# How much does a cover influence your choice in a novel?



## rejrej1 (Nov 4, 2012)

There are many types of cover designs, but do they influence your decision, even after reading the forward or reviews? I notice YA books with sexy models draw glances, and fantasy books with colorful dragons, detective stories with fedora - trenchcoat wearing Bogarts, sci fi's with supernovas and starships ... do they work? And what about plain covers with a small symbol or object? Thanks for indulging my curiosity


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

A well designed cover will catch my eye.  I'm don't actually care about "genre" covers.  The cover is either eye catching or it isn't.  If it is, I'll read the blurb to find out what it is about.  The cover makes me look, the blurb makes me buy.

Betsy


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

We've had several topics on this - most recently: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,124400.0.html

Also:
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,59292.0.html
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,24290.0.html
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,75695.0.html
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,53863.0.html

Not saying we shouldn't have another one, I just know I've responded to a few in the past and this seemed easier than repeating myself.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Imagine how many of these threads I've answered.    We have new people all the time and your "most recent," history_lover, was a few weeks back.    No one has to respond to threads that no longer interest them, but I'm always up for a good cover discussion.   

As I said, eye-catching art is eye-catching art. And will draw me in. I do see a lot of bad art on covers, though.

There does seem to be a belief that romances have to have a hunky guy or great looking girl on the cover; Sci Fi has to have a rocket or star on the cover...  I don't think I'm that wedded to a standard look.  One of my favorite Sci Fi books in recent years was by Mike Hicks, and it had a blue chick with a sword on the cover.  Much more compelling than most Sci Fi covers I've seen.

Betsy


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## rejrej1 (Nov 4, 2012)

Well, I appologize if this thread has been done over and over. Moderators if you feel it is redundant, please pull it.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I am a moderator, and I'm participating.  I apologize, we're usually more gracious to new folk; it's in our charter.  we have gotten a lot of new members recently, I'm sure they'll enjoy a chance to participate.

As a reader, what do you find compelling in a cover, rejrej1?

Bets


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

I have seen this many times but havent responded to one in awhile.

Covers are one of the last things that affect my choices, esp. when shopping online. In a bookstore, possibly.

I will say however, that covers that are 'photos' rather than art scream 'indie' or self-published' to me and I have developed a sense of caution in my discretion with respect to buying non-mainstream books.


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## Eliza Baum (Jul 16, 2011)

Covers are _very_ influential to me, even though I know sometimes that it's silly. For instance, I have this book on my shelf. It's a fantasy book that was put out in the late eighties/early nineties, I believe. The artwork is awesome, but the heroine's hair and clothing are a liiiittle outdated, to say the least. I bought it because I loved the back summary. It is my kind of story.

But I still haven't read it.*

I know it has a lot to do with the cover. Every time I pick it up, thinking about reading it, I start imagining the main character looking like that...and I just can't. Sadly, I know that I would be able to read it if the cover was different.

Those covers are a terrible, insidious thing sometimes. I still love them, though! A great cover can have the opposite effect, in that a book will immediately go to the front of my TBR stack if the cover is that good, for better or worse.

*This is not an unusual state of affairs for me. I'm a book hoarder, and I tend to have a giant backlog of unread books. If I didn't, I'd feel like something was wrong.


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## J. W. Rolfe (Oct 21, 2012)

Covers denote professionalism and whether or not the author is serious about selling his or her work. While I don't judge a book by its cover, I just might or might not bother to judge it based on its cover.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Serious research has been done on this subject when it comes to bookstores (I'm not sure whether the same's been done for Kindle yet) and it indicates that a good cover is _very_ instrumental in getting shoppers to pick up a book and give it a closer study. And if that works in stores, then why not on Kindle?


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Imagine how many of these threads I've answered.  We have new people all the time and your "most recent," history_lover, was a few weeks back.  No one has to respond to threads that no longer interest them, but I'm always up for a good cover discussion.


