book based solely on the cover. For whatever reason (and it's totally subjective) I find the cover to be absolutely compelling. I just look at it and say, "I want to read that book!"
When that happens, I buy it as long as the price is decent, say under $15 (print) under $5 (ebook). It's a leap of faith, I guess, but not that big of a leap. 
A professional cover with create art usually means the writing is solid and evocative of the image it inspired. If an artist can pick up on the writer's work and create something that so catches my eye and captures my imagination, it's worth a try. But books bought solely on the cover are rare, for me.


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Absolutely. An intriguing cover gets me to look more closely. A bad cover won't automatically keep me from reading/buying but there has to be something else compelling (a strong recommendation from a friend, for instance).


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## Marc Davies (Aug 9, 2012)

Yes, I definitely do.  For example, I'm unlikely to read a book if I judge the cover to be too 'girly'.  Not because I have anything against any kind of genre, but because that kind of cover signals to me that it is likely to be heavy on romance or chick lit aspects which I probably won't enjoy.

I also judge a book if its cover looks too cheap.  Good publishing houses tend to spend money on good cover art if they think the book will be a winner, especially in sci-fi and fantasy which are my preferred genres to read.

However, I've also read plenty of books with bad covers which turned out to be great reads.  So, I suppose I'm more susceptible to marketing than I realize.


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## Beatriz (Feb 22, 2011)

Ciuri Di Badia said:


> Constantly, I an always attracted to books based on their covers. Most of the times the books with nice covers have not been that nice. Whereas, there are very good books with poorly done covers. What's your experiences?


I never judge a book by its cover. I judge a book by its content but that's just me.


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## dbowz360 (Sep 5, 2012)

Cover and blurb is all we really have to go off.


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

dbowz360 said:


> Cover and blurb is all we really have to go off.


And, more importantly to me, the free sample


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## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

Beatriz said:


> I never judge a book by its cover. I judge a book by its content but that's just me.


But there are so many book. How do you decide what to click on? I mean, it takes quite a lot of time reading blurbs for books. I'm not trying to be a jerk but it just seems like you'd have to use the cover to at least draw you in at some point. Unless you only go by word of mouth.

Personally I'm big on covers. It lets me see a peak of what the story is about. I like that goodreads lets me scroll over the book and see the description. I wish amazon would buy a clue on this.


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## Beatriz (Feb 22, 2011)

Bethany B. said:


> But there are so many book. How do you decide what to click on? I mean, it takes quite a lot of time reading blurbs for books. I'm not trying to be a jerk but it just seems like you'd have to use the cover to at least draw you in at some point. Unless you only go by word of mouth.
> 
> Personally I'm big on covers. It lets me see a peak of what the story is about. I like that goodreads lets me scroll over the book and see the description. I wish amazon would buy a clue on this.


I didn't mean to imply that covers are not important at all, of course they are, but as long as the cover is decent enough and it's related to the content of the book, it's so easy to get a sample or if you're at a regular computer to click inside (most authors allow you to do that) and see if this is something you might like. You can tell if the book is for you just by reading a few paragraphs, (you don't even have to get a full sample), whereas you might see a great cover and buy the book on an impulse and find that the content is simply terrible, so my advice is if something catches your eye click inside or get a sample before you spend your money.


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## S.Lorena (Sep 5, 2012)

I have to be honest, and say that even though it shouldn't be that way, if I see a cover that looks cheap, I avoid the book, unless there are 900 positive reviews   Yesterday I was in Waterstone (biggest bookstore in London) and I felt like the book covers on these mega-shelves were yelling and fighting to get my attention. All those colorful, flashy covers, big and small, some of them were facing me (and I knew the publisher paid the bookstore to show me that front cover) and some others were just projecting their side. You know, if they fight so hard to get noticed, probably the vast majority of people cares about the covers. In my personal experience one of the best books I have ever read (The Power of Positive Thinking by N.V. Peale) had a pretty ugly cover, but when I read the sample, I couldn't help myself but buy it.


