You can’t judge a book by its cover. Yeah, I know. But you can sure judge the cover by the cover!
I’m often drawn to books by their lovely or dramatic or emotional cover artwork. I’m not always delighted with what’s inside, but a junky cover almost guarantees I won’t even look. This cover really appealed to me. It’s got the woman in a gorgeous dress that I can’t resist with historical novels, but it also begs me to find out why the bride has her fingers crossed. (I did find out–you should, too!)
I realized it’s much the same for me with wine labels. I really like elegant labels with flourishes and simpler designs. A jokey label stops me cold every time. Of course, if the wine isn’t good, I won’t buy that bottle with the lovely label again, but at least the design got me to try it.
I like to daydream about the covers of my books. A pond with a woman brushing her fingers across the surface. A man in the foreground watching a woman in a perfect, pink dress, dishing up beans and cornbread. A laughing redhead in waders casting a fly rod. I could do this all day!
Q4U- What attracts you to book covers and labels? Ever decide NOT to read a book based on its cover?