Do you judge a book by its cover? Its title? How do you pick what you're going to read?

[LauraC]

Apart from the books that my book group votes for (how we pick discussion books), I usually scan Amazon's "new releases" in non-fiction, read the summary, look at the page count and then pick books where the subject interests me. I like event oriented nonfiction and demographics type books. I don't like philosophy, self-help or theory in non-fiction, can't stand books about our forefathers and I steer clear of "girl books" in nonfiction. If I like an author's previous book, I'll take a chance on the next one.

I always call nonfiction, The Colon Books, because they can't seem to tell people what their books are about unless they throw down a colon and add to the title. (Made up example: "The Hot Potato War: How X Took on Y in the Bloodiest Conflict Since ABC")

[Cida]

I'd say that around 99% of my choices are based on reviews or knowledge of the author.

About the only example I can think of where I was specifically struck by the cover was The Handmaid's Tale.

[fromupthere]

A cover can draw me to a book, but it's ultimately the synopsis that will be the deciding factor on whether or not I read it.

[Shadow_Ash]

I usually browse through GoodReads and see what is recommended for someone who read e.g. Lord of the Rings. Then I check that and usually end up with a bunch of new titles for further investigation.

Or just last week I suddenly felt a need to read some horror/thriller story that would take place in the South or talk about voodoo. The only idea I had of something I read before and enjoyed the climate was Harry Angel. So I just asked Google. After a while of intense browsing I ended up reading Anne Rice Witch Hour and so far I am satisfied. Worth mentioning - I didn't bother to look up those books' covers at all.

[CPPU12345]

Originally Posted by gelofogo

id that "you can't judge a book by its cover," and yet this is what book jacket designers do: pull you into the plot description on the flap or the back cover. Does it work? When you select a book, what draws you first? What commits you? And what, if anything, causes you to share it with others?

I didn't really judge a book by its covers. But a bad cover would really dim my interest for a book. For example: the covering art of Lord of the flies quenched my desires to read it.

And I wouldn't share that novel with the others ever. Because passing a portrait of a swine head around was too extreme for me.

[SeasonedNewbie]

I too check the cover and synopsis of a book, mostly for originality.

[Felix C]

I glance at the cover only to see if the author's name is larger than the title which tells me it is probably crap, then end papers, then footnotes/bibliography, then table of contents, then read the 1st few lines of the first few paras for each chapter. Then decide if it is worth buying if it appears well written with solid sources and treats the subject matter in a manner I have not seen before.

But the art means nothing to me.

I have learned artwork is very important for some buyers. Impulse types.