SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

I'm reading "Schism" by Catherine Asaro for a Yahoo group I belong to. If it weren't for it being the June book of the month for that group, I would have just passed it by. The cover is absolutely awful in its cheesiness. The mass market paperback came out in 2005, but it looks like it's from 1985. It looks like a fantasy novel, but it's science fiction.

I didn't think that cover art had that much influence on my buying decisions, but I guess it does. I gravitate towards books with covers that say, "I'm an avante garde science fiction novel." Or, "I'm not your typical epic fantasy." I like artistic cover art, not stuff that looks like it's off the cover of a Harlequin romance.

What about you?

The cliche is don't judge a book by its cover, and while its true that no one should judge the contents of a book by its cover, I often judge whether or not to buy a book by its cover. When choosing a new book to buy, sometimes the cover is the best piece of information to base a buying decision on, since it (supposedly) conveys something about the book and requires very little effort. That being said, sometimes you really have to question a publisher's choice.

I think cover art makes a difference primarily by drawing first attention to the book. My decision to read is never (?) based on the cover art, but whether I decide to even consider a book when browsing at a library or book store is almost certainly influenced by the cover art...or even the style of the spine, since this is often what one first sees.

The way I see it, the cover art is what makes me pick up or pass on a book. The blurb on the back or on the dust jacket is what makes me decide whether or not to read it. I wonder how many good books I've passed up because of bad blurbs. Sometimes, they seem to miss the whole point of the book. I picked up a copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird" because I want my son to read it. He read the blurb on the back and won't read the book. The blurb says that the book is about a rape.

If I've already heard about the book, such as reading a review on a blog, bad cover art won't deter me from reading it. But if it's my very first encounter with an author, a bad cover will make me pass it by. It's shameful, I know, but I'll mentally assume a cheesy or badly drawn cover will house a cheesy or badly written book.

And I run far, far, far away from any cover that contains an illustrated, skinny woman or shoes or some other indicator of chick-lit-ness. Their covers all have such similar qualities, of which I'm thankful because it's like a big neon "STAY AWAY" sign.

An aesthetically pleasing cover will make me pick up a book I've never heard of and at least read its back cover/front inner flap. I've bought/borrowed books I'd never heard of based on this, often with good results.

The good news is, I do most of my looking-for-new-books online where reviews and opinions are driving my reading choices, rather than walking up and down bookstore/library aisles looking for something new (although I do love doing that).

To wind up this long-winded comment, I think that covers matter because marketing matters.

I'm definitely seduced by really lovely cover art and turned off by bad design or inordinate cheesiness. It won't sway me completely against a book, but I might be hesitant to carry a book with particularly egregious cover art around in public. (Robin Hobb, your books are the worst for this.)

I have been burned by books that are not as good as their attractive covers, but I'm not bothered by that either.

Brooke, I've been buying a lot of books online too. I agree that descriptions and reviews play a big part there. I also like that Amazon makes recommendations based on my ratings and purchases. I've found some wonderful books because of that. Plus, there are so many more books available than I can find in the bookstore.

If you notice, in bookstores they put a lot of books "face out" just for the reason that covers DO entice people to pick up a book. Like others have mentioned, I also run away from books with certain kinds of covers that just scream NOT MY TYPE!

I never read the blurbs on the back written by other authors. So many of them are so vague that I'm sure they never actually read the book. Other readers' opinions mean more to me, which is one of the reasons I'm on Goodreads!

As for Amazon, I will look up books to read reviews, but then I buy them at my local independent bookstore. If they don't have the title, they can easily order it for me.

--Stephanie

If I remember correctly, the books that face out at the book stores in the aisles are just random. I worked at Barnes and Noble one Christmas and when we stocked the aisles we faced out what would fit. So I don't think those are any type of advertisement.

I do love a good cover, but most of the books I read I have heard of. And I hate when I am reading a series and they switch illustrators. I feel like my set doesn't match after that.

I have such a long list of books to read already that I'm not affected by the cover art. Which is not say that sometimes when I pick up a book from the library I'm glad they now have self check-out so that the librarians don't judge me by the book from the cover! Science fiction and fantasy art can be so ...so...tabloidy, tawdry and completely different than the intelligence that lies inside.

But I sure do appreciate beautiful cover art. If I'm browsing at a bookstore I'm sure I'm swayed by it if it's something I've never heard of and the blurb sounds good - it will go on my library request list.

This is such an informative topic of discussion for a new-to-the-business author like me. Thank you, Sandikal, for starting it!