I realize that, that's why I mentioned that I wasn't trying to say that we shouldn't have another topic on it. And equally, because many people don't answer the same question more than once, or because some old members don't frequent here instead, I thought posting links to the older topics might give the OP more responses from people who might not reply to this particular one. I was trying to be helpful, not discouraging.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

J. W. Rolfe said:


> Covers denote professionalism and whether or not the author is serious about selling his or her work. While I don't judge a book by its cover, I just might or might not bother to judge it based on its cover.


Because, at least for me, covers are much less obvious when online shopping.

YMMV


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I mostly shop for books on my iPad/computer; so I look at the covers a lot.  They're the first impression.  I then move on to the blurb.  So the cover influences which books I actually consider buying; 

Betsy


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## timskorn (Nov 7, 2012)

When I was younger, the cover to "Z for Zacharia" made me want to read the book without even having to read the book summary.  A guy in a Hazmat suit,a young girl, and the reflection of an nuclear blast in his visor.  Very cool!  Covers can definitely make the difference.


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## MalloryMoutinho (Aug 24, 2012)

I'm very much the exception to the rule. I don't care one iota what your cover looks like...I've found too many gems that when I've gone back to look--the cover is terrible.

I go by price, star rating, book description, then one star reviews (personally, many one star reviews make me want to read the book b/c they say  too much sex/swearing/some other thing that I also don't care about)

BUT...I am in the minority here.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

On paper versions of fiction, the author's name was far more important than anything else for me--what experience the author had given me previously. Cover was much less important, though still a major factor.

On ebooks, author's name is still important, cover is less important for me because the cover image I see online is smaller and harder to make out. Rarely do I try to look at a larger version, even if it is available. The description and reviews take a larger role.

Similar to J. W. Rolfe, one place ebook covers influence me is that an amateurish cover will almost certainly send me on my way. Here's an example of a Kindle book that is excellent, but has a truly awful cover:



I'd read this book and loved it in paperback, but I'd have never got past the ebook cover if I hadn't known it from previous experience.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Not surprisingly, covers are very important to me.  The first thing I ask myself is, is a cover appealing to the eye? Obviously a sloppy cover is appealing to nobody but a lot of it is also a matter of personal taste. For example, I'm personally drawn toward dramatic poses or lighting and/or bright colors (especially peacock colors). I also gravitate to covers with people or parts of people on them. And I don't like anything that looks crowded or busy, preferring just one or two central objects or people, zoomed in enough that I can make out what's going on. 

But it's impossible to know how much my tastes have been shaped by what I'm used to. For example, my brain identifies an image of a (clothed) woman's back with a city background as an urban fantasy. A cover with dark colors and half a face tells my brain the book is young adult. Shirtless man-chest tells me sensual romance. The books may be none of those things but I'll make the assumption they are until the blurb tells me otherwise. And the truth is, I'm way too lazy to read the description to figure out the genre. If it's not immediately obvious I just pass it by and pick up something that is.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Dara makes a good point about style. . . . .certain images are associated, for me, with certain genres. If they're genres I like, I might check out the book; if not, I won't. So it's probably pretty important that the cover style matches the content. 

You won't get many romance readers to even look at a book if there's not a picture of a couple (or at least a hot guy or gal ) on the cover. OTOH, a couple in an embrace is probably not going to draw the eye of the customer looking for a good serial killer murder mystery. _Even if both covers are very very good in terms of artistic quality!_

I think I don't pay close attention to covers. . .but if I'm browsing through Amazon, or looking at recommendations, the cover images are what clue me into whether I might try the book -- this assuming I've not already sorted by genre. I also will admit that some covers look really amateurish and don't draw me to the book.

Mostly, for me, it's the blurb and genre that ultimately get me to click. . . . or not. . . . the cover is, at most, a first impression.


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Like others have said - covers make me read the blurb. Blurb makes me read a sample - and I might buy based on that (and price). A bad cover will make me think the writing might not be that good either, which isn't always true, I know, but that's how my brain works. A great cover will almost always intrigue me enough to investigate further.

I've bought books based on intriguing covers in peoples' sigs here.