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## DomEagle (Sep 5, 2012)

I think that if the cover looks like some cheap image created on Microsoft Paint in 5 minutes (And I've seen quite a few covers like that) then there's no way I could possibly take the book seriously. If the author has placed so little thought and time in making the cover, then why should I assume he's given any more effort in writing the book itself?

Now I'm not saying covers have to be flashy - mine are by no means graphically advanced - but so long as the cover looks like more than an irrelevant image with some randomly placed text, then I'm not fussy. It's the reviews and the description itself that would most capture my attention.

The cover only has to serve as something that will initially capture my attention. A cover could never be enough to persuade me to buy a book.


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## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

Beatriz said:


> I didn't mean to imply that covers are not important at all, of course they are, but as long as the cover is decent enough and it's related to the content of the book, it's so easy to get a sample or if you're at a regular computer to click inside (most authors allow you to do that) and see if this is something you might like. You can tell if the book is for you just by reading a few paragraphs, (you don't even have to get a full sample), whereas you might see a great cover and buy the book on an impulse and find that the content is simply terrible, so my advice is if something catches your eye click inside or get a sample before you spend your money.


Oh that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying.


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## MadCityWriter (Dec 8, 2011)

For me, browsing book covers is kind of like window shopping.  I am highly attracted to (or sometimes repulsed by, or uninterested in) book covers.  That said, sometimes a cover is misleading, or I have judged wrongly. That's why I read the cover flap, back cover and first page. 

But yes, I am influenced by the cover of a book.


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## RuthMadison (Jul 9, 2011)

I know they say not to, but I totally judge by covers.

Covers are VERY important to me. 

That's the first thing that draws me to a book. After that I look at sample and reviews. But a professional cover that looks beautiful really draws me in. I know myself and I'm not going to fight that instinct! lol.


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## BenjaminBurrell (Mar 29, 2012)

I think its interesting to to look at how the brain process information. We're bombarded with way more input than we can possibly evaluate thoroughly. Not just talking about media, but just walking down the street. Could you imagine stopping to think about everything you saw in order to form an opinion on whether or not it was dangerous or warranted further investigation? You'd never get anywhere. Most of the time our brain simplifies everything, using preconceptions so we can form judgements quickly. Yellow lab, not dangerous. Black camero, might be speeding, watch before crossing.

With media, we have an auto filter that pre-classifies things for us based on past experience. So a book cover that looks like a book cover from a book we enjoyed will get past the filter. I bet the people in the marketing department at the big publishers spend a good deal of time studying trends and atheistic associations. You ever notice how covers of best selling thrillers have a look. Or YA Fantasy. They fit a mold. I think its so you auto-associate it with other successful books that you may have already liked. Its subconscious tricky. I know I'm very susceptible to this.


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## James Winterbottom (May 24, 2012)

Sometimes it can feel like we are being bombarded with information, with such a lot of kindle books available it is impossible to judge them all on content. Whether we realise it or not, everyone operates a filtering system to try and find what they want and book covers are often the first part of that filtering.

For me I tend to skim covers and stop on ones that look interesting, then read the blurb, then the reviews and if I'm still interested I'll either buy it or download a sample (depending on how confident I am on it being worth reading).


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## RuthMadison (Jul 9, 2011)

BenjaminBurrell said:


> I think its interesting to to look at how the brain process information. We're bombarded with way more input than we can possibly evaluate thoroughly. Not just talking about media, but just walking down the street. Could you imagine stopping to think about everything you saw in order to form an opinion on whether or not it was dangerous or warranted further investigation? You'd never get anywhere. Most of the time our brain simplifies everything, using preconceptions so we can form judgements quickly. Yellow lab, not dangerous. Black camero, might be speeding, watch before crossing.
> 
> With media, we have an auto filter that pre-classifies things for us based on past experience. So a book cover that looks like a book cover from a book we enjoyed will get past the filter. I bet the people in the marketing department at the big publishers spend a good deal of time studying trends and atheistic associations. You ever notice how covers of best selling thrillers have a look. Or YA Fantasy. They fit a mold. I think its so you auto-associate it with other successful books that you may have already liked. Its subconscious tricky. I know I'm very susceptible to this.


