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When you pick a book does the cover grab you first. Here lately I've been picking books because the cover seems to stand out to me. I'm never sure how the book is going to go or if its going to be a good read tell I start it and then finish it. I'm just wondering does it matter to you if the cover grabs you so you buy it or do you read a little bit about the book first.
I think I like the surprise that comes from not knowing tell I get into the book. I've been blogging each book I've read for the last two years and I still seem to enjoy what I read even if I choose the book just by the cover.

So, do you choose the book like that?

I have on occasion but not usually .... but the cover plus the back blurb would be my usual route.
Mind you as I've pointed out here previously going by the covers of the Jasper Fforde books I definitely would never have picked them up without the brilliant reviews here first. At least this side of the Atlantic the covers look like they are misfiled from the children's section of the bookshop. Just show how wrong you can be.

Fran is right, some book covers are misleading. I have found that not only the illustrations can be misleading but the blurb on the back can also be incorrect. It's all marketing and generally I think if the cover appeals to you, it means you are the target audience.

A few i have choosen on covers alone, for example my current book has a picture of the top of a haunted mansion and is atmospheric which would definitely appeal to me but i wouldnt just dismiss a book if i didnt like the cover. Having said that I think an eye-catching cover is worth making the effort for as its often the only thing for newer authors to draw in their customer base..

When I'm at the library, most often it'll be the cover and the title that will catch my eye and then I would read the blurb to see if the story would appeal to me. I know I might be missing some great books out there purely on this method but I don't see how else a book would grab my attention if I am simply browsing. Other times I know there is a specific book I want either because I am familiar with the author or it's been recommended to me - in that case the cover doesn't matter and nor does the blurb.

I often go on Fantasticfiction.com if I want to browse latest titles and see what's out there, it's a great website if you're looking for something new to pick up.

I do agree that the cover of a book does matter. With that being said lately I've been reading on my Kindle so I haven't really paid much attention to the book covers.

Well sometimes the cover doesn't help. Like this book 'Shiver' you think it's about the cold but it's about werewolves. Or maybe, you mean the cover design? Well, the design could be so ugly but the book would be great it wouldn't matter:P

Being a collector, as much as a reader the cover is very important to me. If there are tears or marks on the dustcover of a book this seriously downgrades the value of the book. For collectors it is not much use having a rare first edition, first printing if the dustcover is in tatters. It is like collecting anything(coins, stamps, comics, etc) it has to be in good condition.

Browsing in used bookstores, I find myself skipping over the "bright" spines--books that are obviously newer/haven't been read much. If something's worn, I figure somebody liked it a lot, so it might be worth a look. I read (good) books to tatters, anyway, so I don't really care if it's kinda worn out.

The cover is extremely important and must draw the reader in. That's step one for sure!

I've found that people going shopping for ebooks (such as on Amazon) are more likely to buy a book based initially off of cover alone. If people are browsing casually, they'll click into it and read the description. If the cover isn't appealing though, they'll go on past it. Since a lot of ebooks are cheap, around 99cents to two dollars, a lot of people are more willing to "impulse" buy.

When I'm shopping for a book in person though, I look at everything, cover, thickness, font. I usually open it up to a random section to and read through it a small bit. To see if I can take the writer's style.

As a youth, the cover was usually the most important item (to me) in choosing a book, but now I would say it is the story line or a recommendation that draws me first. I will admit that and interesting cover or book binding still draws me in.

DigitalEvil wrote:I've found that people going shopping for ebooks (such as on Amazon) are more likely to buy a book based initially off of cover alone. If people are browsing casually, they'll click into it and read the description. If the cover isn't appealing though, they'll go on past it. Since a lot of ebooks are cheap, around 99cents to two dollars, a lot of people are more willing to "impulse" buy.

When I'm shopping for a book in person though, I look at everything, cover, thickness, font. I usually open it up to a random section to and read through it a small bit. To see if I can take the writer's style.

I think it is actually the opposite .... if I'm browsing in a bookstore, of course, the cover is what will initially catch my eye but if I'm shopping for my Kindle the cover is totally irrelevant, it's the title, author and the little bit they let you read before you decide to buy that I go by.

Fran wrote:

DigitalEvil wrote:I've found that people going shopping for ebooks (such as on Amazon) are more likely to buy a book based initially off of cover alone. If people are browsing casually, they'll click into it and read the description. If the cover isn't appealing though, they'll go on past it. Since a lot of ebooks are cheap, around 99cents to two dollars, a lot of people are more willing to "impulse" buy.

When I'm shopping for a book in person though, I look at everything, cover, thickness, font. I usually open it up to a random section to and read through it a small bit. To see if I can take the writer's style.

I think it is actually the opposite .... if I'm browsing in a bookstore, of course, the cover is what will initially catch my eye but if I'm shopping for my Kindle the cover is totally irrelevant, it's the title, author and the little bit they let you read before you decide to buy that I go by.

I second that! Can't see the cover on my kindle, I wish I could like you do on the Kobo! LOL!

The cover of the book has absolutely no effect on my desire to buy it or not. Book covers (or their jackets) are designed, at least in part, to catch the eye or to bear some graphic significance to the subject matter. They are more of a marketing ploy rather than an indication of quality. The old saying holds true - You can't judge a book by the cover.

One of the more interesting designs, I thought, for the first edition cover of Ulysses, by James Joyce, was a blue background with white lettering symbolizing the colors on the Greek flag as Ulysses was an allegory of sorts on the Greek classic, The Odyssey.