Judging A Book By Its Cover

How do you decide what book to purchase? Does your selection process change if  in a small independent bookshop, or a large supermarket store, or online with the same–small, big, and virtual–amazon? Do you have a specific genre in mind? Author? Many authors? If needing a reference book, which will you choose? How do you determine which would be your best bet? If a bookseller helps you, can you be persuaded to purchase something you’ve not thought about reading before? If at a used bookstore, what determines which titles you want to cram into your bag?

These are all questions I never think to ask my fellow reading friends. I know their genre, considering the area I worked in, but that doesn’t mean they only read crime fiction, on the contrary, I think most mystery writers prefer not reading within the genre, for various reasons.

So how do you and others choose what to read among the vast piles of new titles, recommended books, remainders, etc.?

You all know my genre is mystery, but I do read various things, and sometimes will check out the large fiction section in the local B&N (sadly, there are no decent independent bookstores anywhere near me). I’m not up with the latest authors or buzz about a new voice in fiction, don’t have access to the New York Times Book Review any longer, and generally haven’t any idea of what the industry *wants* me to read. So what catches my eye? The artwork on the cover. I’m not ashamed to admit it. I happen to be an extremely visual individual, and artwork sets the mood for me.

For example, I saw a fantastic cover for a foreign language biblio title translated into English and became intrigued by the plot. But, I’ve not the money to spend 15 to 18 bucks on a large paperback. So online I went, found Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon for a pittance, and waited impatiently for it to arrive. When it did, the artwork wasn’t what I saw in the bookstore, it was older and dull, unimaginative, and it quashed my desire to read the book.

Bad bad Diane, right? I mean, there should be no correlation between what’s on the cover and the brilliance of the writing. But because the jacket is what piqued my interest to begin with, not having it deflated my happy expectations. The cover I loved pulled you into the story with its design and action, you felt immediate comradeship with the character depicted, Not so with the copy I received in the mail. I may read the book eventually–although I have thought about trying to pick up a used copy again, specifying that particular cover.

I know people who collect books just for the cover artwork. My husband is one of them–he rarely reads the books we have purchased over the years–he’s happy with the representation on the jacket. I try to read most of what we collect–if of interest, ,  but I do it with another copy, if possible. So if we have a first edition Ellery Queen, I’ll find a used  paperback to enjoy. And I try to find a paperback with interesting artwork on the paperback as well.

Does this make me a shallow reader? I don’t think so. I still demand good writing. A book could have a Van Gough cover, that doesn’t mean that the synopsis improves just because Starry Night is reproduced. But a great cover can enhance the entire experience of reading the book for me.

There were a couple of books I knew nothing about, never heard of the authors, or titles, but their covers elated me. One was the novel Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold–the dust jacket on that book is divine! It lures the consumer with bold graphics that tell the story with one glance. I love magician stories, so I immediately bought it, even in hardcover, a rare thing for me nowadays. And of course, loved it. Another cover that pulled me to the book–Johannes Cabel, The Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard. The paperback cover is a graphic black, ivory, and red sketch of a skeleton in top hat. The storyline is bizarre and enticing. But I am having trouble reading it, either the subject matter is too comically dark, or my reading interest is elsewhere at the moment. I will go back to it, at some point.

So my judging a book by its cover is a split decision!

If I was in a nice indie, I would listen to the bookseller’s recommendations, but I doubt if that alone would sway me into reading something I wouldn’t normally pick up. It would have to be something extraordinary for me to take a chance. Naturally, the situation would be entirely different if in a crime fiction bookstore. I know they are well versed in what’s new, and they may know my likes and dislikes and give me suggestions based on that knowledge that would end up being on the money. If online, say, amazon, I do read the public’s “reviews” but with a huge dose of salt. I’ve never let someone’s bad review dissuade me from a purchase, but I do admit if the book seems to have received tons of praise, I may go for it–but with something like amazon, you need to know what you’re looking for to begin with–no booksellers or rows of titles to peruse. Same thing with biblio or any other used bookstore site–you need to have at least an area to narrow down your search. I’d never come up with either book online–the gazillions of titles would be too much to be likely to happen upon them.

Reference titles are very hard to assess for me. Can’t go by artwork here, lol, not would I want to. If no one to lend a hand in the store, I study the copy intensely on each and every book, until I feel comfortable enough to decide. I am never sure leaving the store if I made the right choice. That’s where a read bookseller is essential. They know the strengths and areas covered in the choice of books and can guide the customer to the one that fits their needs the most.

So, do any of you judge a book by its cover, and buy it based on that first impression? Or does the outer shell of the story disinterest you, to the point where you don’t even bother looking at the cover, or take off the dust jacket because it gets in the way? I’d like to hear how people go about choosing their next read. Meanwhile, I’ll be checking over some covers of potential reads!

Footnote–which of the two Shadow Of The Winds is the one I love?