Most of the time, authors, especially newly published ones, have zero imput into what type of covers their books get and if they do get a say, often their preferences are ignored by the artist chosen to do the cover. It's really too bad, because there are many excellent books out there, particularly by new voices,that may not get the audiences they deserve because of less-than-stellar cover art.

I, myself, am guilty of letting my eyes do the picking, so to speak, of which book(s) I reach for first when browsing the shelves, but I won't let a lousy cover run me off, necessarily. I chose more on the content of the blurb when looking at an author I've not read before.

There's a LiveJournal review group that always starts by critiquing the cover, which I find hilarious, especially since often the cover has very little to do with the content.

I do find myself, however, attracted to a good cover, but my experience is that some of the ones I like other people will hate, so it's pretty much an iffy thing.

In a survey last year on that very topic, most people responded that if they knew the author, the cover didn't matter; if they didn't know the author, the cover might entice them to turn the book around and read the blurb; most often, though the cover wasn't the sole motivator to pick up a book or not.

First impressions are important.

No point in lying about this. Fantastic cover art draws me like a magnet. It doesn't influence whether I will purchase a particular novel, but it WILL get me to look at it.

What the buyer sees and decides within the first 10 to 60 seconds will probably determine whether he purchases a book or not. Artwork alone won't do it, but it may provide just enough of a nudge to convince a potential buyer to pick the book up from the shelf in the first place. Assuming we're dealing with an unknown author, it isn't likely he'll pick it up a second time if the catchy or memorable title, stunning cover art, and compelling blurbs don't convince him right then and there.

A library atmosphere is a less demanding environment and, as such, the value of great cover art decreases somewhat. In general, the decision processes may be about the same, but financial pressures that exist at a bookstore will not be present in a library. (Hmmmm. I don't have wait for the mass market paperback - I can get this from the public library, saving money and a months-long wait! If I like it THAT much, I can always come back and buy a copy later.)

To summarize: Cover art doesn't say a great deal about the author or his/her writing. What it CAN say is, "Buy me....NOW!"

Sort of a side-note to the discussion...

Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden books, the first several had almost cartoonish covers (Fool Moon, I though, was particularly bad), but after the series started to catch on, the covers on later volumes were darker and more mysterious (albeit a bit more dull since each was very similar to the others--they all feature the title character in a dark, gritty urban environment). When the first books went through a second run, their covers were re-done in the same style.

I don't know whether that's an author getting more control over his cover art as he gets more popular or whether that's a marketing decision about how they want the series to be portrayed, but there it is.

Cover art influences me quite a bit. There is one artist who's work I enjoy on it's own merit. So when I spot a cover by him, it gives me pause. The artist is Michael Whelan who did the covers for Melanie Rawn, C.S. Friedman, Stephen King's Dark Tower series, Tad Williams, and a ton of other authors and musicians. His work is just incredible.

In fact, I just discovered he has his own website and one can order reprints of his work. There goes a good chunk of my next paycheck.

Of course I judge a book by its cover! It's marketing at its finest, especially since we're in a paperback era and no longer buying beautiful leather tomes.

I've found some great authors simply b/c I liked a book's cover - I've also run across some books that should be used as kindling. This is one reason I joined Good Reads .. I needed a better way to choose books and recommendations by people who like the same genres seemed like a good idea. Taking a chance on a cover has lead to some great finds, but once I've gone through an author's complete works, I'm not always ready to take that chance again.

It's not so much that I judge a book by its cover...it's simply that I think about what others might think about my tastes. Fat fantasy novels plastered with buxom women in ridiculously revealing robes or beefy, bulgy boys in spiky armor are so embarassing to check out, I avoid them just to maintain face.

I'm with AA on this one.

The cover art is a great tool when just browsing shelves. I've found some absolute favorite works because the cover art caught my eye and the synopsis on the back sounded good.

I've always personally felt that any smart publisher will spend more money on good cover art for books that they believe are good and will likely sell. Thus, I rationalize that good cover art indicates a book that the publisher expects people will enjoy and I should check to see if I might enjoy it.

The first thing to catch my eye is usually the title. If it has something to do with one of my likes, then I might pick it up, look at the cover and then read the blurb on the back or the front cover. I do like book covers that are appealing to the eye, and perhaps show a scene from the book itself. If its an author I've already read and enjoyed, then I'll usually buy it or check it out. But there are times I'll judge only by the cover, and those are usually not the best choice for me, but sometimes they turn out to be gems in disguise.

