On telling a book by its cover

By Dennis Mellersh

There is an old adage: “you can’t tell a book by its cover.”

General translation: Appearances can be deceptive. So, don’t make snap judgements.

Something could have a wondrous, beautiful exterior, but be ugly within; or conversely, there could be an ugly outside appearance, but be beauty within.

For writers, and their books, the example of the ugly outside and the wondrous and beautiful inside can apply to the cover of a book and the writing inside the cover.

Readers do tend to make quick judgements about the quality of a book based on the appearance of its cover.

Using another old adage, first impressions can mean a lot
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If you are writing a book and thinking of self-publishing it, it is worth taking the time and going to the expense of having your book cover designed by someone with experience, such as a professional graphic designer who is familiar with the elements of an effective and appealing book cover.

Otherwise you may be in the unfortunate position of spending a lot of time and effort writing an excellent book, only to have it quickly dismissed as amateurish, because of its unappealing appearance.