Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Judging a Book by its Cover


We've all heard this saying a million times: You can't judge a book by its cover.

But I really wish you could.

Some of my favorite books in the world have unattractive covers. Granted that's just my opinion and someone else probably loves the covers I hate.

How many times have you recommended a book and added the caveat to ignore the hideous cover.

Cover styles come and go. But lately, there has been a huge surge of nearly identical covers--especially in Young Adult fiction. Just click on this link and check out the covers of the 2012 YA debut novels.

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/11525.2012_Debut_Authors_Young_Adult_Middle_Grade_

Luckily, I think (hope) the random girl in a flowing dress (which usually has NOTHING to do with the story) is going out. Now we're seeing the close-up of a face with a haunted look.

We all know that as authors we have no say (or in some cases very little say) about our covers. Each book is marketed to a specific audience, so if a prom-dress is what's selling, then I guess it makes sense for every book to have one?

What do I prefer? I like covers that set the tone of the story, that give us a hint of what to expect. I like covers that leave the looks of the main characters up to my imagination. The character in my mind never matches the one on the cover.

Here are a few covers that I love because they convey the tone of the book and are visually enticing. 

What covers do you love? What covers do you hate?

If you are already published, what was your experience regarding the cover of your book?

5 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Your book does have an interesting and captivating cover. Anyone who wants to see it, follow this link:

      http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/single.php?ISBN=1-55404-949-0&picsize=LARGE&x=49&y=83

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  2. Oh the flowy unrelated dress cover. So glad that trend is on it's way OUT.

    P.S. Button for my blog?

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  3. I love that Wildefire cover. I think authors should have a little more say in their covers, although I understand that the goal is to sell the book.

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