I have a question for everyone today. How important is a cover to you when it's an author you already read? I mean, personally, I'd probably buy JD Robb no matter what they stuck on the front, but we all know I'm a slave to Eve and Roarke.
And at the opposite end - if it's a new author, would a great cover make a difference if you were hesitating over whether to buy the book or not?
23 comments :
Yes, i am a cover slut. I love great covers. They definitely influence my book buying, but if it is an author that i normally buy and the cover is not that great, I wil still buy it. I think for me it is mainly if I have never read or only read them a little.
I hate to admit it but I think covers do have a part to play. I believe if you're fifty/fifty over whether or not to buy a book they can tip you one way or the other. This affects me more when I'm buying books in a bookshop. Buying online I tend to take less notice of covers and go more by reviews and the authors website.
I think it's different once I'm into an author. Then you could give a book a plain cover with just the title and author name on and I'd buy it. Wen Spencer, Kelley Armstrong, J.R.Ward, Nalini Singh :),etc. Once I'm into a series what puts me off isn't the cover but if the writing no longer connects with me.
If I like the author it doesn't matter at all. It probably does play a role in an author I know nothing about. I'm not keen on cutesy covers or babies lol. If it's a striking cover it may draw me to the book and then I'll read the back blurb for my final decision.
I think the cover is pretty important. A great book can be made all the better because of the cover. I tend to re read books I like a lot so the cover has to be something that I enjoy looking at, especially if it has enough detail and relates to the overall story
I'm with lesleyw once I'm into an author the cover really doesn't matter it could be in a brown paper bag and I'd still buy it. Its really funny it seems when a author gets famous they get the really good covers but by then they don't really need them.They already have a built in fan base. Not saying that the pretty covers are not appreciated. :)
The Cover sometimes sways me on new authors I hate to admit. Its kinda sad to me to see really good books with crappy covers, because I know a lot of readers will just pass it over and not even give it a chance. But, on the other hand, I've picked up books with beautiful covers that I haven't even been able to finish. Its funny cause I never put the people on the cover in the story. I always come up with my own people to fit the characters.
Now more than anything else I read reviews and visit authors websites again like, lesleyw before I buy. I used to go by authors I like recommendations on the covers but I've been totally burned by that so I really dont give that anymore credit.
I have to say that no it wouldn't. It might make me pick it up and skim the first few pages, but a great cover won't make me part with my money if the book doesn't look good.
In a new to me author a good cover and back blurb can make or break the sale. An old must buy author it don't matter so much.
If it's an author I love, I'll buy it even if I have to hide it. But I love a classy cover. There are many books I want to buy because the covers draw me in.
This is so interesting. I guess I'm in the camp where I if I love an author, the cover doesn't matter. Like with JD Robb!
I don't think I've ever bought a book JUST on the cover, but for a new author, a nice cover sure might make me give it a second glance.
Hmm, any great covers you've seen lately?
The UK hardback cover for Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughn is stunning.
I have to admit it, I'm completely shallow when it comes to book covers. I won't pick up a book for any authors that I have not read if I don't like the cover. I can't stand books that have cartoon/caricature covers on them. I keep reading good things about Katie MacAlister, but just can't get past the covers. If it is an existing favourite author, I'll tolerate a cover that I don't like.
One of my favourites is the US version of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dance With The Devil.
For new authors its definitely the cover that gets me to look further, I've been repeatedly drawn to certain books by their cover though it's the blurb/reviews that will persuade me to buy. Most of my books are bought online so reviews and extracts have more sway.
I like the UK covers for JD.Robb but have collected them in whichever form I can get my mitts on. I'm not anal about them all matching though I do prefer paperbacks where I have the choice.
Once I'm familiar with an author it's less important to me though if a book had a totally fab cover it might hurry-up the inevitable purchase ;)
AS for covers I like, I'll have to think on that, I spend more time at the cover snark sites :)
Not a Katie MacAllister fan, find the heroines all samey and irratating.
Charlaine Harris Sookie series took me ages to pick up because when I saw the covers I thought they were kids books. Still don't liek them though the books are fun
for favorite authors, covers don't matter much.
for a new author, title grabs me first, then I read the back blurb to see if its something that sounds interesting to me. good covers are great, especially if the pictures reflect the author's description of either the people or the time frame
If I’m already into an author, the cover won’t really matter to me because it’s the author’s story I’m after—the writing. But if it’s a new author, a nice cover can entice me to buy. I mean, I have to already be interested in the story first, after reading the blurb and all that, but if I’m on the fence about buying it, a nice cover might make me say: Go ahead, take a chance! I think it’s just human nature—we’re attracted to nice things. I think Stephenie Meyer’s books have some nice, appealing covers—as do Maria V. Snyder’s. The first edition of her book Poison Study was very pretty, and in the same vein as the books. I’ve found J.R. Ward’s covers attractive, too.
I love a good cover.
If I like the author the cover doesn't matter. But if it's a new author to me, the cover will help make the decision to buy the book.
A pretty cover can seduce me into buying an unknown author or book I don't know much about (though I will read the back and probably flip through the pages too) or multiple copies of the same book.
An ugly cover doesn't usually prevent me from buying the book, if I like the writing or premise, but it's not particularly encouraging either.
I think the paperback version of Jennifer Donnelly's A Northern Light is stunning - so much so that I bought it, even though someone gave me the hardback. It's one of the very few times I like having a face on the cover.
Robin McKinley's trade paperbacks of Rose Daughter, Deerskin and The Outlaws of Sherwood are gorgeous; they all have the same stone carving theme.
Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak books have been getting some new covers that I think are quite lovely.
If it's an author that I like, I could care less about the cover. I've changed a lot over the years and the time when covers made or broke my book buying is long over. I usually take a list to the store so I know ahead of time what I'm buying. My list is based on book summaries.
For new-to-me authors, covers matter. A lot.
But if I read a lot of good reviews about it from trusted sources (like May, Jane, LLB, etc.), I'll still buy.
With me the cover is what attracts my attention and then I read the cover. But cover art/picture/whatever is what will make me pick up a book. But the story has to be something I'd enjoy reading. And I also have to say that a few books with eye catching cover work lagged on the story. But it was good marketing.
I appreciate a nice cover but it's not what usually catches my eye at first, afterall, it's bookspines I see first on the shelf. It's usually the title that gets me to pick it up first, then blurbs either on the back or the excerpt on the inside, if there is one, then cover.
Now if it's an author that I already read then none of the previous things matter cause I know that I already like their books regardless of anything else.
I love PC Cast's covers for Divine By Choice and Divine by Mistake. Gena's Nymph King cover is good too. So is Colleen Gleason's The Rest Falls Away (just going by my tbr pile)
I am definitely drawn to certain covers, and it's obvious that publishers are playing to this. Just look at the number of re-prints of books where the cutesy original covers are now more provocative. I'm not complaining, mind you, just realizing that it's all about marketing at times.
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