Yes, they really do even if they come more expensive. It's important that they appear appealing to me, even just to me and not to others, though I wouldn't really be able to look at it when I am reading the book. When I get the book and bring it anywhere, even just withing the house, it must already look appealing. It's important because I greatly value aesthetics.
Sometimes they matter, sometimes they don't. I bought several books in the past with really good covers. They even had embossed titles and images. Although they seemed so fancy on the outside, the stories didn't move me as much as the other average-looking books. More than anything, it's the story that matters. At the end of the day, these novels have the same exterior structure. But what will set them apart from the rest is the story.
Back when i was a little younger, i totally judge the book by it's cover. If the cover is awesome so does the content of the book and that's just completely stupid thinking about it now. LoL Now though, i can honestly say i don't care about the cover. I'll even read a that has a blank cover or something that's just plain on the cover page. LoL Cover art is not everything that's for sure.
The only way that book covers mean anything to me is in initially piquing my interest. Other than that, if the book isn't my kind of thing, then I still won't buy the book, regardless of how stirring the cover is. I I like the cover that much, then I am likely to go online, google the book, save the cover and use it as a wallpaper on my phone or something lol. Or on my computer. I would say that I am quite a visual person, so the cover may beckon me. But in the end, if the words in the actual book don't hold any substance, then I am out.
An eye-catching cover would definitely help me make my decision if I would buy the book. The summary on the back or the inside cover of the page will also help me make ym decision if I've never heard of the book before. True, a good cover does not have any correlation with the quality of the writing, but it definitely shapes my instincts. I guess we all judge a book by its cover from time to time.
That's an interesting question and I think book covers do matter. For example, if I see a book title and cover that looks interesting that's generally the one that I'll pick up to read more about on the back cover, but it's funny that it makes a difference to some people and I'm definitely one of those people!
I think the cover really does make an impression on me. It's purely psychological and has been ingrained into me. I know, don't judge a book by it's cover, but that's just a metaphor and I don't think it really applies to real books. I generally look at the cover, and if I like the design I will read the back or the inside and then decide. It's hard to just check every book I see to look at the description, especially when I'm with other people and I have to go through a store fast. I've read some pretty magnificent books which I only picked because of the cover, so the method I use does work.
No, covers don't do anything for me. That's mainly because, long ago, I used to buy my books from secondhand stores. So most of the books are without covers. Covers are just decorations. What's important is the content of the book. Now, I do most of my reading from pdf files. Covers are even less important. I mean, I don't remember ever looking at the cover of a pdf file. I just go right into the contents.
If I'm buying a brand new or 2nd hand book, I don't look at the design per se, but at how worn out the cover is. I tend to not buy it if it's very worn-looking. But apart from that, the cover doesn't really matter, I buy a book for it's contents.
Have you ever looked at the inside cover of a secondhand book? Sometimes they have interesting stories to tell, like little messages. Or even names and addresses. I haven't ever tried contacting any of the names or addresses I have found. Has anyone tried that?
For me the book cover is very important. I know the content isn't always dictated by the cover; but whether it's wrong or right, if I don't like the cover I don't bother with the book. Same goes for the book title. Everything has to fall in place, and there has to be synergy between the cover, the title and the subject matter. In the past I've started reading books where the description of a character is totally at odds with the cover model. I have actually stopped reading and binned said books. It's a HUGE bug bear of mine.
I really don't pay much attention to a book cover. I'm more interested in the blurb on the back which tells you what the book is about. Some books do look beautiful though. I agree that the classics don't really need an elaborate cover - the content and reputation of the book speaks for itself. I'm reminded of the old adage "Never judge a book by its cover"!
In that case, the book publishers have really wasted their money paying people to make good covers for their books. I do agree with your attitude, though. I buy a book to read, not to look at. And, as you said, the blurb does tell a lot more about the book than the cover.
In my opinion, the primary purpose of the book cover is to catch the attention of someone wandering by. If it has me intrigued, I'll flip through the book and read the synopsis. Unless it is horrendously bad, I don't think book covers really influence my choice of books. Sometimes the cover art is so horribly campy that I just have to read it.
I would be lying if I said that the cover of a book doesn't matter at all for me. Especially when you have no idea what the book is about or whether the author is any good, a good and interesting cover is the thing that will call your attention to reading the summary and checking if it's good or not. If a book has a poor and dull cover, it will not grab your attention and you will never know if it's good.