I had bought a copy of Lolita online and it wasn't the edition I had thought it was and I was quite pissed since I didn't like the cover.

I will confess to buying multiple copies of a book because of this! Sometimes I will find a $1 copy in a used bookstore and buy it because I want to read it, and then later go and get another copy with a prettier cover. My used bookstore copy of The Name of the Rose has a freaky looking monk on the cover, and I was pleased when my dog ate it before I could finish it because now I have an excuse to buy a prettier copy.

I couldn't agree more. While I would like to think I judge a book on its merit, I probably miss great books because they just don't catch my eye due to poor or uninteresting cover/spine art.

Once I know an author, then when your specifically looking for him/her, cover art isn't as significant when choosing what to read.

Steven and AA,

My next question would be "what catches your eye?" What does a great cover look like?

I probably miss great books because they just don't catch my eye due to poor or uninteresting cover/spine art.

Jake,

Same question for you: what is a poor or uninteresting cover?

M.D. I think the covers I'm most likely to pass over are ones that look dated. Like I mentioned with the Catherine Asaro book, the cover looked like it was straight out of the Eighties even though the book was written in this decade. I also tend to pass over covers that look like they're romance novels or ones that look like dungeons and dragons type fantasy.

I'm currently attracted to covers that have a really modern, urban edge to them. The covers of Charles de Lint novels are fabulous. They're very creative and imaginative. The cover for "Thirteen" by Richard Morgan was exceptionally excellent as are the covers for Neil Gaiman, Ian McDonald and William Gibson novels. (Those are just off the top of my head.)

Well, I have no idea where my comment went (so I apologize if I end up posting twice) - but I basically said what Sandikal just said. Pluses = modern; minuses = dated and generic (castles and barechested, long-haired heroes on fantasy novels)

M.d.,

A good cover catches my eye for a variety of reasons. I like very simple designs, as well as some of the intricate pencil illustrations often seen on the DAW books. I love cats (who would have guessed :) so covers with cats often draw my eye. I rarely purchase the "cat cover" books though b/c the teaser on the back rarely sounds interesting.

I've had a paperback called Dogtales that I purchased as a kid and I am still drawn to that book based on the cover alone. Luckily, the stories inside are interesting as well :)

I've read some bodice rippers (another hazard of boarding school, seriously!) but mostly based on how much the titles make me laugh. I am constantly drawn to the recent surge of historical chick lit based on the covers which usually depict paintings, but, like the cat covers, rarely purchase them b/c so few contain a *good* story. Also, I'm drawn to anything with mathematical symbolism on the cover.

All that is to say .. I'm drawn to covers that display something that is an interest of mine as well as to covers that reflect my design aesthetic.

AA,

From what I read in your post, you won't necessarily buy the books whose covers attract you in the first place, but those will lead you to look at the back blurb?

Would that be the main purpose of a book cover? Conversely, which kind of covers are completely repellent to you?

For me, I usually give the Sophie Kinsella-type of covers a wide berth because they broadcast totally empty-minded drivel. I also usually steer away from covers with people on them, simply because most times now they're badly computer generated, especially in Spec Fic's smaller publishers.

Well, I liked the photos on the cover of The Whale Road. Digitally edited picture collages are fairly appealing, but I think I will see far too many of them in the near future. Too much of anything proves wearisome.

Blandly photoshopped covers--like that of the 1987 Ace Paperback Edition of Burning Chrome--don't inspire me to read, but they are nice to show off. (Can't find this cover on Goodreads, but you can see it at the Abebooks link)
Although I'm not a book collector, I think that one purpose of a cover is to demonstrate the owner's taste. Thus, an intriguing spine can be very useful.

M.d. -

Correct. A good cover will lead me to read the blurb, which then helps me decide whether to purchase the book or not. Sometimes I'll read part of the first chapter to see if the writing style is to my taste.

Yes, I do think that's the main purpose of a cover. Attract attention. I'm sure the way the books are stacked in "new" bookstores has been meticulously researched as a means to attract the buyers' eyes.

I'm not a big fan of covers that portray Fabio ;) I've never given much thought to covers I don't like .. it does seem that very few of the books I own have people on the covers. Honestly, I'm having a hard time thinking of covers that I dislike enough to describe .. most that I don't like are long forgotten. I do think a lot of computer book covers are hideous. Cluttered covers don't attract me .. but that's an aesthetic preference. I like clean lines.

The longer I think about it, the more I agree with you about covers depicting people. I like the characters to be created in my mind (with the author's guidance of course :), not by another artist.

