Do you buy a book by it's cover? Or you actually look inside?

I buy books by authors not the covers. Just like the saying goes, You can't judge a book by its cover. I always look inside and read the jackets to see what it is about if I am not familar with the writer. Happy reading to you Carolyn

Generally the dust jacket is a marketing ploy. It does however make me want to read a book or not. I try to research a book before I choose to read it. I usually go to the library and look for books that either I have heard recommended by someone I like or on subjects that interest me. I have about an 80% success rate, meaning I like about 8 out of every 10 I try to read. If I can't get through the 1st few pages I don't generally even try to finish it.

I look inside.

I think I would say both.. If the cover catches my eye, I open the book and read few lines in the middle. Usually it's enought for me to decide if the book is interesting or not. That why I also dont like to get books as a present. I love to pick them up by myself and not to elt someone else to choose for me.

Normally I buy book by the author, but sometimes I do also by books by reading the cover or the brief summary at the back of the book.

i actually read the synopsis of the book, and if i like it, i buy it. sometimes cover is decieving.

i always buy by the author's name :)...if its one of my favurites or a popular one i try to take the risk...

Unless it was a particular book I was looking for, I pretty much read into its content before I purchase. Just because the book looks good on the outside (based on the cover), doesn't mean it is a good book.

The cover catches my eye to make me take a closer look but then I have to read the summary. Sometimes the cover and content don't really seem to go together. I don't buy many books for myself anymore unless it's in a thrift store. Since my son is such a huge reader, we use the library alot. We can't afford to support his reading habit to buy all that he reads. hehehe. However, there are favorite books/series that he has wanted to own - because he loved the books and because the library generally didn't get the newly published copies in fast enough for him. In this case, we already knew what we were looking for so the cover nor summary made any difference. If we are browsing and an unfamiliar book or author catches our eye, we always read the summary. I used to buy books online quite often. In this case, I read the reviews at the online bookstore. However, that isn't always foolproof either - especially if the only reviews are by review organizations and publishers rather than consumers. We recently read a kid's book that looked great by the cover and summary. I had some issues with some of the content for the target audience. After the fact, I decided to check out various reviews and everyone was raving about this book. If I had read the reviews first, I would have bought the book and then been very disappointed. Thankfully, we had checked it out from the library.

Dont go by the cover of the books, just see the description of the by at the back of the book. i always read the description avialable at the back of the book before buying it.And sometimes i wud go in search of a book by its author.

well i am quite fortunate in this regard . Through out my life i have bought books suggested by a friend of mine , who is the most avid reader i have seen in my life . and he has never disappointed me till date . in case of bying books i completely trust him .

When i buy a book, first i will reading the cover and the name of the book . And then i will reading carefully about the preface, sometimes the writer to preface a book by the life of himself. After that you may know rough content fo the book. You also can read first several pages of the book to decide to buy or not, thats my opinion. Mary

I read the summary and if it sounds interestin I get it. Usually the book is good but we all have our bad days...lol

This what I do when choosing to buy a book' 1. Look at it cover, see who the writer. 2. Look at the back of the book, there are a summary of the book. 3. If you can open the book, read their content summary 4. If their content like what I want, then I buy the book.

I usually buy the book by it's cover and if there is anywritten on the inside cover or the back of the novel. If it looks like a historical romance I will purchase it. If it's by an author I have heard of and liked I will purchase it.

Looking reviews and talk people who are readed book what i want to buy. But If is get in the store with no reason and i find good book (Name or cover :P) then i look back there is short summary.

i do the same...i buy a book only on the basis of its cover...if the synopsis sounds good, i buy it!!!

the cover doesn't count at all though it gives appeal to the buyer. What really count is the content of the book.i first read the synopsis that is witten at the back of the book when it appeals to me then i'll go buy it.

I don't usually select a book based on it's cover. I generally at least read the first few paragraphs and then flip through various parts of the book to get the feel for the author's writing style. Of course, I can't do that when I'm shopping online, then I read customer reviews. I'm more likely to get hooked by a clever title than an interesting cover.

I always talk to other people about what they are reading. If they think it's good, I investigate. When shopping for a book, the title or cover of a book usually catches my attention first. But, before buying, I always read about the author, the reviews and the description. If it is something I might be interested in I go for it, otherwise I pass.