I had a little time to blog hop yesterday afternoon and I found myself over at a new blog (to me) lucy was robbed. LOVE the name of this blog and I love the explanation of the name which you will find on the blog header.
What really caught my eye was that in one of the recent reviews there was a bit about covers having nothing to do with the book. I know this has been touched on a bit on blogs that I have seen and probably even ones I have not seen, so forgive me if this is just a repeat of what has already been hashed through. I think what made me really start thinking about this was a quote that said, in this particular case, that “potential audience was lost”.
I don’t want to reopen a particular discussion on a particular book so lets not go there. 🙂 What I am thinking about is the bigger picture (no pun intended). I have said it before and it is no secret that I love a great book cover. In most cases when browsing through a book store it will be the cover that causes that initial pause in my travels to pull the book off the shelf. Even if I have went into a book store with a title in mind for purchase, it is usually because I have SEEN the cover on someones blog or online and the COVER made me read more about the book.
The cover is not the reason I buy the book, but it is the initial “getting to know you” phase where I pick up the book to see what it is about and that can be what makes or breaks the connection.
It’s true and I hope that’s not shallow of me.
What I find concerning is reading how authors in many cases really do not have a lot on say on the books cover once it goes to the publisher. Authors really can be putting their baby so to speak, in the hands of another… and really that can make or break a book.
What I am asking today is do you think covers affect sales? Can a non appealing cover truly cause sales loss on a book?
I am interested in hearing your take on all of this… I may dive into this subject in more depth in future posts but do to time restraints today I just wanted to put this out there and see where it goes. I would like to interview a couple authors and book cover designers as well to hear how this all works from their more experienced views.
Book Journey 
Hello, Sheila! I feel very strongly about the questions you posed since I believe that covers play a huge role in terms of the book’s popularity and recall.
Remember the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? Well, as much as we would like to believe that this is true, I think that people (including myself) prefer books that have elegant and artistically designed covers.
I agree Peter. I am actually thinking of decorating the reading room with framed beautiful book covers…. if only I could find a way to get the cover without harming the book! 🙂
Sheila…I am a “cover freak”. I will buy a book sometimes for it’s lovely cover, and then be disappointed with the story. However, if I’ve heard of a great book, that happens to have an ugly cover, I’ll still buy, or borrow and read that as well.
HI Diane! Me too! At least I will read what it is about … so to me the initial cover “eye candy” is important… as a consumer, this may be the hook that causes me to make a purchase.
I certainly have gotten a lot of feedback on specific covers for my books. I don’t know how the covers affect sales in my case…my least attractive cover, in my opinion, has done pretty well.
But I do gravitate to the cover in the bookstore or online. But then, the blurb on the flap will further draw me in. So if the cover is great, but the synopsis doesn’t grab me, then I don’t buy the book.
Laurel – I am curious, how much say did you have in your covers for your books?
I think a bad cover is a lost opportunity.
The cover never goes into my final decision as to whether to buy a book or not. It can attract me to a book I would not have otherwise picked up, and it does set my frame of mind when I’m reading the blurb on the back or the description on the website.
Hi Laura – thanks for commenting 🙂
Absolutely a cover can affect sales. Like you, in the bookstore it is the cover that draws me in. Otherwise if I hear a book is good then I’ll pick it up whether the cover is great or not.
As for authors not having a say in bookcovers – I think it’s ridiculous. Of course they should. Who else knows their book as they do.
I agree Darlene – I am looking into this further to see is that is all publishers or some…. and how all that works
I really want to say no, but that wouldn’t be true. I think it does affect sales. 9 times out of 10 the cover is what get’s me to a book. After that the synopsis takes over, but initially it’s the cover. If it’s got a crummy cover I don’t pick it up. It does sound kind of book snobby, but I can’t help it. This goes for authors I’m new too or haven’t heard of before so I think it affects most authors but especially ones that are starting out.
Up until I started blogging, I had no idea authors had little say in covers. That just boggles my mind really.
Hi Zia – that boggles my mind too!
I think a nonappealing cover could impact sales. recently i bought GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO in paperback; there were two paperback editions- one with the yellow cover that was like the hardcover cover; the other was a much cheaper, mass market paperback with a different, less appealing cover. it was about half the price of the first book. i bought the first book, and paid $15 instead of $7, because i liked the cover (and format) better. so yeah, cover makes a difference!
