"Why do they say 'Don't judge a book by its cover?' Don't you read the back cover to find out what the book is about, and decide if you want to read it?"
Well, yes and no, I told her. That's not what the saying means, really. There was more to our discussion, until it was time to head to track practice.
But on the drive home from the track, I got to thinking. How often do we actually judge books by their cover art? Quite often, if we're honest with ourselves. I mean, aren't you drawn to a certain "type" of cover when you're in the bookstore? Don't you think some books just * look * poorly written, solely judging by the care the author took in choosing their cover art - even if we know the author doesn't always get the final say?
What do you look for at the library or bookstore? What covers draw you in?
Have you ever read a book with a fabulous cover that was totally disappointing?
Have you ever read a book with an awful-ugly-what-were-they-thinking cover that you loved?
I hate it when a book cover lies to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Anon.
ReplyDeleteIf a book cover looks like all the other ones (e.g. the teen age girl wearing a ballgown in a forest), I'm going to assume the story is similar to all the other ones too.
And "similar to all the others" is a good thing if that's what you like to read, I guess. If you like shapeshifter or vampire or faerie books, there are clues you look for in that cover art to find the "type" of book you like to read.
DeleteWhat makes you choose one over the other, though?
i do look at the cover and judge the book pretty much--but more so by the title--and yes both have certainly disappointed but more have betrayed my liking by the cover!
ReplyDeleteInteresting... what about when a book puts out more than one cover, appealing to different readers? e.g. the Sookie Stackhouse books, which all get released in a few variations?
DeleteCame here by way of morning bloffee, good to meet you! Great post, I think about this a lot because I totally judge a book by its cover. The title, font treatment, cover image, technology used - all of it comes together to either repulse me or draw me in. I also think a lot of cover art is indicative of genre or story type, which helps me visually determine if it's a genre I read or not.
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you too!
DeleteI agree that genre helps determine what "type" of cover an author needs to have - I love the look of today's YA covers. And when I try to get my daughter to read something I loved when I was her age, she often looks at the cover and it's just not as cool as today's covers. After (if) she reads it, she's often amazed that it wasn't as "boring" as the cover suggested
;-)
New follower from Creepy Query Girl's blog.
ReplyDeleteFor me it's not so much the cover as it is the blurb. I've read so many amazing blurbs only to read the book and feel like I was bait and switch disappointed!
Hi, Johanna, nice to meet you ;-)
ReplyDeleteI've never felt "bait and switch" from a blurb, but certainly have felt gipped by a good idea poorly executed.
I will randomly pick a book and read the blurb. But most times I'm looking for a specific author
ReplyDeleteWhen I "randomly" pick a book, it's the cover that draws me in to read the blurb. I'll pick up books I've heard about or read about on another blog, but the covers do catch my eye.
DeleteThis is weird. Most of my purchases of books come from recommendations or reading about the books. I never once thought the cover made a difference. Then I found out how horribly I was wrong. Apparently covers are what drive most people to check out a book. I had no idea...
ReplyDelete