Judging a book by its cover

They say never judge a book by its cover but lets be honest who doesn't?

Walking into a bookstore is heaven for me and then scanning the shelves and tables for a cover that appeals, is the way I chose a book to explore further, what other way is there?

The same applies online, when I see a cover, which is of course easier than in a bookshop, as nothing spine on, when I was buying books as a branch manager, it was all about the cover to start with.

I have always known that books in different countries have different covers due to different publishers, target audience and other factors. I have started to look into it a little more. I have been finding it just a little annoying on Goodreads that I cannot add my own covers (or cannot find how to do it, if you can, please do let me know) EDIT: I have since found out you can by altering the edition, you can then scrolldown to the edition from your country, how exciting. so that it reflects the addition I have read or I am reading. I saw this book pop up in a Facebook group I am part of and I was drawn to the title and the cover; the one on the left; and as I do with so many books I see, I looked it up. I was surprised to see the cover of the English book; the middle one. Had I seen this one, I am not sure I would have even looked at it.

Here is the synopsis - The perfect book for anyone who's ever had their heart broken, anyone who's ever had their broken heart mended, and anyone who's ever visited a bookshop... Tom Hope doesn't chase rainbows. He does his best on the farm - he milks the cows, harvests the apples, looks after the sheep - but Tom's been lonely since his wife Trudy left, taking little Peter with her to go join the holy rollers. Enter Hannah Babel, quixotic smalltown bookseller: the second Jew - and the most vivid person - Tom has ever met. When she asks him to move in, and help her build Australia's most beautiful bookshop, Tom dares to believe they could make each other happy. But it is 1968: twenty-four years since Hannah and her own little boy arrived at Auschwitz. Tom Hope is taking on a battle with heartbreak he can barely even begin to imagine.

I have to say I have not read this book but I do not understand how this cover reflects this synopsis in anyway at all other than there being books on the cover. I know it is a romance novel and this certainly looks like a romantic novel but with this cover, it is definitely one I would avoid. The cover that I originally saw and the synopsis I read, definitely appealed to me. So I wonder how many books I have dismissed in the past and how many good stories, I may have missed out on. It is rated 4.3 on Amazon available from bookstores too. Don't forget to support your local independent bookstore, if you are lucky enough to have one.

Publishers start the cover and promotional material design 12 - 15 months before the scheduled publication date. The authors have a say but it is very rare that they will have a final say, which must be difficult. With the rise of self published works this gives authors complete carte blanche on their cover. There is a huge amount of companies out there that offer advice on creating the best design or companies who will happily do it for you. I have also noticed that many people use images from Shutterstock or Getty Images too, they are both suppliers of stock images. Turn your books over and you will see that some of the designs come from them, which I must say surprised me. I, perhaps naively thought that covers were unique and designed but this is not always the case. I guess it depends on the budget and what return the publishers will receive for the book. I find this fascinating and I am going to try and contact a few authors and publishers to inquire more about this.

Meanwhile, will I continue to judge a book by it's cover, yes probably, as a starting point, anyway. Will you?

Happy reading.