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## mestrin (Aug 27, 2012)

I don't judge a book by its cover, but I do judge a book by the professionalism of the cover.
It's sad but true: if the cover design looks cheap or amateurish, I assume that the writing matches. And why wouldn't I?
Even if you're self-published, you can still find a quality artist to do a solid cover for a few hundred bucks. It may not win any awards, but it will be professional. And I know, some people out there right now are saying, "a few hundred bucks?" That's a lot of money.
Well, it depends on what you mean by "a lot." Is it a lot of money in terms of how much you spend on rent, or food, or entertainment each month? Maybe. But is a few hundred a lot when you consider how many hours it takes to write a novel? Not really. 
The writer may not be paid in advance to write the book and they may never make very much money for all the time they spent, but putting out a book with a cheap cover is a signal to the world that you just don't care about your writing. Which should make any reader wonder why they should care.
But that's just about professionalism.
In terms of aesthetics, I think there's a lot of room for variety. After all, that's a highly subjective subject in terms of covers. And franky, the aesthetics of your cover help readers grasp the tone/style of your book, which means your cover should both attract readers and help others opt out. But if you don't clear the professionalism bar, nobody will buy your book. And honestly, nobody should.


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## Ilyria Moon (May 14, 2011)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> A well designed cover will catch my eye. I'm don't actually care about "genre" covers. The cover is either eye catching or it isn't. If it is, I'll read the blurb to find out what it is about. The cover makes me look, the blurb makes me buy.
> 
> Betsy


^ This.

Not so much when buying online, but definitely in bookstores.


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## cekilgore (Oct 31, 2012)

I actually pay more attention to a book's title than the cover.. but I'm odd like that. 
And beyond that, its the Synopsis, what reviews have said and the Previews that make me actually buy a book. 

I do agree that covers are important for catching the eye, so I wouldn't use MS Paint to make one..


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

The book cover and title are the first things that catch my eye. If those look interesting, I read the book description. If I'm still intrigued, then I usually (although not always) read the sample before deciding whether to purchase.


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## RigelsShaper (Nov 3, 2012)

I think if a cover is eye-catching, then it does a lot to draw me in. Also, if it can communicate well what type of story it's likely to be, then that helps too. Since I'm a sci-fi/fantasy person, that's the kind of stuff I look for. One recent example for me is Incarceron by Catherine Fisher. First, the logo was great. The lettering in some places was shaped to look like gears, which suggested a mechanical theme or perhaps something futuristic. You also have the cool looking key and the gears in the background, which reinforce the machine motif. Finally, you have the tagline, "This Prison is Alive." Really cool.

I don't recall if a cover ever turned me off after getting info about that book. I suppose the worst I can say is that some covers don't induce me to buy the book or to even flip through it. Those tend to be the more generic ones.


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## VondaZ (Apr 21, 2009)

Most books that I buy, I purchase because I heard about them somewhere else - a blog, magazine review, forum, recommendation from a friend - or I am familiar with the author (either it is an author I have read before and enjoyed or it is an author that I am familiar with that I haven't gotten around to trying yet). In these cases, I couldn't care a hoot about the cover. So for most of the books I buy, cover does not matter at all. Some other source has triggered me to buy it. I read a lot of classics and they don't even have a cover to speak of. It is the content I care about, not the cover.

That said, if I have never heard of you or your book and I am just coming across a link in a recommendation from Amazon or a book cover link in these forums, then cover is all you have to sell me on and it becomes the most important factor. A gripping cover occasionally triggers me to click on a link and read more about it. I tend to purchase very little this way, but if you want to rope me in out of the cold with no previous exposure to you or your work, the cover is all you have.

So basically, to make me notice a book I have never heard of by an author I have never heard of, the cover art is essential to get my attention. I like a cover that stimulates my imagination and makes me wonder what is going on inside that book. The cover also has to be an accurate representation of the genre because I will instantly dismiss books that look like they belong to a genre I don't read. They don't even register with me.


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## rejrej1 (Nov 4, 2012)

Well, a couple of things. Titles have to be relative to the book, and covers have to reflect something about them. A title page has to be a draw, even if it is not that professional, it should have something to do with the story. I like seeing characters on the cover, or a scene from the book. I mean there are lots of titles, and it needs to stand out.


