How Important Is a Book's Cover?

I thought I would discuss covers today. Trust me, before anyone brings it up I know, "Don't judge a book by its cover." However, I don't believe that is true. I can't tell you how many books I have passed over because of their covers. In this day and age, there are so many books out there! We literally cannot read them all. So, how do we choose what to read? Of course the synopsis is a big aspect but the cover is too, no matter what you say.

When I am scrolling down the amazon top one hundred, there are no synopsis's. There are no sample's of the book. There is the name, author, rating, picture and price of the book. The name of the book isn't important to me. Unless I know the author I don't care who writes the book. I am not picky like that.

I usually won't read a book under four stars. I figure if half of the population doesn't like it and half does then usually it isn't that good. However if the cover is intriguing I would look into the book. I would give a chance to the book just because of the cover. I think that in itself says a lot.

The cover nine out of ten times is the thing that makes me buy a book. The cover sets the stage for what the book will be about. If a cover has an attractive man and woman on it, you can guess that the book will be romance. If the cover has magic or vampires or wolves, you know the book will be about that. You want the cover to draw people in.

Let me give you an example...

If I saw this cover I would be drawn into the book. You can tell that it is a romance book. You can tell that the people in the book are young. The title, Lost To You is written in a sexy font that makes me think of smoke. The simple gray back ground and the shadows show me that something is holding them back. Also the title shows that someone is falling for the other and losing themselves. I would pick this book up without reading the synopsis if I only saw the cover.

Now this cover doesn't do anything for me. It's beautiful don't get me wrong but it doesn't make me feel anything. I can't tell what the book will be about at all. Because there is the beautiful lake and trees if I had to guess I would say romance but I couldn't say that for sure. I would pass over this book if it was on a list.

This last one is different from the other two. This is a very simple cover. Its title let's us know that the book has elements that aren't from Earth. I think fantasy or paranormal. The simple moon makes me think of someone who is pure or untouched. The clouds moving towards the moon make me think of a conflict that is coming. Also the whimsical lettering makes me think of romance and fun. I would buy this book based on the name and cover.



I found these books all on the kindle best seller lists. As I was scrolling down I just looked at the covers and chose ones I would be interested in. I think if anything this shows how we do judge books by their cover. I know that when I started designing my cover I wanted something that portrayed exactly what my book was about. I want something attractive that draws you in. I think that with so many books out there, you need to separate yourself. Make your cover unique and that will make people chose your book over another!