Yes, that old adage. It is a similar saying to "Looks can be deceiving" and is used as a method of reminding people not to judge the value of something based on its initial appearance. To make use of one more popular saying, the proof is in the pudding. So, with that logic, the pudding (your book) cannot be judged until it has reason for existing has been experienced (tasted) (read).
You cannot judge a fish on how it walks, nor can you judge a bar of chocolate on its prose.
A book's cover is the shiny chocolate bar wrapper, the fun-looking shopping brochure, created to entice, to push an intended audience to investigate further.
So, just as the shiny wrappers on the shelves of the supermarket compete for your attention, so too does a book's cover. An amazing cover design will create more instances of further investigation which, inevitably, leads to more sales. Another key finding that enforces the idiom, is the book reviews. You will be hard-pressed to find a book review that says the book never lived up to the cover, or even one that mentions the cover at all... readers know that the proof is in the words.
A cover is your books first advert. It sits on the virtual or physical shelves doing its damndest to grab some eyeballs. A great cover will also be proudly welcomed on any reader's bookshelf, taking on its secondary roll of ornamental pride.
So, while a story is not actually judged by its cover, a cover is vitally important in a books life.
I hope you enjoyed our little blog post. Hopefully the first of many.
Until next time
David
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