I don't know if that's even meant to be subconscious or trickery. Every genre has a particular look to its covers and I think that's done on purpose so that people will be able to tell what genre a book is right away. If I'm going into the bookstore because I want a chick lit book, it helps that I can scan for pink and yellow covers and find them right away!

If one were to put a thriller cover on a literary fiction, that book is going to get a lot of bad reviews and bad word of mouth, since it will be fans of thrillers that pick it up and then feel misled.


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## MrPLD (Sep 23, 2010)

I've seen enough people achieve brilliant sales with average to mediocre covers in eBooks,  so while it might indeed work to help capture first-time viewers (and I believe it does), it would seem that the story itself and, more importantly, the hype/sharing/marketing ultimately still dominates.


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## Beatriz (Feb 22, 2011)

MrPLD said:


> I've seen enough people achieve brilliant sales with average to mediocre covers in eBooks, so while it might indeed work to help capture first-time viewers (and I believe it does), it would seem that the story itself and, more importantly, the hype/sharing/marketing ultimately still dominates.


Thank you. My sentiments exactly.


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## Ciuri Di Badia (May 3, 2012)

a cover is what you see first. it will give you an glimpse of what a book is all about


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## Gareth K Pengelly (Aug 25, 2012)

I think they're pretty important as they're definitely a way of catching the eye of a potential reader.

However, some of the best books I've ever read have pretty dismal covers.


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

LTucker said:


> A good cover is essential. Not necessarily a fantastic work of art, just something that makes people click the book to find out more.


Agreed. I am a cover snob, I admit it. I have a hard time even clicking on a book with a cheesy or ugly cover unless it comes _highly_ recommended to me by someone I trust. That is horrible and pretty shallow of me I know but true nonetheless.

I don't mind a plain cover (sometimes those are the best) but it has to be something that catches my attention to get me to read the synopsis and give it a try.


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

I won't touch a book by a self-pub or indie unless it has a very good cover. By that I mean a professional looking cover. If the author can't present a very good cover for the genre, I question how the writing will be. It shows me the author cares about their book and the readers.

I may miss a great book with a bad cover, but I doubt it.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Ciuri Di Badia said:


> a cover is what you see first. it will give you an glimpse of what a book is all about


See, for me with ebooks that's not often the case anymore. I don't really browse listings. I usually hear about a book from a forum post, review, word of mouth from a friend, some media blurb etc. and then seek out the synopsis and if it sounds like something I'm interested in I'll download the sample and read it at some point and buy the book if I like it and the price is right.

So the cover has very little sway on me most of the time.


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

I think good covers are important. But my pet peeve are book covers that seem to be selected due to their good looks, then turn out to have nothing to do with the story. A lot of old sci-fi books were guilty of that one. But I guess their very existence only proved that even professional publishers back then valued good art over accuracy.


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## Seleya (Feb 25, 2011)

Yes, I wondered about that too.
I was told that, for quite some time, many publishing houses didn't commission cover art anymore but simply bought the rights to use existing pieces, that's the reason why variations of 'Wayfarer's Redemption' http://www.russianpaintings.net/picture.vphp?id=10946  pop up everywhere or a couple of Deverry books in the italian edition have a Robin Hood cover:  [URL=http://fargaslostinreveries.wordpress]http://fargaslostinreveries.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/la-lama-dei-druidi/[/url] http://www.bookhouse.it/prodotto/130443611141/Lincantesimo-dei-druidi-Katherine-Kerr-CN-51.aspx.

Thankfully that practice seems to be over, but, at least here, that's a fairly recent change.


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## Elizabeth Black (Apr 8, 2011)

A good cover makes a difference for me, but not as much as the title and blurb. A poor cover also affects my decision to buy a book because if the author didn't care enough to be sure the book had a good cover, it makes me think the book itself is lacking in quality.


