March 27, 2008

BTT: Cover Up

This week's Booking Through Thursday:

While acknowledging that we can’t judge books by their covers, how much does the design of a book affect your reading enjoyment? Hardcover vs. softcover? Trade paperback vs. mass market paperback? Font? Illustrations? Etc.?



If I'm in a bookstore, the cover might entice me to pick up the book and at least read the synopsis on the back. Now that I shop for most of my books online, the cover is less likely to be a factor. I generally prefer trade paperbacks, because mass market ones seem to feel "cheap" - flimsy covers, stiff pages that fall out when you open the book too far.

1 comment:

Literary Feline said...

You make a very good point. Cover art seems to have more of an influence on me when I'm actually browsing the shelves in a brick and mortar bookstore than when I am shopping for books online. Of course, when I'm shopping online, I usually don't do a lot of browsing.

And like you, the cover art may encourage me to consider a book, but it's not the deciding factor of whether I read the book or not.