The Next Best Book Club discussion

Hey everyone! My name is Ada, I’m a literature enthusiast and a marketing student at the University of Southern Denmark. I’m currently working on a class project that focuses on online ethnographic research. I would really appreciate it if you could take a minute to help me out.

Seeing the availability of amazing literature out there sometimes overwhelms me and often I find it difficult to choose which books I want. Not only are there many interesting stories to read, but also there are so many books with beautiful cover design. For example, when I discovered the Penguin English Library books with Coralie Bickford-Smith’s amazing cover design, I felt that my interest in reading classical literature actually grew and I started collecting those books!

This got me thinking about the factors that affect the purchasing decisions that we make when choosing a book. So I have decided to conduct a little research for my school project on these questions:

How do readers choose which books to read? What role does the cover of a book play in the decision making process? Is the book cover more important if the book is bought, rather than borrowed?

Your participation will of course be kept strictly anonymous, but if you would like, I would be more than willing to cite your contribution.

Thanks! :)

Hey Ada,

Previously, I would have said that I only read books that come with a heartfelt recommendation (either from a friend or reviewer). In these cases, the cover plays very little part, though the blurb may still determine whether I get past the first few pages or not.

However, recently, I've been trying to get into self-published fiction (mainly for selfish, self-promotional reasons as I want to see what works) and I'm finding that I'm judging books by their covers a hell of a lot more. This is mainly because unlike professionally published books (which generally have a paid designer if not a team working on them), I feel that the quality of a self-published book's cover is an indication of how much effort the author put into their content.

I'm instantly put off if the image is something generic or gaudy, even more so if there's a real mismatch between the font and image.

Generally, in theses cases, it's still the blurb and the first few pages which make or break a book for me. A cover's impact only lasts for as long as a book remains closed. The impact of the writing lasts a lot longer.

I have several series that I follow. In terms of series like the Percy Jackson series I already know that I'll read the next book after I've finished the book I'm on. In terms of series like Warhammer 40k, I follow certain space marine chapters or authors.

In terms of books that I don't know, the book cover normally draws me first. Then I read the blurb on the back. Then I read a few pages into it to see what I think.

As for my own book cover, I did the best I could do with the budget restraints I had.

I choose which books to read based on several factors: books that are recommended by trusted friends, books that cover topics I'm interested in, and books that I stumble across on Goodreads, BookTube, Amazon, or elsewhere.

Book covers don't factor into my decision making process unless I'm buying a book for my library. If I know it'll be added to my permanent collection, I'll make an effort to purchase visually appealing covers. If I'm not sure that I'll like the book, or am borrowing it from a friend (or if it's an eBook), I won't bother making sure that I like the cover before purchasing or reading it.

Hope this helps -- best of luck!

I've noticed that reviews (either positive or negative) are the best way to make me read a book. however, if I just walk in a library or book store, the cover does play a significant role in choosing what to grab with me. it doesn't really matter if it's particuary ugly or pretty one, or colorful or plain as long as it stands out in one way or another.

so yes, I'd say covers are pretty important in terms of making potential customers interested in buying a book, but recommendations mean a great deal too. although in comparing these two, I have to say that whereas books mentioned by reviewers and friends almost always end up on my tbr list, an awfully generic cover can still be a deal breaker and makes me leave the book quickly behind.

When selecting a brand new book for purchase I read the synopsis, read reviews and look for recommendations from friends. In those instances the cover makes no difference at all.

I have like to purchase books at thrift stores, flea markets and the Friends of the Library stores (attached to county libraries and super cheap used books). In those instances I often choose by the cover alone. I have purchased books many, many times simply because I was taken with a cover. Of course I read the synopsis blurbs or reviews on the back, but have found these very unreliable. I get irritated when the synopsis "tricks" me into reading a book by misleading me. I have begun books thinking they would be dystopic, science fiction or straight narrative based on these and been sorely disappointed when that is not what the book delivers. In those cases I have found myself avoiding certain authors when this has happened. Maybe not fair, but I can't seem to help it.

As a side note, I have a few favorite authors that I read everything they release regardless of what it is. Having said that I know that certain reprints of their books have covers that would never ever draw my interest if I knew nothing about them.

Two that come to mind are the Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCullough and anything by Stephen King.
The Masters of Rome hardbacks upon first release were beautiful, but the paperback covers remind me too much of romance novels to ever be appealing. Stephen King novels always have covers that I find intriguing when first released, but the recent paperback reprints of his books are just ugly and look like goofy horror which is not how I would qualify even his most horrific titles.

Kandice wrote: "I have purchased books many, many times simply because I was taken with a cover. Of course I read the synopsis blurbs or reviews on the back, but have found these very unreliable. I get irritated when the synopsis "tricks" me into reading a book by misleading me. I have begun books thinking they would be dystopic, science fiction or straight narrative based on these and been sorely disappointed when that is not what the book delivers."

I wholeheartedly agree. In speaking of covers it's definitely worth noting the importance of checking the synopsis: that it is in line with the actual content of the book and that it doesn't give away too much of the plot (seen some mess up in both of these). Wrong marketting is a pretty good way to piss people off and to miss the audience that actually might enjoy the book.

If the main title typeface is in Papyrus or Curlz I'm not going to read it! Covers do play a role for me. If the design is truly amateurish I usually won't bother unless there are overwhelming factors (numerous friend recommendations etc.).