Marie – excellent example here. Thank you for sharing that. 🙂
I think it should be noted that style is also a factor. The cover for my book seems to be loved or hated. It was done in the favourite style of one of the creators. In retrospect, perhaps we should have done it in the favourite style of the target audience.
Shiraz,
Thank you. I appreciate your comment on this subject
If I know about a book, the cover doesn’t matter. But if I don’t know about it, I am not even apt to pick it up and look at it with a bad or dull cover.
Right!
Have to agree that an unappealing cover will not tempt me to pick up an unfamiliar book, but a gorgeous cover might get me to at least read the blurb. What’s really annoying is when the cover has nothing to do with the story. Do the artists even know what the story is about, or just throw something together?
I think the title is important as well, but at least the author has input on that part. Wonder why they don’t have cover approval as well?
Hi Alexia561, I recently read a review where the cover did not match the story. I dont know why but if there is a person on the cover of a book I believe they represent a character. Many times I will be reading and keep peeking at the cover to be sure the character matches what is being described… in most cases no. I read a book recently where the character had long blond hair. The girl on the cover had dark hair. For come reason that threw me off a bit… maybe best not to put people on the covers if they are not going to represent the characters in the book. 🙂
In the past, the cover never affected my decision to read the book. But in the past few months when I’ve seen a book that is new to me, I seem to check out the cover and if it isn’t appealing to me, I pass on it. I don’t necessarily think this is a good thing, but it is what I catch myself doing.
On the other hand, if I’ve read many rave reviews for a book, the cover won’t matter to me.
Hi Vicki -me too. If I have heard a lot of good about a book then yes, cover can be whatever. I am hoping to find a couple of authors to chat with about this and get their take.
When we browse through a book store the first thing we see is the cover. If a cover catches your eye because it’s different, pretty, or just unique in it’s own right, it will most likely be the one you decide to pick up and read about. So, I’d have to say yes I very much so judge a book by it’s cover! Great post!
HI Krista – thats pretty much the way we do it. 🙂
I don’t really think a cover can make or break the book’s numbers, but I do think that someone who knows absolutely nothing about two books and wants to pick one, he or she will pick the one with the nicer cover.
I’ m with Peter on this – ‘never judge a book by it’s cover.
Good advice in other circumstances but not when book covers are concerned. I’m pretty sure that, at some time or other, most of us have bought a book just because it’s cover caught our eye.
I have to admit that if I see a great book cover, I’m immediately drawn to it. I may not buy it, but I’ll certainly read the description, double-check it and think about it. But really, and I didn’t really think about this until reading your post, but I don’t think I’m enjoyed that many more books with beautiful covers than I have other books that just came with a good recommendation.
Hi Katie… as I look at my books on the shelf I have a mix of covers that I love and some that – as you said, I knew about the book or author, so the cover didnt matter. I always like it when I see a book I have read and they have changed the cover… many times for the better. I then have… cover envy. LOL
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Book covers mean a lot to me and yes, I think it’s sad that in many cases the author has no say in the decision.
Great post!
I didn’t realize until recently that authors don’t have much say in their book covers. That is sooo wrong. Because I am a visual person, book covers are extremely important as to whether I consider opening it up. OR on these book blogs, if the cover attracts me and the review is positive — it goes on my TBR list. I always like to figure out why the cover design was chosen or what it has to do with the story.
Hi Kim – yes that blows me away too…
Because I published independently, I had complete control over my book’s cover. The development of the artwork and collaboration with the artist I commissioned turned out to be one of the most rewarding parts of the entire publishing process.
In the end, I think the cover has probably sold as many books as my writing has. Strange but true. I can’t imagine being in a situation where the cover design was out of my hands.
Thank you for this! I have been watching The Rabbit Room and your book which I am anxious to read. I appreciate your thoughts on this as I have heard formauthors who say they have had no say. I think that would be like giving your baby away to someone else! Appreciate you stopping by!
I have been drawn to a good many of my reads by the cover initially. I read the back or jacket then. If I like the sound of the story I’ll get it. While browsing the bookstore I’m sure I’ve passed up a lot of good books simply because the cover didn’t grab me.
If I’ve heard a book is good, usually at blogs I read, I’ll get it regardless of the cover. But I am very happy if I love the cover and the story.
