I hope you’re coming over from Marc Stevens where he shared his thoughts on what he likes to look at…on book covers.

Of course you judge a book by its cover. It’s right there on the front, and the back. And all the pretty (or ugly) pictures are there traveling through your optic nerve, right to your visual cortex.

That said, I don’t think I have ever purchased a book solely because of its cover. At least not that I’m aware of. For a great lesson in this, read “Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior” by Leonard Mlodinow. Also, check out that book for the most CLEVER book cover ever.

But I have NOT purchased a book because of its cover. A picture that’s supposed to be sexy, that simply looks cheesy or even plain gross, can make me put the book down, or click “next.” I’ve seen poorly designed covers from the big 5 New York publishers, as well as smaller presses and indy authors.

But really what I want is this:

Bookstores sometimes hide book covers and you have to take a leap of faith in pulling the book down and buying it. It might seem risky, but in some ways it’s much easier than making a decision.

Choosing what to read can be overwhelming. I rely on friends to recommend books, because if I had to decide for myself I would look like this:

Going into a bookstore or going to Amazon is worse than 31 Flavors. Why so many? Why do I have to choose? Just because I have the freedom to read what I want doesn’t mean I want to exercise that right. There are so many more books published now, and I guess that’s a good thing.

But for those of us who are already overloaded with decisions, choosing what to read is one more thing. Who has time to look on the Goodreads reviews and the author’s blog? (Except these blogs in the Romance Writer’s Weekly. These are excellent blogs)

I like my friends. I trust my friends. Most of my friends. If they say they like a book, that’s good enough for me. I’ll probably just buy whatever they say. I promise to not even look at the cover. Well, I’ll take a glimpse to make sure.

Now head over to Brenda Margriet to see what she’s looking at.