They say not to judge a book by its cover, but really, when it looks this good: why not? 

An effective design will catch your eye across the bookstore and draw you in.  Entice you to linger awhile over the title and author’s name.  Invite you into the story with just a few sentences on the back.  The cover is all about judging the book.

We’ve often selected books based solely on the cover (and how well a book ‘flips’ – that’s key if it’s a paperback), and we’ve never been disappointed.  Sure, sometimes the story turns out to be a dud, but then you’ve still got a beautiful piece of design.  Take last year’s bomb Harboring Ham Hocks by J.S. Finkley.  A turkey if ever there was one (the deus ex machina at the end brings an actual god out of the machine to save the day?!?), but Figueroa Hunter’s cover design is truly stunning and a beautiful example of book cover design at its best.  We actually hung a copy of the book on the wall in the office.  It’s not like we’re going to read it again.

So go ahead and pick up a book based on the cover.  Sometimes the design alone deserves it.