Do you judge a book by its cover?
Absolutely. I'm such a sucker for a pretty cover (and especially pretty fonts). This really comes into play whenever I go to a bookstore, especially a used bookstore where a lot of the book are in not-great condition. I love the ones that have nice, modern-looking covers. One thing that really annoys me with book covers (and yes, I realize this is done for a reason) is when the author's name is bigger than the title of the book. It happens a lot with big-time authors and even sometimes in YA, especially with some of Sarah Dessen's books and, most notably, the paperback version of AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES, by John
Green. This has always bothered me and though I know the author has nothing to do with it and it probably is very good advertisement, especially if the author is well-known, I'm more likely to buy a book where the title is the focus, not the author's name.
As for what I do like in book covers?
- Color. (example: THE EXTRAORDINARY SECRETS OF APRIL, MAY, AND JUNE)
- Fonts. Pretty fonts, that is. I like Helvetica (dear Helvetica, I love you.) and fonts that look hand-written especially. (example: THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY)
- Simple, conceptual designs. There are many I can think of for this one, but I like the unobtrusive, eye-catching pictures that give a hint to what the book is about. (examples: SCRAMBLED EGGS AT MIDNIGHT and THE UNWRITTEN RULE)
- Matte finish. Hey, I like a shiny book cover as much as the next person, but not if "shiny" means "every fingerprint is going to show." That's just annoying.
To be completely honest, and just to show how much I love pretty covers, I own a few books that I don't even like but I constantly find myself wanting to reread them just because of how beautiful the cover is. So yeah, I judge the covers. It doesn't come into play when considering what I think of the story and writing, but in choosing what to buy it definitely does.
What about you? Do you choose what to buy based on covers? What do you love (or hate) in covers?
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ReplyDeletehey! now following you too :)
ReplyDeleteI love the points you made in this post: COLOR, FONT and not-overdone! definitely true.
Definitely a cover judger. I love simple, graphic covers like the original Abundance of Katherine cover. Gorgeous photographs are perfect; Eva Moves the Furniture took my breath away when I first saw it.
ReplyDeleteI agree about overly shiny covers--fingerprint bonanza.
ReplyDeleteA fantastic cover definitely attracts me.
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ReplyDeleteHope you have a great long weekend,
Ms. C
I might not buy a book because of its cover, but a beautifully designed cover will definitely make me pick a book up.
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