Comments on: How Much Do Book Covers Matter?

By: Pop Culture Nerd

Pop Culture Nerd — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 21:13:49 +0000

I’m deathly afraid of snakes. When I was sent an ARC with snakes all over the cover, I couldn’t even touch it, much less read it. They were all shiny and nasty-looking!

By: stacybuckeye

stacybuckeye — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 19:49:20 +0000

Yuck! Covers do matter. I received a book for a tour and the cover was so disturning I couldn’t make myself pick it up. Luckily, I could take it off and finally did so I could start reading it! Time will tell if the cover was right in scaring me away.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:54:49 +0000

This is a very good point and got me thinking/wondering about my series authors and what their covers look like. Trying to think of an author I read who has had a cover that made me think “If this were my first time out of the gate with this person, I wouldn’t buy this book.” Can’t think of one (which obviously doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist). Makes me wonder if I’ve just been incredibly lucky or if I’m missing out on some great authors because a cover turned me off at some point. I’m sure the latter is true somewhere down the line.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:53:21 +0000

Hardback cover was genius. Whoever had the idea to change it for PB should be fired. Especially to creepy cowpokes.

By: Leanne

Leanne — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 05:17:53 +0000

If I like the author already, I don’t care what the cover looks like! But yeah, I suppose if I was to be hooked in to reading a new author, the cover would play a big part. Nice and bright and ‘catchy’.

By: Pop Culture Nerd

Pop Culture Nerd — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 22:35:55 +0000

I looked up the covers, compared them, and you’re right—the hc cover is striking, while the pb one is LAME. Extra points for the “hot cowboys” comment.

Thanks for voting for the original cover in the Stalkers.

By: Pop Culture Nerd

Pop Culture Nerd — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 22:31:44 +0000

That title would make me peek inside, as well. And I don’t read dust jackets, either, because of the dang spoilers. A long time ago, before I learned this lesson, I read a dust jacket that revealed a death that didn’t happen until more than halfway through the book. I was SO mad.

By: Pop Culture Nerd

Pop Culture Nerd — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 22:29:23 +0000

If a friend highly recommends a book, I’d still read it if it comes to me with the cover torn off. (Thank you for considering me such a friend!)

I just had a thought—you should be designing cover art!

By: Pop Culture Nerd

Pop Culture Nerd — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 22:23:14 +0000

Yup, sucky cover in pitch = no, thanks.

By: Pop Culture Nerd

Pop Culture Nerd — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 22:21:51 +0000

I like edgy but the US cover on this is just ugly to me.

It’s too bad that readers got angry at you because they felt misled by your covers. I read a blog post recently by an author who said her fans got mad at her because her new book will be published in hardcover for the first time (her past titles have been trade paperbacks). Her readers accuse her of selling out, trying to make more money off them because hardcovers cost more. I think people should realize what authors do and don’t have control over before getting up in arms.