Should you judge a book by the cover?

DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER

Everyone has heard the saying; "Don't judge a book by it's cover." But how correct is this statement.

What the quote is trying to say is that you shouldn't judge someone or something just from their appearance. But it a world of free speech and expression, does this stay true. In relation to to people, don't we choose and buy clothes that represent us. Don't we cut/style our hair and even get inked to express our views. I'm not saying if a girl wears a short skirt she's asking for it. No. The quote is trying to state that you need to know why the person is expressing those views. Let's take the idealised fictional character; dark brooding guy that hates everyone and we find out he had a tough childhood. What the man is trying to express is hatred and making the audience hate him. He wants you to stay away. Some may say he's misunderstood or he doesn't understand social behavior. You may be right, but what about books.

In a world where visual is so dominant, you have to understand we are taught to look at an image and analyse it. So is it wrong if we look at the cover and judge it on it's visual? It is a product isn't it? If there is a dragon on the cover, is it wrong to be shock when it's about the relation between mother and daughter, with no supernatural element?

Why I raise this topic is because I have read books that I picked up because I like the cover.

I picked up both these books because I liked the cover. I had read Clare's previous work and thought maybe her new series might impress me. I had no idea who Palma was and questioned his work. One disappointed me so much I had lost faith in the author, the other made me see storytelling in a new light. While both have similar artistic vibes and both title deal with time/clock, they're completely opposites. I enjoyed The Map of Time and was glad I picked it up just by looking at it. It is a little known book and should be read by more. Not something I can say about Clockwork Angel. No offense to people who like the book, great if you do. It wasn't for me. I didn't believe that the characters were true to their time period or their situation and for me it was like... City of Bones... in London. This was my experience with two books with similar covers but different outcomes.

Another book I chose, based on the cover was Anna Dressed in Blood. 

And once again, I was pleased. I found another book cover I liked and DID research, realised that book wasn't for me and saw other books by the author. This was how I found Raven Boys.

This is my process of looking at random books. Cover, Title/Author and Blurb. I'm not saying that all books with good covers are good, or books with boring covers are always bad. No. What I'm saying is that it's not wrong to judge a book by it's cover. Going back to people, we dress in a way to express. We see someone with a shirt with a reference or quote you identify with, you can start up a conversation. My friend had a shirt with her favourite drama on it, another girl (random) came up and said she too loved the show. And they discussed and found out they had similar interest.

So authors and publishing companies... or however makes front cover, put effort and creativity. It is a product your trying to sell to us. Tell the story with the Title and the Cover. Those are the two things we see. Don't give me vague one word titles with a girl on the front. Anna Dressed in Blood, what do you see.

-Haunted House
-Blood
-White
-Mist
-Night time

And what do you get out of the title plus the cover. This seems like a ghost story about a haunted house with this girl who is covered in blood. And won't you know, that is part of it.

So I analysed the cover and came to a reasonable judgement which wasn't incorrect. Yes, there is more to the story. You like the cover and you pick up the book and you turn it around. You read the blurb.

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. 

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

I found it interesting and brought the book. I'm currently reading the sequel and am enjoying it. I have chosen two books, based on their cover, and liked both. To me, if an author/publisher can put effort in their cover.... they might have put effort in their book. I'm not saying we should all be superficial, I'm just saying sometimes... the eyes don't lie.

DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER

Its okay have a view on a book by analysing it's cover.