Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly series hosted by Rukky at Eternity Books and Danie at Literary Lion. The full list of February topics can be found here.
This week’s topic is about book covers, specifically what makes a book “beautiful” or a book cover attractive.
Topic Prompts: It’s impossible not to sometimes judge books by the cover – what makes a book beautiful to you? Are there certain covers you’re drawn towards, and certain styles you stay away from? What are some of the most beautiful covers you’ve seen?
Favorite Trends
I tend to be drawn towards covers that are somewhat abstract. I love covers that are subtle, the ones where you might not notice what you’re looking at right away. I also like those that have an image I may not be able to put into context until late in the book or after finishing it. I think that this trend started a few years ago and I have noticed it’s continued with contemporary books.
Some of my favorite covers include the Tracers novels by Laura Griffin…
A few others with somewhat abstract or understated designs I have liked are below…
Those types of covers will always be my favorites. I don’t need to have a character on the cover, or a particular scene from the book, in order to want to read it; an interesting, understated cover is enough to draw me in.
Not-So-Favorite Trends
A hugely popular style right now is illustrated covers with characters on the front. I see these covers everywhere, not just on contemporary romances which is where (I think) it may have started.
I don’t dislike them, however, they give books such a YA-feel in my opinion. Unless the book is in fact a YA book, I sometimes wonder if it’s appropriate, and if it influences readers who are deciding what to read.
That’s when we come to the book-cover-appeal-is-subjective part of this post. There are so many different cover styles out there, just as there are readers and consumers. If something is selling well and people are commenting on the cover art, marketing teams will surely take notice.
Hannah's Library 