r/books discussion

I think most everyone judges books by their covers even though we're not "supposed" to. More specifically what I'm asking is HOW do you judge book covers? What do you look for and what do you avoid? Do you have different cover criteria for different genres?

Under no circumstances should there be an actor's face in it. Beyond that, I like to be surprised by variety, tough I tend to prefer a cleaner style with minimum artwork and very legible letters.

I'm with you on the actor thing. I always look for an older edition if the newer one has an actor on it.

And maybe it's because of my graphic design background (designing book or video game covers is my dream job) that I love almost any other type of cover besides actor/actress covers. Even the absolute most simple covers take a ridiculous amount of planning.

Hmm...I'm attracted to intelligent design. I have a huge art background and really love clever books and I appreciate a well-done cover. I have some editions of Animal Farm and 1984 with newer covers but with BEAUTIFUL covers.

I like leather bound books too! I think they look amazing.

I don't necessarily pick a book up by how the cover looks, though. Or even what I read on the back, either. I like to do research before I buy things and I like being recommended what to read... but I do admit that when I do get a good recommendation that I'll try and find the best cover >:)

Oh yes, leatherbound books are gorgeous. I eventually want to get all of the B&N exclusive ones. They're not all pictured in that link but you get the point. I've had my eye on the white Jurassic Park one for a while now.

A beautiful and well designed cover will draw my eye but that doesn't mean I'll buy it. The fact that it will make me stop and read the description helps though. i think my favorite type of book design is linen hardcovers with metallic inlay designs. Now I do plan on repurchasing all of The Song of Ice and Fire in beautiful hardback editions to replace my paperbacks just for those metallic inlays.

Ashley wrote: "A beautiful and well designed cover will draw my eye but that doesn't mean I'll buy it. The fact that it will make me stop and read the description helps though. i think my favorite type of book de..."

BFFIRL! So good to see you finally posting ;)<3

What about ebooks? How do you pick those from the website/wherever you get your books?

Does the feel of the book, such as leather bound, as well the smell, make you decide more on the book than something that you can have and read within a few clicks?

Is there anyone here who starts reading and just brushes past the cover?

Obviously, we're not supposed to judge the book by the cover, but we're visual people, who doesn't like to look at something well design and beautiful?

I try to pick my books more by the title, and a small description, although covers are, like what Ashley said, catch your eyes.

The front cover makes the first impression for me. If it catches my eye I'd look at it in a bit more detail and then read the blurb.
If I'm still interested after the blurb I open the book on a random page and read it for a few minutes to see if I like the writing style and the world it's set in.
If I'm still intrigued I'd either make an impulse buy or I'd wait til I got home and do a bit of research on the book before fully deciding.

It's like a small little ritual for me to go through

I instantly judge a book by its cover. Especially in the fantasy genres.

Covers like and (along with recommendations) made me get into these amazing series quicker.