“Don’t judge a book by its cover” I’ve noticed a lot of people do not heed this advice at all, and rightfully so; specific styles correspond to different genres, etc. What features on a cover do you take as a sign that the book is worth reading? 🙂
(For me, there’s a specific font that most contemporary books use on their covers, like Taylor Jenkins Reid’s signature font. If I see that font, I’ll pick it up and read a few pages without hesitation)
by little1idiots
9 Comments
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I’m with the other commenter- I use it as a way to avoid things I won’t like – eg what they used to call airport fiction (the books with embossed titles in gold or silver)
Shirtless men with abs is a pass from me. I am not into that type of men anyway so why would I want to read about it?
If the cover has a “graphic design is my passsion” air about it, I’ll usually pass it. I feel like a lack of effort on the cover can indicate a lack of effort on the story inside. Not always, because I do love corny romance novels with corny covers and I’ve read terrible books with beautiful covers, but sometimes that hunch can be right.
I avoid anything glossy black with a single red/bloody object. Idk, just feels super edgelady to me haha. I’m a sucker for a pretty cover though, what can I say. Some recent trends I love are:
the kaleidoscope/wreath/frame around the title (Threadneedle, The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi uk edition)
BIG SANS-SERIF LETTERING (new Agatha Christie paperbacks, The Expanse, Stephen King’s Holly)
Hyper-colorful painting-like (Seven Moons of Magali Almeida, A Magic Steeped in Poison, The Honeys)
I really hate the recent trend of romance novels with the vector art characters, though there have been a few that I thought were well done.
If the author’s name is bigger than the title of the book I skip it
Say it again! Give the first two chapters a shot at least. Some stories I never thought I’d like from a glance had some depth or viewpoints that kept me going.
If it’s got a nonfiction look with a solid color cover and just some font I’m instantly bored. Same with anything with a bunch of hodpodge elements that are supposed to be abstract. I like attractive faces, flowers, birds, stars and landscapes.
I also hate “domestic thrillers” so anything with a dark house with one lit window or cover featuring just a wedding ring(s) is a pass. Especially rings + blood.
For my most recent writers conference, I attended a session that takes about this exact thing. You can tell what kind of effort the author put into the story by the effort they put into the cover. It was interesting to learn that, in a bookstore or library, it’s the spine that attracts is first.
I hate an obvious copy & paste job. If the title doesn’t “blend” well, I pass it over, too.
I can’t resist a watercolor style.