Comments on: I’m Not Allowed to Love Book Covers, But I Do

By: emilyfitz

emilyfitz — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:01:49 +0000

I judge a book on how the cover feels. I don’t like really slick covers…

I never thought that was weird until now. My cover intuition has led me to choose some good books.

By: NicoleS

NicoleS — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:01:49 +0000

I don’t think you should ever NOT read a book because of its cover, but loving a book for its cover is certainly not a sin. It’s absolutely wonderful to find one of your favorite books with a revamped, gorgeous cover. B&N has a leather bound Chronicles of Narnia – I couldn’t help but stop and fawn over its beauty.

By: zz

zz — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:14:28 +0000

I have a friend who buys books for me based on the cover alone. She aims for the funny ones, such as the book “Misfortune” which has a graphic of a young 18th century woman with a moustache. It’s all about the details:)

By: ali

ali — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:43:54 +0000

Ha! Didn’t know about this list! But now I do ~ thanks to you

By: Jim Munroe

Jim Munroe — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:51:19 +0000

My approach to book covers has always been that I want something that’s both appealing and reflective. Sure I want to draw people in, but if I go all hot-pink-with-tits on the cover then people who read the back — and see the book’s not like that — they’ll just put it down. When it’s reflective of the content, when there’s a shared aesthetic, then you’ll attract the right kind of attention from readers who are liable to enjoy your work.

The whole “don’t judge a book by its cover” thing is, to me, an indictment of how publishers have paired cover designers with writers in the past.

By: Andy

Andy — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:28:51 +0000

I agree with you, I think the idea of the whole package is important in the influence of the novel or music, where cover design can also influence what I buy/listen to. I think if the writer has been involved or have good designers/artists working with them then the cover can become an extension of their story.

I have not heard of The Great Perhaps before but on the basis of the design I will look into it.

Well said!

Andy