What's in a cover?

November 22nd prompt for the NaBloPoMo challenge – How important are book covers in getting you to read a book? 

We seem to be continuing the book theme today which makes this reader a happy camper.  There are two answers to this question.   

If we’re talking about an author who I already know and love, you could put a pile of dog poo on the cover and I’ll buy the book.  Once I have built a relationship with an author’s work, especially if we are talking about a series where I have gotten to know the main characters well, I will automatically trust that this pile of poo has deep meaning to the book.  With the authors who I love the most, I usually know the title of their next book and its release date long before I see any cover art and have it on my list of “wants” so the cover art is really beside the point. 

My latest "want" that has been fulfilled

 With authors who I have never read before, cover art is just about everything.  Sometimes I’ll take an interest in a new author when I read a review of their latest book online or in a magazine but, more often than not, I find someone new while perusing the shelves at the book store. 

I’ll walk into the store and start with the shelves of newly released paperbacks.  I first scan the shelves for authors I know then I slow down and scan a second time looking more closely at the book covers and titles.  Anything that catches my eye is picked up and the back cover description is read.  Once I have finished with that set of shelves, I move on to the shelves elsewhere in the store.  If I’m in the big downtown Chapters or Indigo, I could easily be there for an hour or more (okay, usually more….) 

I have found many books that I’ve enjoyed very much using this method as well as getting hooked on new mystery and suspense series.  I literally have a whole list of authors whose next new book I am on the lookout for. 

Kat