I agree Sharon – I think the cover is extremely important for book sales. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
I know this isn’t a very recent post- but it is a worthy topic. I’ve actually been considering which publishers I want to go with based somewhat on what kind of covers they’ve produced. I’m terrified I’ll end up with something that narrows my audience base. I’ve actually come up with a cover suggestion that I’m planning on pushing as hard as I can once I narrow my publisher options down to one.
So, yes–everyone judges a book by it’s cover. It’s one of the first things I have students do when I go on school visits. I show a picture of my book and ask them what kind of book it is. They always have lots of answers- and usually they’re all right. But they came up with the answer based solely on the cover.
The cover tells a story of its own. Hopefully it tells you what to expect if you enter its pages.
So, I would say a cover should be a book’s best friend. I know for a fact that I wouldn’t have sold some of my books if the cover had been cartoony or girly.
It’s not shallow to be attracted to a good cover- it’s why books have covers.
I know, there are always exceptions, but I’m with you on this one.
Thank you Laura – I appreciate your thoughts on this. I love that you incorporate students into the cover conversation. That is good thinking!
I definitely judge a book by its cover. I remember talking to the author of Mudbound, a book I loved. In galley form it was brown, perfect. The final print was red, not perfect. Glad to see the paperback was mustard, back to appropriate. And the book is great
I’m preparing to review a book where the cover was a major part of my choice to buy it, so yes, it can affect me sometimes.
Last year I bought Hand of Isis by Jo Graham in the trade paperback edition. The cover looked like a beautiful painting with echoes of some of the famous maritime painters like Turner. The blurb was “take it or leave it” but looked interesting anyway. Turns out this is now one of my favorite books. Her other book at that time (The Black Ships) had a cover in the same style as well.
Now the mass market edition is out and I have to say, I probably wouldn’t have even glanced at the book with this cover. It just looks cheesy and a lot like some of the covers I’ve seen on “vintage” SF and Fantasy.
Unfortunately, the third book is only available with the new cover style, although it’s not as bad as the first two.
Really good points Elena and I am now curious to read your review!
Said review is up now at: http://allbookedup-elena.blogspot.com/2010/07/hand-of-isis-jo-graham.html
I’ve included both covers too.
My son does book covers and the best ones he has created were the ones where he was left alone to work his craft. When an author wants to inject too many ideas that heve no relevance to the story, it ruins theproject. He has done 2 for me and both are attention grabbers. The job of the cover is to get the book picked up. The decision to buy comes from the description on the back. I’ve written to WD to ask for an issue discussing book covers. We’ll see.
Thanks David for the insight! Interesting! 😀
Cover design is so very important…I know I’ve made decisions, whether consciously or not, on what book to buy based on the cover design. I can’ t help thinking we’ll miss great book design once eBooks becomes the dominant medium. The Rap Sheet also has an excellent write-up on this subject, featuring some of the best mystery covers of 2010:
http://therapsheet.blogspot.com/2010/12/face-off.html
I do the majority of my book shopping online because the nearest bookstore is 40 minutes away (how sad it that?).
When browsing an online bookstore, the cover is often what will draw me to an unfamiliar book. And if a book looks like it belongs to a certain genre, I’m more or less likely to look at it depending on my opinion of that genre. (I can spot chick lit with an accuracy of 97% and avoid it like the plague. 😉 )
Those listings with no photo? I rarely will click on them.
I will almost always choose which edition of a book to purchase based on the cover. I don’t care if the one with an ugly cover is only a penny…I’ll spend $8 for the cover I like.
(And I have to confess. One time I so much preferred the design of the UK edition of a book that I ordered it from a bookstore in London…..and paid ridiculous import fees. I could have bought the ugly American copy for less than $5!)
I love this comment! I am with you, the reviews need to have a book cover – and when I am sent requests for books and they do not include a cover they better describe it very well and then I will look it up on Amazon.
Honestly – I think I would pay more for a great cover too.
A good cover always make a difference because it is the first thing people will see. Take for instance, the book “Lady Lawbreaker” by G.J. Fuller, one of the best books I ever read (You can see it’s cover on Amazom.com); that book’s cover hooked me instantly. It’s simple, but really gets your attention. So yes, the cover makes a big difference.