While a good cover may not change a reader's mind, a bad one can turn a reader off, or at the very least, mislead them.

I had the unfortunate experience of having a publisher who thought my book should have a young, bare-chested male on the cover. One reader remarked that he liked the synopsis but hated the cover, and another told me I shouldn't waste my time writing "trashy romance novels".

While I think there's nothing wrong with romance novels, mine was an adventure featuring an elderly man who had been cursed and become an ogreish-looking creature.

It left me feeling very weird and more than a little upset with the publisher.

What if someone bought the book expecting a romance?

A books cover is very influential if I'm grazing for a new book or author to read. But when it comes down to pu8rchasing, I rarely [especially now that I'm older:] purchase a book based solely on the cover. I'm more likely to write the book title/author down and find out more of the author or book before purchasing [yes I carry a pen/paper with me everywhere:].

As with style, I always appreciate a good and relevant cover if browsing by cover, It generally depends on my mood, which really sets the pace for what I find aesthetically appealing. But when judging cover art, I look for what any artist would look for, good composition and lighting, accurate proportions and correct vanishing points and other 'rules' when making a visual piece. I also give the artist some leeway in thinking that the piece actually reflects something relevant in the book.

A good cover draws me in. It was Frazetta's wonderful art on the Lancer editions of Conan that first interested me in my father's books. The crappy cover art on his SF novels was bright, but not so interesting.

It still helps today, although I often have favorite authors, recommended books & such. While an occasional cover will make me look twice at a book, it's not that frequent.

I have bought a book just for the cover though. I bought a book that had a Boris Vallejo cover. The book was OK, but I probably wouldn't have bought it otherwise.

I'll admit that I'm a sucker for cover art. However, if the jacket description does not hold my interest past the first sentence, I'll usually put it down.

Cover art is a hot issue for me, and my opinions are all over the place.

A strong, dramatic, simple, graphic image works very well. I'm biased because all my titles are chess puns, but I am green with envy of Stephanie Meyers "Breaking Dawn" (I think that's the one) cover.

Yes, it's paranormal... probably not fantasy or sci-fi but it's the best looking cover on my mind.

I like covers with people, as long as their clothes look right, their eye and hair coloring matches the descriptions in the book, and I find them attractive. Some naked males simply aren't all that attractive.

I'm another fan of Frazetta's art, some of which looked quite sexist.

Symbolic works for me.

Rowena Cherry

I don't buy books for the cover art - although I may be attracted by a cover -I agree with Sandi -remember the old saying you can't judge a book by it's cover - there would be alot of good sc fi fantasy books unread by me if I just looked at the cover

and I can't stand Harleguin romance covers and some Sci Fi / Fantasy have gone this route with their covers which turns me off - I know I just said I try not to judge a book by it's cover - so I'm a complex human being

Cover art plays a very small role in my book-buying decisions. I rely almost entirely on the synopsis if I'm just browsing a store's shelves. However, I do very little browsing these days--no time!! I now choose based on recommendations by people I trust, such as friends, family, and also on book reviews from trusted sources.

I do love certain cover artists, though, and if I see a book cover done by that artist, I'm more inclined to read the synopsis; however, I won't buy the book just because I love the cover.

With an unknown (to me ) author and the number of authors I currently read and look for (I have about 30 book on my headboard bought this week) Title and cover art can get me to look at the synopsis.

I never buy a book without a good synopsis unless it is an author I am familuar with. I don't want reviews form other authors. Give me a teaser that tells me just enough about the book to wet my interest.

But to be honest, without the good title or cover art I might not even look any further.

Well, I guess for me it depends on the mood I'm in. Am I just browsing? Then, I might be attracted to cover art, but more often it's the title that catches me. I can't think of one time that I went "oh wow! that cover is just so cool I have to buy it!"

If someone has recommended it to me and I was interested enough, I could care less. It could have a white cover with plain times new roman font and I would pick it up anyway.

cover art can attract my attention, but it will never make me buy the book.
generally i read the description, flip through the first chapter, and then decide if i'm interested enough to buy.

cover art CAN turn me off though. big time.
the worst is when the description of a character is one way in the book, and the cover art depicts the character a different way...
a good example - anne mccaffrey's harper hall trilogy specifically describes fire lizards as having forelimbs (it talks about them using them in a couple places), yet the artist has depicted them with no fore-arms, kinda like little wyverns.
BIG turn off.

Very much so! for example: Karen Miller's King maker/breaker douology cover caught my eye, and my friend has been trying to get me to read Ringo, but the cover turns me off every time.