Everyday Canvas

The Cover on the Book

Prompt:
Book covers: What kind of books do you NOT want to buy or read, judging from their covers?

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I know the book covers have to do with the publishers’ tricks, most of the time, but then, any dependable publisher would let the writer have his or her say in the matter. When book covers give the wrong impression, whose fault is it? When people buy a book, isn’t the book cover the first thing they see?

Especially in today’s publishing world, when e-books and self-published works are the rage, isn't the cover the first thing to let us judge what is in the book?

Maybe the cover is indicative of what’s inside or maybe not, but there are some covers that truly turn me off, and at times, not only the covers but the titles as well.

How do I bypass thee, book covers? Let me count the ways:

• Any cover that suggests the book is the offspring of 50 Shades of Grey, especially those with the word Billionaire in the title. Honestly, I don’t want to read anything about billionaires, unless the billionaire is the writer and he or she has something interesting to say.

• Any cover with half-naked men and women on the cover, suggesting that the story has to do with porn. I am not interested in constantly viewing the muscular structure of males and neither do I care for the fake sexy poses of females; moreover, I don’t read porn, but I will gladly read explicit sex if there is a serious story there.

• I don’t buy or read a book with a cover showing violence, such as a knife with blood dripping and a victim on the floor. Yet, I will gladly read any murder-mystery book with violence inside. I only don’t want to see it in the cover. If I would be interested in seeing a murder scene constantly while holding such a book in my hand, I would watch TV instead. There’s a lot of that on most any channel.

• As to horror, the same goes as for the covers of sex and violence. If there’s a story there, fine. If the horror is depicted in a cover, showing skulls, zombies or the like--for titillation, to attract attention or whatever--I am not touching that book. I might read the story, if there is a story inside somewhere but I will not hold such a book in my hand.


On the other hand, a book with a simple cover even with no picture on it could trigger my interest if I have read a few positive reviews of it and if an excerpt is provided that I can skim through. Although I appreciate any good artist’s input in a book cover, I don’t like gross and crass pictures in front of my eyes, anywhere, when I know many ways of creating a sensible and attractive book cover exists.

I understand many people will just go for the covers I dislike and this will help the sales, but why would accomplished, self-respecting writers depend on the titillating covers to sell their books? I happen to think, they would rather not.