Do you ever judge a book by it's cover?

Use this forum for book and reading discussion that doesn't fall into another category. Talk about books, genres, reading issues, general literature, and any other topic of particular interest to readers. If you want to start a thread about a specific book or a specific series, please do that in the section below this one.
User avatar
Charlienmegan Wehner
Posts: 301
Joined: 03 Jun 2022, 20:51
Currently Reading: Finding Joy with an Invisible Chronic Illness
Bookshelf Size: 62
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-charlienmegan-wehner.html
Latest Review: Death Ray by Tom King

Re: Do you ever judge a book by it's cover?

Post by Charlienmegan Wehner »

I do judge a book by its cover and will often make decisions if I want to look at the book summary just based on the title and cover.
Latest Review: Death Ray by Tom King
User avatar
human reader
Posts: 248
Joined: 28 Apr 2022, 09:53
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by human reader »

For me, it's not just if the cover is good, but rather does it indicate a story I might like.

Fear Street has a lot of great covers. I love that style. However, some of the books seem to be about regular humans killing people. This is not usually my jam. I prefer there to be magic, vampires, zombies, creatures, monsters, ghosts, etc. to be involved.

I got Fear Street: Heart of the Hunter as it involves werewolves. I would be hesitant to get Fear Street: The New Year's Party as it seems to be a normal human story. The cover for The New Year's Party is good but it doesn't suggest anything supernatural.
User avatar
Eva Nyaburi
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 452
Joined: 07 Jul 2021, 10:28
Currently Reading: In It Together
Bookshelf Size: 153
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-eva-nyaburi.html
Latest Review: Alpha Buddies Land by Donna Marie Rink

Post by Eva Nyaburi »

Most of the time I read the book description on the back cover page to know if I might be interested in the contents of the book.
Nedim
Posts: 227
Joined: 06 Mar 2022, 14:29
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 29
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nedim.html
Latest Review: Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute by Jeff Meyer

Post by Nedim »

With the knowledge I have now, I know that most writers spend a larger percentage of the time they are supposed to use to produce a meaningful content to design the book cover. This makes people to buy the book due to its beautiful cover. But on reading the main content, you find it's just total nonsense.
Nedim
Posts: 227
Joined: 06 Mar 2022, 14:29
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 29
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nedim.html
Latest Review: Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute by Jeff Meyer

Post by Nedim »

I will never judge a book by its cover because I'm far too experienced to fall in the hands of these tricky authors. After making their cover look so beautiful, they end up producing worthless content.
User avatar
POETIC PACIFIC
Posts: 96
Joined: 17 Dec 2021, 21:09
Favorite Book: The Illuminati Conspiracy
Currently Reading: The Poetic Pacific
Bookshelf Size: 220

Post by POETIC PACIFIC »

There is the saying; "you don't judge things by the cover of the book," but in the actual terms of reading a book, the cover plays some part in communicating the contents of the book. Although you may not know the full story yet, the cover of the book will give you a very brief picture of what is inside. So yes, I do judge the book by its cover.
a musical mind!
User avatar
Oluchii
Posts: 264
Joined: 18 Jun 2022, 12:15
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 19
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ne-thewriter.html
Latest Review: Reconfigurement by E. Alan Fleischauer

Post by Oluchii »

Sometimes,but it's the plot that determines if I'll read it
User avatar
kipper_
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 129
Joined: 28 Jul 2022, 21:38
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 6
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kipper.html
Latest Review: And Then I Met Margaret by Rob White

Post by kipper_ »

I do, even if I try not to do so. The cover of a book will, in some way, affect the immediate perception of a book. There is a reason that certain covers are chosen for books, and this is because the person doing the selecting is aware of this, even if it is a subconscious judgement. Humans have a fairly quick window of time to make decisions about everyday things we come into contact with, and when it comes to selecting something for our benefit (hobbies, food, relationships, etc.), there are a lot of unseen parameters that are being utilized in the decision. I agree with a lot of the comments that good covers grab attention (and will usually be marketed to tap into specific desires or evoke an emotion/opinion, even if the intended emotion is fairly neutral). Whether the cover is an accurate assessment of the book's quality is another matter.

It's hard to avoid the cover of a book, but the blurbs on the back are much easier to avoid if you want as unbiased a read as possible.
Alet Van Tonder
Posts: 193
Joined: 23 Oct 2021, 05:52
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 10
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-alet-van-tonder.html
Latest Review: Killing Abel by Michael Tieman
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by Alet Van Tonder »

All the time, I'm afraid. If the cover looks terrible what does that say about the content?
Jonté Joy
Posts: 47
Joined: 16 May 2022, 08:56
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 6
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jont-joy.html
Latest Review: Looking Glass Friends by E L Neve

Post by Jonté Joy »

I am very much guilty of doing this. I will often look at the cover or the font and if it looks too cheesy, or the title is too long, I won't read it. The few books I went against my theory and tried reading despite the cover or how long the title was were not the best books either which is why I think I still do this, I haven't been wrong yet.
noelhope
Posts: 121
Joined: 09 Aug 2022, 06:23
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 32
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-noelhope.html
Latest Review: We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz

Post by noelhope »

I don't think I would pick a book to read just based on the book cover. I always check out the summary, especially if it's a book by an author I haven't read before.
Ashley Price 3
Posts: 70
Joined: 16 Jun 2022, 18:52
Favorite Book: Home Body
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 16
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ashley-price-3.html
Latest Review: Time Before Time by Dan DuBose

Post by Ashley Price 3 »

Yes but if I want to read a book I don't care about the cover. However if the cover is amazing it will make me interested to read.
Isaac Oh
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 305
Joined: 26 May 2022, 05:26
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 79
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-isaac-oh.html
Latest Review: The Sacred Tyrak by Aklin Reed

Post by Isaac Oh »

Yes I do actually but I'm too curious to see what's inside the book, regardless of the cover.
User avatar
Valeria Rotaru
Posts: 220
Joined: 17 Jun 2022, 12:29
Currently Reading: Of Human Bondage
Bookshelf Size: 13
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-valeria-rotaru.html
Latest Review: The Legacy of Job's Wife by Cynthia Koelker
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by Valeria Rotaru »

Well, yes, sometimes. That's usually the first thing that attracts me to a book. But that is not the only criteria.
sarah melis
Posts: 18
Joined: 21 Sep 2022, 05:29
Favorite Book: The Spanish Love Deception
Currently Reading: That Night
Bookshelf Size: 11

Post by sarah melis »

Usually, one of the main reasons i pick up a book is based on the cover, although if I don’t like the blurb then I won’t read it no matter how good the cover looks.
Post Reply

Return to “General Book & Reading Discussion”