Do you judge a book by it’s cover? I want to say I would never do that, but the truth is I do. My friend K. Hutson Price is a wonderful short story writer, and also an elementary school teacher. She does this thing where she holds up a book with a really cool cover and another with an old, boring beaten up one in front of the class. She asks the kids which one they want to read. They always pick the pretty one. She reads the first page of the pretty one and stops. Then she reads the first page of the second one, and she asks the question again about which book they want to read. They always pick the second book. It’s a much better story.
She does this as part of a bigger lesson about not judging people by the way the look. It’s brilliant and she’s able to put it into context for these kids. Before I became an author, I have to admit that I too judged books, not necessarily people, by their covers. I think most people do, though they probably wouldn’t admit it. I’ve been lucky in that I’ve had some pretty cool covers so far. I wasn’t super crazy about my cartoon-like characters on my early books, but they grew on me. And they sold, so obviously it was a good thing I wasn’t the one picking the art.
I loved my last two Berkley covers for Dragons Prefer Blondes and the Demon King and I, even though for Dragons I had to change the character’s hair color. Alex had dark black hair in the first book, and as you can see on the right she now has blonde. That’s not the first time my editor had called to ask if I could change something in the book to fit the cover. In Like A Charm they asked me to add a dog character so they could have a dog on the cover. I’m not kidding. Of course I had to do it my way so there are two ghost dogs. But if you check out the cover, no dog. They decided to go another way. I tell people there is a dog on the cover, but it’s a ghost, so you can’t see it. 
I absolutely adore my new cover for Harlequin, which is below. The characters are exactly as I imagined them in my head, as is the setting. It’s tropical and sexy, and that she is on top is significant. The hero is a burned CIA agent on the run, and I feel like they really captured that. And I’m going to share something a little crazy. I have ALWAYS wanted a cover with a half-naked man, and this one is so dead-on that I feel like it’s a dream come true. But I know that some people will see that and think, “Oh, it’s that kind of book.” And that’s where they will be wrong. This is a hardcore action adventure, it just happens to have a lot of sexy spy stuff in it. It’s for people, like me, who like a little romance with their adventure stories.
So I’m curious. Do you pick a book when you see a cool cover? If you’re like me, you might pick it up because of the cover, but you judge a book by those first few pages. My friends and I often make decisions based on the first two lines of a book.
What are some of your favorite covers? Have you ever been surprised when you saw the cover and then read the first page or so? And what do you think of my new cover? Take Me If You Dare is a Feb. 2010 release.
TAKE ME IF YOU DARE
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Hi Candace
Thank you for the great post. I admit that a great cover will attract me to a book. I check the back and if there are blurbs from authors I respect (ie read faithfully) who recommend it, I’m practically sold. I read the first page. Then I’ll buy it … or not – depending on the writing & recommendations.
I love the ghost dog story!
Your cover is sexy and eye-catching. I like it a lot.
My favorite covers are Michael Whelan covers. I’ll buy the book just for his cover alone!
Thanks again,
All the best,
RKCharron
xoxo
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I’ll have to check out those Michael Whelan covers.
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I have bought books because of the cover. One specifically comes to mind – Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning – because the cover was so well done. Same thing with Heart of the Dragon by Gena Showalter. And I’ve been burned by this method when I found the story inside disappointing.
But the problem is that I’m more likely to walk away from a book because of a cheesy, old skool clinch cover even if the blurb on the back sounds intriguing. For me, those bodice-ripper covers cheapen the book, and I can’t seem to apply my rational thinking that what’s inside could be amazing. I have Lord of Scoundrels with the old cover, and it’s one of the best romances out there.
And I automatically associate covers that feature cartoon/line-drawing characters and artwork with chick lit. I’m not a big fan of chick lit, so I steer away from those regardless of whether they are chick lit or not.
I guess I’m way too guilty of judging the books by their covers. Problem is, with all of the choices out there, the cover gives you the quickest way to make a snap judgment, so that’s what I end up using.
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I need to clarify – the cover I liked for Heart of the Dragon was the original cover, with the heroine’s bare midriff tattoo. Oddly, if the book had had the current cover, I wouldn’t have even picked it up.
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I’m a huge Gena Showalter fan so I’ll pick up her books no matter what. But I know what you mean.
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I’m much more likely to read the first couple of paragraphs of a book and then decide if I want to buy it. However, I bought the second book in Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series because the cover intrigued me enough to pick it up. And now I’m a huge fan of the books.
