It’s been awhile since I posted something for the Book Blogger Hop, but I’m really hoping to get connected with some great new-to-me bloggers this week – and I hope you are too!
This week, Jennifer asked us to respond to the following question: “Do you judge a book by it’s cover?” I think this is a great question because it has some value to publishers and the graphic designers responsible for book cover design. If those behind the literary publishing machine check out any one of the participating blogs this weekend, I think that they’ll find some interesting information about the book blogging community as a whole and what they think is important in cover design.
So, do I judge books by their covers? Absolutely – I have no qualms about admitting that an aesthetically-pleasing cover will grab my attention when it’s either on a bookshelf (facing out of course) or when I’m searching through books online. Some books, like Nancy Werlin‘s Extraordinary is sooo gorgeous and otherworldly that I was drawn in right away. However, there is a funny thing about book design in that often the North American and UK markets have very distinct cover images. For the Hunger Games trilogy, I found that I really appreciated the design of the copies I could get in Canada, but the UK covers really didn’t appeal to me in the least. Other times, like in the case of Jackson Pearce‘s Sisters Red, I prefer the UK edition with the shiny, rather than matte, finish. Hopefully, the UK designers have an idea of what appeals to UK teens…otherwise, there might have been a number of books that never make it off the shelves.
I will say one thing though, like Jennifer from Crazy For Books, if someone pitches me a book to review, I do examine the synopsis or book jacket copy before I decide to review it or not. It’s only fair, especially since the author doesn’t have control over the cover design most of the time and sometimes, the designer hasn’t even read the book before they come up with a concept.
What about you? Do you judge books by their covers, despite the cliché? Let me know in the comments, and when you’re done that, check out my Mockingjay Giveaway!
Melissa has always been a voracious reader of fiction and has an M.A. in English Literature to prove it. Like many other adults, she got caught up in the young adult crossover fiction phenomenon. Now, one of her great joys comes from sharing her love of YA lit on this popular review site. Come with expectations of intellect, magic, and honest reviews, and you won’t be disappointed.