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## meghanmalone (Nov 19, 2012)

I admit that I do judge books by their covers. At the very least, a cover has to look professional for me to buy the book, unless I happen to have a personal recommendation from someone whose taste I trust. Whether it's fair or not, I tend to assume that the quality of the book itself is at least somewhat parallel to the quality of the cover. Even if I don't particularly love a cover design, as long as the fonts are chosen with care, high quality images are used, and attention is paid to making it look well put-together, I'm happy. 

If I see a book cover that looks like someone with little knowledge of graphic design put it together, I rarely give the book a chance. That kills me, because I know darn well that there are probably plenty of great books with unfortunate covers, but sadly, the whole first impression thing is super important when there are so many books competing for my attention.


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

I'm influenced by the cover. For example, I was put off reading Terry Pratchett for years by the covers. I finally took the chance, and loved the books. Now I also like the covers!

I'm also put off by covers that look too generic: eg Photoshopped photos of pretty girls with long hair, flowy dresses,and magic swirls. Rationally I know the book may be good but I may not take the chance.


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

It's fascinating now that it is so wide open. New York used to have a virtual monopoly on books and therefore was able to develop shorthand of images and fonts that denoted genre to a shopper.


Now I think it is less useful, although we're still in a transitional phase. People say "Get a professional cover" but what good does that do if it looks exactly like the other 50,000 books in your genre? So I avoid the subjective word "good" and go for eye-catching. And the number one killer for me is if you can't read the title/author name in thumbnail (and yes, I've had some of those myself).

"Cover" is not even the right term for it anymore, since these are essentially buttons for digital products. I'm excited about the new visual language that is evolving, particularly among the more experimental publishers and authors.


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## carolineluvs2rt (Mar 31, 2011)

A cover does draw me in, so I think the cover should at least indicate the book's genre and heat level. Personally, I've experienced a learning curve on covers, and am beginning to replace some of the early ones, even when sales have held up. I go for the blurb if the cover intrigues me, but I won't pay over a certain amount and, if there's a question about whether I'm going to buy or not, I read reviews. From reviews I've received, I know that a review is iffy and subjective, so I don't rely on them. They are one more factor, though. I agree with Dara in that we have certain expectations from certain images.


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## Soothesayer (Oct 19, 2012)

I almost bought one of Michael Sullivan's fantasy books just on the cover alone, and nothing else. Those kinds of covers could easily cost upwards of $500 to $1500 to create (I think he does his himself), but boy do they move books! Especially for young teens.


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## nicola.palmer (Dec 29, 2011)

I'm ashamed to say that covers influence my choice greatly.  An amateur cover says amateur book to me.  I have found some exceptions to my own daft rule if they were recommended to me!


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## Carrie Rubin (Nov 19, 2012)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> The cover is either eye catching or it isn't. If it is, I'll read the blurb to find out what it is about. The cover makes me look, the blurb makes me buy.
> 
> Betsy


My thoughts exactly!


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## Angela Brown (Nov 16, 2012)

I try to keep the shallowness to a minimum. However, I tend to view the cover as a presentation of what I can or should expect. Symbolic covers cause me to think, or if there is a face, if there is a certain look, tilt of the head or something that gives me a hint for what I could expect. So yes, covers stop me, the blurb hooks me and hopefully the rest of the book can live up to the expectations set by a great cover and blurb.


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## markarayner (Mar 14, 2011)

I'm like many here -- the cover is really the first hurdle, but it's a tall one. First of all, many covers will tell me right away if it's a genre in which I'm interested. If it looks like a bodice-ripper, I'll give it a pass. I'm probably not going to be interested in something with a black cover and a picture of a wolf. And if it looks unprofessional (hacky clipart, stock photos, poor use of typefaces, bad composition), I'll ignore it. 

On the other hand, a well-designed cover will catch my eye and get me to read the blurb.

