Do You Judge a Book by Its Cover?

When you choose a book for reading, how much does the book’s cover influence your decision? If you read romance novels, do you prefer to see a half-naked couple locked in a lovers’ embrace? Do you want to see them kissing or do you prefer to see them gazing into each other’s eyes, that tentative moment before they kiss? Do you want the lovers to be real people or an artist’s drawing? Do you want to see a woman only? A man? Or no one at all because you want to imagine the characters and setting by what you read and not what you see.

I ask these questions because I am currently deciding on the new cover for Family Pictures. When I first had the cover designed for Family Pictures, I hadn’t completed the story. I had an idea of what Jack looked like, and it wasn’t until he told me his story that I that Jack needed a makeover. He’s not the man I first envisioned. It’s a difficult decision because I have one chance to get it right with the prospective reader. I want the cover to be an exact representation of my book, or as close to it as I can get. It has to be a realistic image of my characters and hint at the story line.
I want this because I know that I judge a book by its cover. When I read a book, I sometimes take a time out and look at its cover. Is the cover reflective of the characters in the book? Is the setting in the book a match to what the cover shows?
For those of you following me on social media, I’ve been using the original cover of Family Pictures. I hope you like the change when you see it later this summer.