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## Ciuri Di Badia (May 3, 2012)

good books are known from the cover


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## jemima_pett (Feb 13, 2012)

What an interesting thread.  It seems that all points of view are well covered.  

As for me - I pick up covers in the bookstore and read the blurb and put them back again.  Over and over again.  I'm with the person that reads about books online now and goes and searches them out.  It's found me far more satisfying reads than the old way.  And most of them are indie authors, who seem to take as much or more care over their spelling and punctuation than some I've downloaded recently that are from major publishing houses.


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## SuseHocking (Sep 11, 2012)

Sadly, I think the whole "Don't judge a book by its cover" thing is wrong for me. If a book has an awesome cover I am way more likely to click on it and read the blurb. If the cover is dull, I won't even bother to read the blurb. Terrible, I know, but I figure some effort needs to be put into your cover art if you're an author.


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## MalloryMoutinho (Aug 24, 2012)

I have to admit I'm really surprised by the amount of people who find the cover extremely important. I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm just surprised because I know how many great books I've found where I thought the covers were terrible when I finally notice them. I always search like this:

1) genre
2) price (sometimes pub date if I've read a lot of books in the genre)
3) look at stars
4) look at how many reviews are actually there (can't always trust 1 five star review)
5) read blurb
6) read bad reviews (I find these much more informative than the gushing reviews)
7) read sample

I don't go through all seven steps each time since many books get weeded out, but you get the idea.


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## Imogen Rose (Mar 22, 2010)

Yes, always.


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## Ciuri Di Badia (May 3, 2012)

Melory, thats a good criteria for looking and shopping for a book


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## Flurries Unlimited (Jan 24, 2012)

I do.  It also seems like the books with the most engaging covers get the most clicks on my blog--that is unless the author is already well-known.

I'd say a good cover is definitely worth the investment...


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## RayHartley (Sep 14, 2012)

First post for me, haha! I'm new to these boards. But I must say that most definitely I take book covers into consideration. I am very visually driven person and like to think that if someone puts much care into the content of their book, that they will put the same consideration into a good cover. That aside, reviews and ratings speak a lot to me as well. If you have a beautiful cover but no ratings... I might just pass you up. Is that shallow? I don't have much time.


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## Greg Clarkin (Apr 26, 2012)

Saw the power of a cover recently when I was with my eight-year old son at the library. He had maybe a half-dozen books from the Geronimo Stilton series, and others by Dan Gutman, and was trying to pick a few to check out. He put them all down on a table and stared down at the covers for a few moments. 

After studying them, he grabbed one, then two and finally a third. I had read the blurbs and the back beforehand and made my own choices without saying anything. He picked different books. Was totally the covers that sold him on the book. The livelier and more action oriented the better.


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## Blue Bull Book Design (Sep 18, 2011)

That's sort of a complicated question. I doubt many people consciously take the cover of a book into account, but it has a huge subconscious effect. The cover is definitely one of the things that helps me get a sense of what to expect from a book, as regards genre, style, and mood. It often gives me my first look at the hero or heroine. I'm certain it has a huge impact on which books jump out at me when I'm aimlessly browsing. I don't critique covers when I'm deciding what to read, but an amateurish cover often covers an amateurish book.

On the other hand, I've read any number of fantastic books that were completely misrepresented by their covers. An epic fantasy with an extremely romance cover comes to mind...


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## Ciuri Di Badia (May 3, 2012)

not many people consider book covers because most of the time, they are going for books that have been recommended by their friends. however, when it comes to new and unfamiliar books, the covers matters a lot.


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## Russell Brooks (Dec 23, 2010)

Absolutely. An amateurish book cover will make one believe that the story and writing is also amateurish.