The blurb, of course, is the next hurdle


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

Most great and very good books I have read did not have a great cover, but they did have a great story. I think some put too much into having a great cover today with ebooks where the cover serves as a button. I've seen some great covers on some not so good books. As a reader I've never selected a book only because of the cover design--usually I will read a sample first. A good cover I think should interest the reader and draw them in to delve further and the cover should look professional.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I don't think I ever find myself _consciously_ being influenced by a cover to take a closer look at a book -- though I'm sure subconsciously I have -- but bad/wrong covers have, at times, made me consciously choose to continue searching for other options.


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## ironspike (Nov 20, 2012)

I’ve had this conversation on the LinkedIn boards. A great cover doesn’t mean it’s a great book. We all know that. 
However, to get to the interior of the book we have to pass through the cover gateway. When 15 thumbnails scroll across the bottom of a browser - a good cover is what most people will select first. Then the summary or description is what seals the deal.

This is what influenced the design of my cover art. I knew that if anyone seen my book – it would be a blurb on a browser if viewed on an iPhone or iPad screen. I also knew that if Amazon posted it anywhere – it would be in the “John smith also bought” and three little icons would show on the buy screen. I could only hope that my book could be one of those.
I did my best to make sure my graphic, name, and title was legible if scaled down. An issue that I think most publishers over look.


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## Paul Reid (Nov 18, 2010)

The cover, the blurb, the opening lines, for me they all factor significantly in whether the book is going to draw me in or not.


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## Neil Ostroff (Mar 25, 2011)

A cover definitely gets me interested in a book.


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## Iren (Nov 23, 2012)

A cover is important to me only if I have never heard of the writer. 
I judge by the cover before reading a sample. But a bad, amateur cover keeps me away from the book, i won't even read the sample.


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## jaimee83 (Sep 2, 2009)

When I'm in the grocery/drug store I usually stop and brouse the books.  I have very many authors I enjoy and look at their books for future choices.  Often a catchy cover will get noticed and I'll read the back cover to see if it sparks any interest.  Often I'll put 3 or 4 paperback books together and take a picture of them to look over on Amazon and possibly add to the wish list. It is a bit discouraging to hold a $9.99 paperback book I really want knowing its $14.99 through Amazon and it might be a year or so before it hits $9.99 on line. I have @ 700+ books I need to get rid of (they are all important to me) so I need to stop bringing books home.  I think this E Book pricing is way out of line but as long as we keep paying they'll hold the price.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Very little as I seldom browse for e-books.  I generally just buy books by authors I've been reading for a while, things I read a review or hear about on a site like this rather than going and browsing on Amazon.

Exceptions would be the daily deal e-mails, and occasionally looking through the monthly sales (i.e. the 100 books $3.99 or less each month).  With those maybe a cover will catch my eye and get me to read the blurb and then check some reviews if I'm still interested.


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## MeToo (Nov 26, 2012)

I believe the cover is an important expression of the book inside.  I worked very hard to have a cover designed for my book, "Me Too" that gave an image of my message to readers.


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## Greg Stahl (Nov 11, 2012)

@Scott Nicholson: I love the title "As I Die Lying." That caught my attention more than any of your covers, although your covers are all very professional.

I'm with those who take covers fairly seriously. Among my varying hobbies, I'm a sometimes-photographer as well. Visual aesthetics are super important to me. More than that, it's just a statement by the author that he or she is serious about sharing their work with the world. Pretty simple. I'm very unlikely to get past a poorly-designed cover. And ... fonts. I'm surprised by some of the hard-to-read and quirky fonts I see on some book covers. A great image with a goofy font will deter me just as quickly as a lackluster image.


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## wolfrom (May 26, 2012)

I'd say that covers can serve more to scare me away than draw me in. I usually go with recommendations to find books, so if I'm set on reading a book the cover's the most likely thing to change my mind.


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## RhiannonDouglas (Nov 26, 2012)

A terrible book cover will put me off a book. I agree with many here, the look of your cover says how much you care about your book. There are some cheap ways to get a good looking cover now and to me that means there is no excuse to have a tacky cover.


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## Low Kay Hwa (Jun 15, 2012)

I do know that cover is important, and so is the spine, but for some reason, even if the cover is attractive, I won't read it just for the cover. This is ironic since I'm a writer and we spend a lot on cover.

However, the title does affect my decision. A lot, in fact.


