Reading with cover or not?

[MahNose]

Yea i think maybe 30% of the stories publish in scribbleH doesn't have a cover or just doesn't have an attractive one or so. There are some hidden gems that haven't been mined yet.

So i'm asking for opinions about whether mostly of you are attracted to covers?

 

[RepresentingCaution]

I'm mostly interested in polyandry, so show me a cover like this, and fuck yeah I'm interested!

Chasing Star Moon

Star-chaser Ji Congcong slipped and fell down the stairs after a concert, except she fell into the past and became a low ranked beauty in the imperial harem. This harem is built on shaky foundations, fueled by jealousy and filled with lustful seductions. The princes and lords seeking to take...

www.webnovel.com

 

[MasterHiatus]

Well, I have to tell ya, if you got me with the title, there's no need for the cover. All I need to binge read a series are
Good title
Good Synopsis
Tags (Good)
And the genres

 

[IvyVeritas]

A good cover is certainly more likely to draw someone's attention than a bad one or no cover at all.

And often (but not always), it may show that an author is more serious about their work. That isn't a hard and fast rule--some authors just haven't had a chance to get a cover yet, or haven't realized its importance--but it can sometimes show that an author feels their work is good enough to deserve a good cover.

On the other hand, if someone steals the art for their cover from somewhere else, I'll skip their story deliberately. It's better to have no cover than to use someone else's art without their permission.

 

[BenJepheneT]

Let's be real here, on any ordinary situation, you'd most likely glance over the one with the cover.

 

[YeetusFeetus]

Yea i think maybe 30% of the stories publish in scribbleH doesn't have a cover or just doesn't have an attractive one or so. There are some hidden gems that haven't been mined yet.

So i'm asking for opinions about whether mostly of you are attracted to covers?

I believe most people are looking further into good covers, but personally I choose my story’s depending on their tags and title, I also listen to reviews trying to get a little look in into what I am about to read. The cover doesn’t matter much, but sometimes the cover can set me off if it’s taken from someone else.

Though as a writer myself, I wished I’d have a cover, but I don’t like using stolen arts and or already existing pictures online. It gives me the feeling I’m ripping someone else off. If I am going to get a cover, I’ll be using my own art. (But it’s really hard)

 

[YeetusFeetus]

A good cover is certainly more likely to draw someone's attention than a bad one or no cover at all.

And often (but not always), it may show that an author is more serious about their work. That isn't a hard and fast rule--some authors just haven't had a chance to get a cover yet, or haven't realized its importance--but it can sometimes show that an author feels their work is good enough to deserve a good cover.

On the other hand, if someone steals the art for their cover from somewhere else, I'll skip their story deliberately. It's better to have no cover than to use someone else's art without their permission.

Couldn’t agree more

 

[YeetusFeetus]

I literally love you.




Personally, I put effort into my covers because I have the brainworms and feel anxious if I don't feel like I've put in my best effort. Even if I do not have the time/energy, I usually put in a really basic text placeholder that nonetheless looks nice.

As a reader, I judge books by their cover. I won't say that a good cover is a decider for me, but it definitely draws me in initially at all. I browse SH like I browse a bookstore: the pretty ones catch my eye, and then I read the blurb and decide from there.

As others have said, it indicates pride and, I think confidence from the authors. I respect that not everyone is an artist, or has the money or friends to get work done, so I don't just judge based off pure artwork. I think there's some really nice basic graphic design covers on this website.

I tend to pass on stories that still have the default SH "cover", not because I think the author doesn't care or they aren't as good, but because it usually indicates a story is still new and doesn't have many chapters. I like to start reading when stories have around 8-12 chapters or so (depending on wordcount), and if the author doesn't even have a cover yet, they probably are still in the early stages of the story and haven't considered making a cover a worthwhile time investment yet.

If you went and saw my story, I don’t have a cover because I don’t have the money to pay someone to make art for me. And I want to make one myself btw.

 

[RyreGruel]

I personally tend to search by tags and just read the descriptions to tell what I want to read that way but otherwise just randomly clicking things on the latest updates list does wonders for finding interesting stories.

 

[Deleted member 1244]

Hmm.... I am never too concerned with what is on the cover as long as it has one... so I do tend to skip ones without...
Personally, I feel having a cover shows a certain amount of commitment to something or a sense of... standard? or obligation? While that is not always true, and despite what reality maybe, when I see a book without a cover I imagine it is a book not yet ready to be read.


Hmm now that I think about... I think that is the same reason I am reluctant to talk to people without a profile picture / avatar....

 

[Temple]

Can't be denied that having a cover grabs a prospective reader's attention. Even just the barest cover can mean the author at least tried to put a cover so that's a plus I guess.

 

[Nezothe]

The only thing that could attract people to my story is the art, my sypnosis and the title I thought was good enough is too boring. XD

 

[ConTroll]

As a consumer:

If I'm looking for a new comic or webtoon to read, then I'll definitely look for a good cover.

For books, I look for a nice premise written within the synopsis, then the title itself. The cover is just an extra touch that lets me know the author is willing to put up some extra effort into their work.

As an author:

I delayed putting any effort into making a cover until I decided to continue my story (in my head I foresee 200+ chapters). As for the quality of the cover, I didn't stress much. I find that less is more.

That said, I can always create a new cover when I feel the need to.

 

[AncestralIdiot]

A good cover is certainly more likely to draw someone's attention than a bad one or no cover at all.

And often (but not always), it may show that an author is more serious about their work. That isn't a hard and fast rule--some authors just haven't had a chance to get a cover yet, or haven't realized its importance--but it can sometimes show that an author feels their work is good enough to deserve a good cover.

On the other hand, if someone steals the art for their cover from somewhere else, I'll skip their story deliberately. It's better to have no cover than to use someone else's art without their permission.

Agreed.

I didn't want to use someone's art as a cover, or rather, I'll never intend to. That would be a huge shame. I'm not good at arts (trying to learn), so I just left mine be for the mean time.

 

[Symphony]

Yes.

 

[Moonpearl]

On the other hand, if someone steals the art for their cover from somewhere else, I'll skip their story deliberately. It's better to have no cover than to use someone else's art without their permission.

How are you judging that, though? Sometimes people use doll makers that are fine with people using them for other projects, or they'll have commissioned art for themselves.

 

[Eleven_M.A.]

How are you judging that, though? Sometimes people use doll makers that are fine with people using them for other projects, or they'll have commissioned art for themselves.

If they use wlop's personal art, on the other hand, that's a clear giveaway.

 

[IvyVeritas]

How are you judging that, though? Sometimes people use doll makers that are fine with people using them for other projects, or they'll have commissioned art for themselves.

A lot of the time they'll admit it in their story description, as if that makes it better.

Beyond that, generally, if someone creates their own cover or commissions one, it will almost always have the title of the story on it. If it doesn't, that's a pretty big red flag. This isn't 100% accurate (sometimes they'll slap their own title over someone else's work, or, very rarely, the author might commission a piece without their own title on it), but it's a good starting point.

And, if it looks extremely amateurish, then I generally assume the author made the cover themselves. Which is good legally and ethically, though if it's too amateurish, it might turn some readers away. This method also isn't 100% accurate, but usually, if someone steals art, they don't go out of their way to steal bad art.

If an author commissions a professionally designed cover for their own story, it'll generally look like a cover designed for that story. Those ones are usually easy to spot.