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I might pick up the book because of the cover, but it’s the back blurb (and first page if I can’t decide) and author recognition that gets me to buy it every time.
Your cover is great! I’d sure like to be able to enlarge it though so I could read the blurb…hint…hint…
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Oh, a good cover will definitely grab my attention. The cover for Rob Thurman’s first book, Nightlife, I think, I grabbed that just because of the cover.
If I see a good cover, like it, then I’m going to read the blurb, maybe the first few pages. If they suck me in, I’m buying. And all because the cover caught my eye.
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Another author I’m going to have to check out!
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I admit it. I’m all about the cover art. If it catches my eye, I’m more likely to pick it up and read the back cover and maybe even the first page or two.
However, that being said, I am also a sucker for a good title. It can be turned spine out on the shelf, no glimmer of the cover art in sight, and I’ll pick it up.
So, I guess the answer is yes and no. I will pick it up off the shelf based on what’s on the cover, but if the back blurb and the first page fail to engage my imagination, it’s a no-sale.
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Ooohhhh…half naked man on cover is ALWAYS good! I’m so excited to get this book, Candace. Can’t wait to read it!
And yes, I judge a book by its cover. It’s human nature, right? I don’t always buy the book (after I read the blurb and maybe the first page), but I notice that far too often I tend to limit a lot of my browsing to what catches my eye with the cover or title. Almost ashamed to even admit that (me hanging my head with shame), but in my hurried world, that’s unfortunately how it happens.
OK, now I’m feeling all ugly and judgmental. I’ll go to the bookstore this weekend and purposely look for the less than beautiful books and check them out!
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LOL. Kim you crack me up.
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I’m on the fence with this one. Yes, a cover will catch my eye, but I admit I will pick up a book if it’s by a favorite author, is of a particular genre (ie paranormal romance), or the title is interesting. Now, don’t get me wrong, if there’s a nice looking fella on the cover (especially in a tartan), BONUS. But I’m all about the substance of the book, really. I mean the cover you only see when you pick up or put down the book, and you don’t get to look at it while you read (unless you’re sitting in front of a mirror).
As for covers I like: in one case, Katherine Neville’s “The Eight,” I love the original cover (on both the trades and mass market ppb) much better than the release cover. So much so that when I was shopping for my lender copies I waited until I could get the cover I liked better.
I do hope that when the time comes and I’m getting to choose the cover for my first book, it’ll be amazing so it will sell and everyone will want to buy my second one!
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Thank you for your article, Candace.
I too am a big fan of cover art—GOOD cover art. It should both catch the eye in order to attract potential buyers, and depict accurately what the book is about. The former benefits the publisher and author; the latter, the readers.
Also, the cover art provides a quick warning for the reader if the book contains themes she does NOT care for. For example, I avoid romance novels with little kids and babies on them. It’s a sure tip-off that this is another “baby matchmaker” romance. It’s about a single woman of modest means and a zillionaire who get married—even though they distrust each other—simply to give her child or child-on-the-way financial support and a name. I know this sort of romance is wildly popular, but I prefer something more realistic.
If a cover has a woman in a business/career setting, with an interesting background and some sense of drama, that will definitely make me want to pick up the book. Then I’ll read the back-cover description, which is the only real factor in my decision to buy or not.
One common cover feature that I think is a waste of precious space are review excerpts and quotes from big-name authors telling us how much they loved reading this particular book. I mean, OF COURSE they’re going to endorse it! What does anyone expect them to say—”What a piece of trash! Novels like this give romance fiction a bad name.”?
Certainly I’m not about to buy a book (or anything else) simply because someone famous likes it. How can I (or anyone else) know whether we have the same tastes and standards? Or that this bestselling author actually took the time and effort away from her writing to actually read the book she’s endorsing?
Keep up the good work!
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I don’t know about the cover blurbs. I think sometimes for a new author they can be most helpful. I know if one of the authors I love says they like a book, I’m probably more likely to pick it up and at least take a look.
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Completely depends on if it’s an author I already know of or not. If not, a good cover will draw my eye.
That’s why I think it’s wrong that authors aren’t consulted on the covers. I find it really wrong that you were asked to change your work to match a cover. To me the cover art is suppose to compliment the writers art.. not the other way around. Like asking a painter to change his/her work to match the frame… wrong wrong wrong… yes I have a big soap box.. I’ll get down from it now.. lol