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## Jenni Norris (Oct 10, 2012)

The cover definitely makes the difference for me and in the Kindle world even more so, because it is not possible to flick right through a book like you would whilst standing in a bookstore, deciding if you like it or not. The sample is not enough. I was very grateful that my publishing company hired an excellent artist for the cover of my e-book


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## courtyoung (Dec 4, 2012)

There are usually two reasons why I purchase a book. The first is because it was recommended to me. The second is because the cover was appealing to the eye. I admit that I have purchased some books with not so appealing covers and was pleasantly surprised with the story. We really shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but in a world where looks are *almost* everything it is kind of hard. 

I don't necessarily care for genre specific. More of whether the cover was well executed for the contents and if it makes sense with the story.


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## Krystal Wade (Dec 3, 2012)

rejrej1 said:


> There are many types of cover designs, but do they influence your decision, even after reading the forward or reviews? I notice YA books with sexy models draw glances, and fantasy books with colorful dragons, detective stories with fedora - trenchcoat wearing Bogarts, sci fi's with supernovas and starships ... do they work? And what about plain covers with a small symbol or object? Thanks for indulging my curiosity


I've always gone against the rule of "Don't judge a book by its cover" because I always DO. A cover is what catches your attention in the first place, generally, right? Especially in a book store. Online it's a little different, but even when scrolling through Amazon recs it's the cover that gets me to stop, read the blurb, check out the "Look Inside". Since I don't read reviews of books BEFORE I buy, the cover and first few pages are all I have to go by.


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

RockyMountainHigh said:


> @Scott Nicholson: I love the title "As I Die Lying." That caught my attention more than any of your covers, although your covers are all very professional.
> 
> Thanks, Greg-yours is simple and clean and evocative. I think that is important, and I tend to end up unhappy with the "professional" covers I've commissioned. Too often designers (I feel) don't understand the design needs for a button--they are still designing "book covers" that look awesome at 7.5"x9" on their big Mac monitors, without ever considering the actual way the image will be used.
> 
> ...


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## StephenLivingston (May 10, 2011)

Very little.


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## Mark Young (Dec 13, 2010)

Personally, a great cover may catch me eye, but it is not the deciding reason why I might buy the book. However, a poorly-created cover (unless I am familiar with the author) will discourage me from checking out the novel further A bad cover equates to a bad writer, or at least one who has not done their marketing homework. I don't want to waste my time or money.


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## paigeedward (Dec 14, 2012)

I like when covers seem to be part of the story. When they draw you in. I just bought this book TIDAL by Emily Snow (http://www.amazon.com/Tidal-ebook/dp/B00ANR0ULE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1355450196&sr=1-1&keywords=emily+snow+tidal) not only because I loved her first book, but also because its evocative of a relationship...makes me want to know more. It engages the reader...those are the best covers, the ones that make you say, who is that? or what are they thinking? or ...
First time on the boards. Nice to be here!


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## Aya Ling (Nov 21, 2012)

Not much. I do love a gorgeous cover, I have this one (ex: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11475952-vengeance-born) as my desktop background now, but I'm more of a blurb-and-sample person. It's the inside that counts


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## brianrowe (Mar 10, 2011)

When I'm in a bookstore, I'll definitely pick up a book that has a neat cover, but I'll rarely, if ever, actually buy a book just because I like the cover. The story is always the most important element for me as a buyer. And, let's be honest, word of mouth doesn't hurt either.


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## David Anderson (Dec 15, 2012)

The cover piques my interest, but other things ultimately convince me. These include: the opening pages, the back cover, the reviews, the author's reputation--all sorts of things. I don't think I've ever purely been sold on the cover before.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Going right back (and it's a long way) to reading Enid Blyton and the Famous Five and Secret Seven, it was the cover that caught my attention. The cover told me what the story was about. I enjoy family sagas, but I don't like science fiction, so before I've even seen the title I can usually tell by the cover what genre I'm looking at. But that's just a quick glance (and sometimes that's all you have time to give if you're scrolling through hundreds of book covers). I would need to know a lot more before I actually purchased the book.


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