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## DCBourone (Sep 10, 2012)

Following this subject closely,
as the marketing/promoting
aspect of writing/selling a new 
subject for me.
Always notice titles, which by
definition are on the cover.
Artwork?  
Not unless awful, severely unprofessional,
suggesting extreme incompetence,
no chance of good writing.
Just bought my first ebook here
a few days ago.  Combination of
title, authors sig line, and authors
pic, which implied some real
possibility the author lived a life
related to title and profession indicated
in sig line.
Book was so good felt compelled to
write a review.  Very effective, unobtrusive,
self promotion by this author.


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## Harry Nicholson (May 25, 2011)

The cover might catch my eye, but the opening paragraphs are the decider. I don't take much notice of the blurbs that issue from big publishing houses either - their gloss and hyperbole no longer fools.


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## Leslie_Messy (Sep 14, 2012)

Oh, definitely! Of course, it doesn't mean the story will be good, but when I'm browsing at a book store, this is what grabs my attention.


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## William S. (Sep 25, 2012)

Always!  If it catches my eye, I more likely to explore and buy the book.  I don't know if it's always fair or not, but if a cover is catchy, I think it reflects the content of the book even if it's said so many times, "Don't judge a book by the cover!"  Many times though, I also read the summary of the book to help with my decision.

Fortunately from what I've seen here during my short time is that so many books have great looking covers!


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## LT Ville (Apr 17, 2011)

I am ashamed to join this discussion given some of my own dreadful book covers, but I do consider book covers when determining what to read. I am generally attracted to books based on two factors: the cover and the title. If I hate either, I probably won't spend much time finding out what the book is about. After that, I use the book blurb and flip through a few pages in order to decide if I'm actually going to read the book.


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## DavidFWeisman (Jun 10, 2012)

A good cover catches my eye, intrigues me. A bad cover makes me suspect that someone would have put more work into the cover if they had really poured their heart into the book. Some book review blogs have a page of thumbnail images, so cover design is important for that too.


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

The cover is usually the first thing that catches my eye. If I'm attracted to it, I'm more likely to check it out. 
Generally I would do it this way
Genre
Cover 
Blurb
Sample or "Look Inside" 
( If it's a DTB, I open at a random page and read a few lines to see if I like the style)

I've still managed to pick up a few stinkers, but _generally_ I find if I like the cover, I like the book.


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## Alan Thorne (Sep 26, 2012)

People are visual, and the way people shop for ebooks lends itself to that fact. A poorly designed cover, regardless of how good the writing is - is a visual turn-off. Whether we are talking about websites, clothes, cars, etc. - I think image matters - and book covers are no different. Going to the trouble of having a nice book cover speaks to the professionalism of the author, and shows respect for the audience.


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## William Sewell (Sep 26, 2012)

I think an eye catching cover makes me pick up the book and examine other "buy factors" whereas without the cover I might not.  I don't think I'd buy the book based solely on the cover.


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## Troy Jackson (Sep 7, 2012)

It's one of the most vital parts to a book, from a writer's perspective.  It's the first things someone sees.  Bad cover = NEXT!


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## Gayle Miller (Sep 22, 2012)

First thing I go for is genre, then I skim over the covers. If one catches my eye I'll read the blurb to see if it would tickle my fancy. Then I check the sample. The flow and voice has to grab me before I finally decide to purchase.


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## Pieter (Sep 28, 2012)

as much as one would like to say no...well its remains the first marketing messages about the book...


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## Devin Smyth Author (Sep 14, 2012)

I'm usually attracted to a book based on its content, but if a cover is eye-catching and the title intriguing, I will give it a look. For my story, THE EMERGENCE, I tried to give the cover art a sense of menace and foreboding, which suits the theme of the story.


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## NancyHerkness (Aug 1, 2012)

It's rare that I buy a book strictly for its cover.  Although once I bought a ghost romance because it had a holographic cover where the ghost hero appeared and disappeared as you tilted the book.  The book was mediocre but the cover was too entertaining to pass up.

More often, I am turned off by a bad or unprofessional cover.  It's easy to tell when a cover has been designed by an amateur on Photoshop.  That does not bode well for the book being professionally edited and proofread, in my experience.  

