By Tessa Pulyer Posted on

#BookBloggerHop | Synopsis or Cover – which do you choose?

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer @ Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer’s permission, Billy @ Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer relaunched the hop on February 15, 2013. Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end the following Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to their own blog.

Are you more likely to choose to read a book based on the synopsis, or the cover?

(submitted by Julie @ JadeSky)

I am more likely to notice a book because of its cover, and then I read the description. If the description/genre matches the cover, then I will read it. I learned to beware of books whose cover doesn’t reflect the genre. The books I’ve been most disappointed by are those that don’t match up. Of course, there are exceptions to that rule. So, I choose to read a book based on both the cover and the description equally.

What do you think? Cover or Description?

26 Replies to “#BookBloggerHop | Synopsis or Cover – which do you choose?”

  1. Kelly says:

    Both, although it’s often the cover that draws me in first cos I’m a total magpie 😂Although it goes both ways, a cover has the power to turn me off a book too.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. dinipandareads says:

    Definitely agree with your answer! The cover is what usually catches my attention first and then I usually read the synopsis to make sure it’s really something that I’d like. I’ve become a bit more discerning now as I’m trying (sorta) to keep my Goodreads TBR list from expanding too quickly lol 😂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      I think they need to do a class on covers for prospective authors – particularly indie authors. They are really incredibly important.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Staci Troilo says:

    I’m definitely a synopsis person. Half the time, I don’t even notice a cover. I will say a bad cover will make me skip a book. I assume (and perhaps wrongly) the author didn’t spend the money on a designer, so money probably wasn’t spent on an editor, either, and I don’t want to slog through a mess. (That might make me a snob, but I’m just being honest about my decision-making process.) But a great cover isn’t going to make me read a book. It might not even make me read the back cover copy. I might just admire it then move on. Give me a great blurb? I’ll read a book that’s not even in a preferred genre.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      I agree. I’ve learned, albeit the hard way, to be just as discerning. What I have found is when covers and blurbs/genre don’t match up – the editing tends to be bad or nonexistent. Those are the books that tend to have more than their fair share of overwriting and forced dialogue.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Jonetta (Ejaygirl) | Blue Mood Café says:

    While I love a great cover (yes, I’ve been deceived by them from time to time), I’m all about the description. They’ve led me to some terrific stories behind some truly awful covers. And, the blurb gives me just a little bit of insight into the author’s writing style. I’ve also resorted to pulling up the sample and reading the first paragraph for new-to-me authors.

    Still, I have some books on my shelf where the covers suck me in every time I look at them😏

    Like

  10. Louise H says:

    Blurb here too. I hadn’t thought about those covers that don’t match the genre but I totally agree.

    Like

  11. Teri Polen says:

    Exactly what you said. I’ve come across some where the cover isn’t indicative of the genre at all. Just seems to confuse readers when it’s not what they expected.

    Like

  12. Mae Clair says:

    I’m like you, Tessa. The cover is the first thing to attract me, then I read the blurb. If it’s a good match, it likely results in a sale. 🙂

    Like

  13. Carla says:

    I agree Tessa. The cover has to get me to look at the book in order to read the synopsis. I will then decide, but it is the cover that first gets me to look at it. I totally agree with you comment above. The covers on Indie published books are often non-descript and don’t attract me.

    Like

  14. Leon Stevens says:

    I don’t think that you can’t not judge a book by the cover because it is the first thing you see. Maybe the synopsis should be on the front and the picture on the back…

    Like

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  16. Grab the Lapels says:

    Fortunately for me, my brain helps me be lazy. I’ve always, for as long as I can remember, been drawn to titles. This makes it easy to skim in the library, book store, use store, etc. I’ll find a book with a clever title and then read the synopsis. I’ve been burned by covers way too many times to take them to heart. Plus, I really don’t like book covers that have models on them. I don’t want to picture that guy, I want to imagine my own guy!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      I think titles say a great deal about the book and I do notice them along with the cover. They two combined really determine whether I will turn that book over or not.

      Liked by 1 person

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