This week’s question:
The flip side of last week’s …
Are there any good books that you read IN SPITE OF the cover and ended up wondering what on earth the artist and publisher were thinking to pair up a cover that so badly represented a perfectly good book?
And … if you didn’t like the cover, what made you pick up the book? The author? Assigned reading from school? A recommendation from a friend?
My answer:
Unfortunately, yes. And quite a few. BB (before blogging), I will admit, when purchasing a book, I would first pick up a book because of it’s cover and then read the synopsis. Unless it was a writer that was on my “authors to read” list.
However, for the past 3 years, since becoming an active participant in the online book blogging community and accepting requests to review, it’s the synopsis and/or reviews from other bloggers that influence me. After receiving said books, there have been a few times where I have thought, “what were they thinking?” I also wonder if the cover is any indication of what kind of read it is going to be. And in those circumstances when the book is a 4-5 star, I then think “the cover is going to hurt the sales of a book” putting myself in a consumer’s “shoes”. Even though I loved the book, I know I would have missed out on a good read if I saw it on the shelves.
In my opinion, even though you aren’t supposed to judge a book by it’s cover, when I see a poorly designed cover, I automatically think that the caliber of writing will probably be amateurish especially in today’s market where anyone can self publish.
What about you? Do covers influence you? Have you read a 5 star novel but hate the cover? What are your thoughts on poorly designed covers?
I’ve seen so many covers that just don’t get the feeling of the book. It makes me wonder if the artists read the books.
When I have author interviews I always ask about the interaction and how much involvement they have with the artists. I find the ones that have some say or the artist is a fan they work better.
I told one author his book won’t get read due to the cover but it was an erotic book and he thanked me and said he agreed.