Book Covers

Discussion in Books, eBooks & Audio Books started by worldmachine • Jun 4, 2015.

  1. worldmachine

    worldmachineActive Member

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    Has anyone ever bought a book simply because they liked the artwork or the look of the cover? There is the saying ''Never judge a book by it's cover'' but i have been tempted to do just that on occasion.

    I believe that an attractive or intriguing cover can really help to sell a book rather than a bland or plain cover. The reputation of the author and advertising/promotion are what really sells the book but i think the appeal of the cover has a lot to do with it. There are several published titles that will always stick in my mind purely due to the cover even if i have never read them.
     
  2. Lushlala

    LushlalaWell-Known Member

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    I totally agree with you, because I'm one of those people who hate naff book covers. I have often liked the premise of a book but hated the cover so much, I have decided not to bother reading it. For me the cover is a major part of the book, as I really buy into it as part of the story, especially if you have cover models on the front. I hate when I see the same cover models used over and over, across many different books, for instance.
     
  3. ReadWriteLearnLove

    ReadWriteLearnLoveActive Member

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    I think I did that a lot more before the internet. Now, because of Amazon.com and Goodreads.com, I have nice long list of books I want to read thanks to their automatic suggestions and the little synopses that I can read online.
     
  4. Theo

    TheoWell-Known Member

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    Covers are important and help a book, but it's what's inside that matters. I think with physical books it matters more than e-books, as they are searched with keywords usually.

    I have looked at nice covers, but I go by instinct and I have many good books with naff covers and sometimes I will buy an edition of a book I have with a nice cover as an extra copy.
     
  5. dyanmarie25

    dyanmarie25Active Member

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    That is actually so me. :D I am one of those people who tend to look for interesting book covers rather than for their content. My best friend would always tease me and say, "Don't judge the book by its cover." Yeah, I know that, but I also appreciate artwork.
     
  6. Miaka_M

    Miaka_MActive Member

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    I've actually never bought a book based on just the cover. I have to read the synopsis first and then decide that way. After I read the synopsis then I consider the book cover (especially if there are many cover options). I'll admit thatI would always go passed the books that have that plain coloured hard cover, it just doesn't draw me in.
     
  7. MyDigitalpoint

    MyDigitalpointActive Member

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    I use to buy books for their cover when I was "rich" enough to do such a thing. I mean by this, having my father paying for all my expenses, so the money I earned with my own work was used to buy a ton of silly things I regret today, including books that eventually gave to my sister because today I find more practical buy digital books, music, photos and more.

    Everything can be store in a small hard drive, no need of room space, particularly as much as I need to showcase my beautiful covered books that I never read.
     
  8. troutski

    troutskiWell-Known Member

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    If I'm searching without any goal as to what I want to read, then, sure, I'll go ahead and buy a book that features an interesting cover. Plenty of books are just as intriguing as their covers make you think, though the opposite is true as well. I'm not too worried about a good cover making for a bad book, though. For ebooks, I probably look at covers more than I should in buying books because it makes the process faster. It's hit and miss!
     
  9. obliviousme

    obliviousmeActive Member

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    I'm pretty sure i did at least once maybe twice in my life but that was back in my high school days so i think that's totally fine. I think cover of a book is really important and should be given much thought by the author. It's the first thing that a reader notice after all so it should be really artsy but not overly because it would just look tacky. Just enough to draw attention i guess.
     
  10. LeopardJones

    LeopardJonesActive Member

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    It’s funny, for as much as I enjoy good design, I don’t pay a whole lot of attention to book covers when I’m looking for reading material. Though I do see how a well-designed cover might entice people to check a book out that they otherwise might have overlooked. I think I did succumb to that a few times when I was younger. And I really think it contributed to a certain series’ popularity - I don’t really want to read said series myself, but dang if the covers aren’t striking. I actually kind of love them despite the content inside.
     
    #10Jul 13, 2015
    Last edited: Jul 13, 2015