fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #5017 ]

[ SECRET POST #5017 ]

⌈ Secret Post #5017 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Does nice cover art influence your reading/buying decisions? How much does it influence you?

I do let it influence my decisions, partly intentionally, partly subconsciously. I think you can tell a lot about a book's intended audience and the style that the publishers want to associate it with from the book design. And, especially in genres that I know well, like SF&F, I can tell pretty quickly whether or not something is in a subgenre that I care about.

At the same time, there are definitely times where I'm browsing and books catch my eye just because of the design, and there are probably times where I overlook books because they don't catch my eye, and that probably plays a role in what I read. There are definitely books where I think I would like it based on the design and then read the description and it sounds awful.

I don't know how much it does, but it absolutely has an impact.

So I' really happy with the move towards tasteful covers for sci-fi. Look at some of my old Gibson covers and similar and physically cringe to be seen walking around with them.

Most recently picked up Exhalation by Ted Chiang and what got me to read the back was definitely the cover. I'd link a picture but none of them do the subtle gold inlay justice.

If a book cover features ridiculous 80's style horror art, I'm game regardless of what the synopsis says on the back.

Lmao I used to LOVE reading those 80s horror paperbacks, I had so many of them and would trade them with coworkers!

I honestly don't have time to read stuff that isn't 1) on an author shortlist, 2) recced by a great reviewer, or 3) genre award shortlist.

Sometimes. I wanted my own copy of Sense and Sensibility and I didn't want a paperback, I wanted a ~fancy~ copy, hardcover, with gilt-edged pages and a ribbon bookmark and a few illustrations, and a pretty cover. I actually found exactly what I was looking for at my local bookshop, and on sale for six bucks, lol! So I most definitely judged a book by its cover then. If I know the book beforehand and want to read it, the cover won't matter much to me. But because I love a ~fancy book~, I do look for intriguing covers when I want something new to read.

Ooh, I love the fancy editions! I have pretty editions of some of my favorite books, but I’ve never been able to find a pretty edition of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall that I liked. I would also love a fancy version of The Blue Castle, but I just have the paperback for now.

Nope, because I know that authors often have no say in the cover art. I do judge by the summary, though.

They don't get a say in that either.

The marketing team is brutal.

I know. But I need a book to at least sound semi-interesting in terms of plot, worldbuilding, and/or characters. I'll read reviews too and see if it has a tvtropes page.

Oh same. Same. Definitely need to get hooked at least on the concept.

I think it might be a good thing most authors don't summarize their own books. It's a skill and there are a lot of terrible blurbs out there by authors who write them themselves. Author's biggest fear: people saying "Tell me about your book."

(My fave advice I've seen is "Make it more punchy." And I'm like... that doesn't mean anything to anyone. Be more specific. Characters, conflict, stakes. Expound.)

Oh yeah, I love some nice cover art. I like good design so much that I won't buy those Disney DVDs with the genericised covers (the ones where they just have one character on a solid colour background), and I've made note of alcohol brands with great label design even though I don't drink.

Come to think of it, I think I actually bought Twilight because I liked the cover (this was before it was an international sensation).

Traditional publishing? Absolutely. I mean, I know the marketing team is in charge. And yes, the cover is going to catch my eye first in a store. So it better stand out. (It helps if they'd face new authors out, but they don't.)

Otherwise, title helps. Funny/Memorable titles will at least have me picking it up. The author is another consideration. Do I want to read yet another epic fantasy by an older white guy? (no.) Is this urban fantasy by a woman going to be any good? Or is it paranormal romance in urban fantasy trappings with toxic relationships? (experience says yes. sigh.) What really sells the book to me will be the summary/concept. I'm very open to trying about anything once.

For indie. No. I throw it out the window. I don't care what your cover looks like. You've got high quality covers. You've got fad covers being churned out by the dozen. You've got people making covers for a pittance in foreign countries. You have people who have no idea how to make a cover. And not that I haven't seen some really outstanding indie covers. Their insides are extremely variable. The cover means nothing. Just take it, check the look inside, and then decide.

I’ve definitely picked up books because the covers were pretty, but I always read the first paragraph to see if the book captures my interest. I’m a sucker for a pretty cover, but one of my all time favorite books has a hideous cover. It makes sense for the book, but I hate it and always take off the dust jacket when I read it.

It doesn't influence what I want to read - but if I read it but not bought it yet (either digital copy or borrowed from a friend/library), then I will probably go looking for the nicest cover if I like the book enough. I have also re-bought books when I saw a nicer looking covers, like Rainbow Rowell's Carry On and Good Omens.

I do mostly in the sense of, if the cover is freakishly ugly or inappropriate, I have a far greater likelihood of not even bothering to look up a summary to find out of it's worth reading. It's not even a fan/indie pub thing, although those do have the highest concentration of hilariously bad photoshop jobs, I do it to mainstream pubs on the shelf in the bookstore too.

it's not even weird fantasy art, I'm old enough to have basically grown up with those so it has to be egregiously ugly before I nope out. mostly it's the "you are a major publishing house, I know you have the money to do better than this" kind of cover arts. Bad drawings. Bad font choices. Bad conversions of photographed models into "paintings." then you get the covers that clearly don't match the genre, style, or title of the book in any sense and you know it without even having to look up the summary. I tried googling examples but there are so many bad book cover blogs and aggregates with far worse things than mismatching photos to genres or titles that I couldn't find a good example. aside from the Wizard of Oz cover that had fighter jets flying past the moon but I don't think that one was real...

nice covers don't necessarily make me interested but I will at least not ignore it, I might even look up a summary if it's in my genre.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ SECRET POST #5017 ]

Do you judge a book by its cover? (Literally.)

Re: Do you judge a book by its cover? (Literally.)

Re: Do you judge a book by its cover? (Literally.)

Re: Do you judge a book by its cover? (Literally.)

Re: Do you judge a book by its cover? (Literally.)

Re: Do you judge a book by its cover? (Literally.)

Re: Do you judge a book by its cover? (Literally.)

Re: Do you judge a book by its cover? (Literally.)

Re: Do you judge a book by its cover? (Literally.)

Re: Do you judge a book by its cover? (Literally.)

Re: Do you judge a book by its cover? (Literally.)

Re: Do you judge a book by its cover? (Literally.)

Re: Do you judge a book by its cover? (Literally.)

Re: Do you judge a book by its cover? (Literally.)

Re: Do you judge a book by its cover? (Literally.)

Re: Do you judge a book by its cover? (Literally.)

Re: Do you judge a book by its cover? (Literally.)