Judging a book's cover

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Judging a book's cover

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1mckait
Jul 12, 2009, 6:05 pm

Okay, maybe this should be posted under pet peeves. I do not like current book covers very much. For instance, there are those cartoony types as in the chic lit genre and others . Then there are the real photo ones as in Into the Beautiful North. I also dislike movie tie in covers such as
The Night Listener. I like plain old fashioned covers like The Sparrow or The Historian. Do you know what I mean?

or is it just me.

2tloeffler
Jul 13, 2009, 11:14 am

I've never really given it conscious thought, but I think I probably agree with you. Most of the cartoony type covers cause me to dismiss a book out of hand, because I expect the inside will be as insubstantial as the outside. An author told me once that they don't always get to choose the cover (they may or may not have input, but the final choice is the publishers). I'll admit that I have bought some books based ONLY on the covers. I also like the plain old-fashioned covers, or covers that pull you into the book.

Okay, it's not just you.

3loriephillips
Jul 13, 2009, 3:31 pm

I agree. I don't like cartoony covers and I especially don't like photo covers. I also dislike the type of covers on most romances, especially historical romances (bodice ripper covers). I don't usually buy books just from the cover, but a good cover does cause me to pick up the book just in case it's something I might like.

4mckait
Jul 13, 2009, 5:55 pm

relieved is me...

I agree, a good cover can make me ick up a book, and I have bought a book because it has a great cover.. sad to say, I have at times dismissed a books based on its cover.

I hope they get over this reality photo thing soon, it bugs me since I always form my own picture of the characters and then there is this nasty picture on the front..
:P

5trishpaw
Jun 28, 2013, 1:55 am

I will try to avoid buying a book if it has the movie tie-in on it. And I dislike when a book has a cover that doesn't match...for example, the book talks about the woman's red curly hair, and the cover is a blonde with straight hair. Is that petty?

6trishpaw
Jun 28, 2013, 1:56 am

I have bought books just for the cover, too, and usually that ends up as a good thing.

7Booksloth
Jun 28, 2013, 7:27 am

Some books I have bought purely because of the cover are The Dolphin People, The Night Circus, My Mistress's Sparrow is Dead, Tiny Sunbirds Far, Far Away and Shantaram. In every case I knew nothing about the book before buying and they all turned out to be wonderful reads which count among my all-time favourites. Probably coincidence but definitely an encouragement to buy on the basis of the cover art. I still look out for covers by my favourite artist and illustrator Bascove (http://www.bascove.com/) whose work adorns many early Penguin editions of Robertson Davies books and an equally elderly series of the Cadfael books.

8mlfhlibrarian
Jun 28, 2013, 1:54 pm

I dislike books which have been given a new cover linked to the film/tv series, I refuse to buy them and always search for copies with the original cover. I'm thinking of Dickens, Austen etc. And I hate the way recent editions of Austen have been given a sexed up cover to attract the chick lit readers.
Does anyone else hate the stickers that most paperbacks have now, you know the 3 for 2 or 10 percent off stickers. I always peel them off but sometimes they leave a sticky residue :(

9MerryMary
Jun 28, 2013, 2:19 pm

And sometimes the sales stickers are actually printed into the cover design, which makes me furious.

10Booksloth
Jun 29, 2013, 5:09 am

What both #8 and #9 said - except that I quite enjoy peeling off the stickers (at least, those that will peel off).