Everyone always says that, but we know they still do it. So, how much do covers affect the popularity of a book?
There have certainly been complaints about covers from consistent book readers. This is mainly because some authors decide to put the characters in the book on the front cover. Plenty of times readers just say, “It takes away the fun of imagining what they looked like.”
When reading, people sometimes envision a small movie inside their head. In that small movie, the characters come into play, but only as the reader imagined them. If the characters are showcased on the cover, the reader might not have envisioned them the same, and may no longer want to check out/buy the book.
Of course there are exceptions to this. For example, there was this book I was recommended to read, but it had realistic people on the cover. I decided to give it a chance and it ended up being one of my favorite book series’ so far.
No, not everyone gives it a chance but, occasionally if the book is well enough written and a good type of entertainment, people might look over the cover. On another note, if the cover is bland, or sort of just blends in, people are less likely to grab it off the shelves.
Another book I am reading is very good so far, but the cover is just black with some words. The book is still worth the read, but it is less likely to be grabbed off the shelf at a bookstore because it does not stand out, and it is not popular.
According to, COVER MATTERS: THE SURVEY RESULTS by Sanjeev P, “Covers clearly DO matter (a whopping 80% of folks surveyed agreed).” They surveyed a bunch of book readers to see if a cover influenced their decision of buying a book.
To influence the potential of people reading your book, you should probably not have realistic people on the cover. Don’t make it too bland and make it interesting to look at and people will buy it.
In conclusion, people most of the time have a better chance at picking out a book and reading it if they enjoy how the cover looks as well.