Cheers,
Nancy


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## Novel1 (Sep 16, 2012)

I do if I'm not familiar with the author and I haven't read any reviews of their work. It goes with the description or synopsis, and maybe a skim through the first few pages, as a way of determining which book to read next. It doesn't always work. The last book I did that with had a great cover, good synopsis on the inside jacket, an interesting-sounding plot...but it was a horrible book and I couldn't finish it. Some of my favorite authors have books with rather ugly covers, but I could care less. The writing is fabulous. 

Gregory Eaves


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## Ciuri Di Badia (May 3, 2012)

covers acts as a book summary.


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## Sam K Mills (Oct 1, 2012)

I think an eye-catching book cover is necessary for the whole experience of book reading.Also, we should not underestimate the power of an intriguing title.


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## NancyHerkness (Aug 1, 2012)

Sam K Mills said:


> I think an eye-catching book cover is necessary for the whole experience of book reading.Also, we should not underestimate the power of an intriguing title.


Sam, I agree with you about the title being able to grab my attention. Unfortunately, in my genre at least, the publisher often changes the title to be more "commercial" or more indicative that it's a romance. In contests for unpublished writers, you see really catchy, distinctive titles, whereas, in contests where the books are traditionally published, the titles tend toward blandness and repetition. It's too bad.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Cover is very important. Its not so much about me liking or hating the cover, but it has to be professional. I tend to stay away from books with floating heads for example  . You wouldn't believe how many floating heads there are in romance. 
Especially when it looks like a collage. Cut out photos pasted on top of the other. The worst though are those that have humans look like Sims character, like out of a bad video game. Yikes. 

If someone takes so little care in the cover, doesn't hire someone to do it, then how do I know they cared enough to pay for editing. How can I trust such a writer. And sampling doesn't help me in a lot of cases as I read a lot of romance. If I don't trust the writer to be competent based on the cover, how can I trust them to know what genre they think they are writing in. 

Its all about professionalism.


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## 13500 (Apr 22, 2010)

Absolutely!


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## Ciuri Di Badia (May 3, 2012)

i remember seeking a book through the window of a bookshop. there and then, i made up my mind to purchase it even without knowing its contents.


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## Kwalker (Aug 23, 2012)

Generally speaking, if a cover looks sloppy I wont even click on the book to find out more about it. (Unless of course the book has been personally recommended by a friend.)

If I am browsing for something new to read I first check my go-to authors. From there, I look for intriguing covers with interesting titles. Then, I read the blurb and if I'm still interested I click to look inside. 

With that said, I've downloaded some free books that were awful, and I was originally attracted by the cover, so it definitely shouldn't be the only consideration.


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## Ciuri Di Badia (May 3, 2012)

a book cover is a window into a book.


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## Scott J Robinson (Sep 22, 2012)

Sam Kates said:


> This is the sort of thread that has authors nervously staring at their book covers and wondering...


Ha, yes.

I know covers certainly get me to look further, but a good cover isn't enough to make me buy. Although...

I remember back in the early 80's I avoided buying the first Shanara books by Terry Brooks because the covers were terrible. I eventually gave in to the hype and discovered that the books were worse than the covers. (sorry to those who like those books, but they're terrible.)

Scott


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I hate to admit that I have picked up books with interesting covers to read regardless of story.  Most of the time it has worked out for me.


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## Brian Dockins (May 22, 2012)

The cover will only cause me to stop and take a better look. I've accidentally found some really great books that had crappy covers, but I've also passed on even more books that had amazing covers that sounded horrible.


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## Zoe Cannon (Sep 2, 2012)

The cover is usually what gets me to first look at a book. And although I know it's not necessarily fair, I'm often reluctant to read self-published books with awful covers. If the book is from a big publisher, the author obviously had no control over the cover, but when I see a self-published book with an unprofessional-looking cover it makes me think the author might not know what a professional book is supposed to look like. And if they don't know what a professional book should look like, how can I be sure they know what one should read like?


