Do you buy books based on the book cover?
I am a self-confessed book cover whore! I really like the trend lately of having enigmatic and dazzling covers. Just look at our host's cover of Masquerade. Gorgeous! ----------->
I will not go as far as to say that I buy them based on their cover though. What happens is that I see eye candy covers and am drawn to the book. I will then pick it up or click on it and find out what is inside. What matters the most is what the book is about. Will I like the story, the characters, and the genre? If I am bored by the description I will probably be bored by the book - no matter how pretty the cover. However, there are a few books that have made it into my clutches that I just had to have because the cover is awesome.
Most notably is Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel. I had no idea what this book was about, but it had a girl with a Parasol! It turned out to be a fantastic book and I have the second book's galley all ready to read. Score! On the other hand, I have been burned by lusting over the cover. And then there are the books that have lackluster covers but have the most amazing story inside. I think books such as these make me look and realize that I have broken one of the very basic rules: "Do Not Judge a Book by the Cover!" All that being said, a cover is important because it is the first thing readers see when they look at a book and it should be eye-catching. I even review the cover of a book as part of my reviews because I know that it is a part of the overall package. And being part of the whole package the cover should reflect something from the book and I have issues when it doesn't. So now that I am done rambling off on a tangent, I will again say covers are important, but if a book is good, the cover is just a pretty picture. What do think? Do you buy books based on the cover?