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## the quiet one (Aug 13, 2012)

Genre, cover, and title are the first things I notice. If they grab my attention as something of possible interest, I click to learn more. If the blurb is interesting, I'll sample. If the sample suggests a compelling and entertaining read, then I'll buy. So I won't _buy_ a book because of its cover, but I likely won't get to the point of considering a purchase on a book with an uninteresting cover.


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## julidrevezzo (Sep 15, 2012)

Not really, no. I will say though, if you put poser art on your cover, it might make me back away.


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## Elizabeth Black (Apr 8, 2011)

I first look to genre and author, then blurb, then cover. If the cover sucks then I get the impression the author doesn't care about his/her book enough to opt for a fetching cover.


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## Mercius (Aug 28, 2010)

When I was a teenager and I had time to wander through the library or flea markets, it was the covers that did it for me. Now that I read just about everything on the kindle, I look for word of mouth, description and a good beginning. If the first chapter doesn't pull me in, I put it down and move on.


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

I don't make a conscious effort to consider the cover, but I'm sure I am influenced by covers. Last year I sampled my fiction shelves and found about 80% of the covers had images of symbols rather than people. I doubt that is accidental. And my own cover is heavy on symbols.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Check out Ian Woodhead's novel DUPLICITY. This is one that really got me because of the cover. As a horror fan, how could I pass that up?


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## vikiana (Oct 5, 2012)

To attract somebody with a book on the first place you should have a good book cover! Almost like an painting with a good, very suitable frame! Since I have become an designer three years ago I can say for sure that the book cover has a cricial importance for visitor's attraction! That doesn't mean one book has determined its quality by the cover. The cover is just the first attraction. Much more important is what is writen inside the book. Sometimes there are lots lovely amazing books but nobody do not know them because of bad covers...Nobody wants to see them closer or trying to read some part of it. One good book will be good and without a suitable cover but I would say that we don't have to underestimate the power of the book cover!


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## vikiana (Oct 5, 2012)

LTucker said:


> A good cover is essential. Not necessarily a fantastic work of art, just something that makes people click the book to find out more.


My experience is that the book cover is not always responding to the quality of what is inside. More over that it is some kind of adv! Buying once the book is more than enough for recovering the sesources given for the book. Buying it doesn't mean it is a good one in nay case and this is the sad part!


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## vikiana (Oct 5, 2012)

Brian Dockins said:


> The cover will only cause me to stop and take a better look. I've accidentally found some really great books that had crappy covers, but I've also passed on even more books that had amazing covers that sounded horrible.





crebel said:


> What she said.


 Sometimes is a matter of chance if the book has a bad or a good cover and what is inside respond equally to both these cases. You should be a little bit lucky and take the chance to read something with a bad cover but very interesting and ful of exiting lines inside!


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## vikiana (Oct 5, 2012)

Elizabeth Black said:


> I first look to genre and author, then blurb, then cover. If the cover sucks then I get the impression the author doesn't care about his/her book enough to opt for a fetching cover.





Amy Corwin said:


> I do find that the cover is a pretty good indication of what might be inside. Not always, but pretty good. If the cover looks professional, then I move on to read the blurb and reviews.
> 
> The cover really seems to be what makes or breaks you if you are unknown. If you're a known quantity and have found your audience, then it might become less critical. I know I've bought books where the covers were absolutely horrendous, but I knew the authors and their work so I bought them anyway.


 It is absolutely right. Sometimes the cover might be not so good rahter than is the text inside but it shoul be made very professional anyway. A matter of unprofessional sign is a lack of an good easthetic taste


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## vikiana (Oct 5, 2012)

mestrin said:


> The short answer is sometimes I judge a book by its cover.
> Usually, I think the cover works on a subconscious level. You see it, but do you really think about it? Usually not for me. So I suppose that the cover is kind of a quick test. If it's appealing and on genre, it's worth going forward to read a description or maybe even some sample pages and reviews.
> On the other hand, a lousy title is like posting a cover that reads, "Don't buy this book!" Those work on a pretty conscious level. But the result is poor. I'd say most of the book covers that I notice stand out because they're unprofessional, off genre, or just plain bad. That doesn't always mean the book is bad, but I usually just move on to something else that's good.
> On rare occasions, though, I do buy a book based solely on the cover. For whatever reason (and it's totally subjective) I find the cover to be absolutely compelling. I just look at it and say, "I want to read that book!"
> ...


Completely agree with you! You have a great tolerance to writers and I only can be happy of what I just have read here )) It always has to be given a chance to something because the first impression is not alway the best one!


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## Ciuri Di Badia (May 3, 2012)

covers are windows that lets you know what to expect in a book.


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## tahliaN (Nov 6, 2011)

There's no doubt that a good cover draws my attention, but I've been burned too many times by slick covers with tedious stories inside, and even stories that have little to do with their pretty covers. With the proliferation of self publishing, I've also found that some not so great covers have terrific books inside, so I don't pay so much attention any more (unless they look totally unprofessional).


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## Alex Howerton (Oct 16, 2012)

So, many people say a good cover is important, or essential. But what constitutes a "good" cover? Does it have to be slickly produced, or have certain themes, elements, or composition? What about the odd cover, which is not necessarily designed for mass-market appeal, but rather conveys a quirky quality? And in the end, everybody's taste in covers is going to be different, just as everybody's taste in books is different, so one person's "good" cover is another person's "meh" cover.

My wife and I just looked at several covers of mainstream books (she likes general fiction aimed at women), and they were all trying to achieve that mass market appeal, so they were all very generic and pastel and, frankly, boring. For my wife, it's the author, the subject matter, and/or a friend's recommendation that gets her to read something. For me, it's author and topic - covers are next to irrelevant.

Of course, I am not in the center of any demographic, so my opinion doesn't really count. Mass appeal is precisely the thing that usually drives me away from a book, or a movie, or other media output.


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## Aaron Scott (May 27, 2012)

Sometimes not just the cover, but the texture, size, and the way it is bound - for instance, I was not down with that trend to make the pages cut unevenly, that was just annoying. I have a few books like that anyway, but I had to be quite interested in them.

I remember one time I had a lady over and she kept grabbing my copy of _Paris 1919_ and saying "This looks like a _good_ book!" very emphatically. I was surprised because I didn't think she was much interested in world history, but it turned out it was just something about the way it looked and felt that excited her.


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## Anisa Claire West (Sep 19, 2012)

To an extent, but I place heavier emphasis on how I feel after reading the first few pages.  Cover images can be slick and misleading.  Often I have found a stunning cover image concealing weak writing.  The real litmus test is how skillfully the author draws a reader in with the opening "hook."  And no fancy cover can help a writer achieve that.


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## Dosho (Oct 19, 2012)

I also want to say I don't and I really don't when I have an author I follow. However....with new authors/books, I have to admit it does influence me.

D


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## Ciuri Di Badia (May 3, 2012)

covers are very important for those of us who are not familiar with the author. the cover will help make a decision on whether to buy a book or not.


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## John Stevenson (Oct 16, 2012)

Covers are the initial attention getter, so whether you realize it or not they affect your decision. A good cover will draw someone to a book before they even know what it's about. It's certainly a crucial component.


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## Ciuri Di Badia (May 3, 2012)

yes, i agree with you. book covers are a way of giving one an idea of what to expect in a book.


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## Jane Graves (Aug 19, 2012)

I'm a sucker for a great cover. In fact, the last book I read, Etiquette for an Apocalypse, I bought strictly because of the cover because it was so intriguing:



Of course, I'm also a sucker for a good apocalypse story, too, so it hit me with both barrels.


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## Scott Daniel (Feb 1, 2011)

Covers are less important for me than the story aspect. For me, the title has to catch my attention. If it does, I move onto the blurb. Now, that's for authors I don't know. If I like an author, I couldn't care less what the cover looks like. Honestly, in some genres like romance, most of the covers are slight variations of the same theme and have the same elements.


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