Don't judge a book by its cover, they say. But what if it looks so bad, even a five-year-old with the oldest version of MS Paint could have done a better job?
There's a subreddit, called r/TerribleBookCovers, and its members are—you guessed it—collecting the worst book covers that have ever been published. Whether it's an insulting title or a hideous drawing, they have it all. Continue scrolling and check out some of the most popular pictures within the online community.
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Everything About This Is Terrible
In order to understand what is a bad book cover, we can start by figuring out what is a good one instead. Renowned book designer Chip Kidd (who created the cover for Jurassic Park and many others), said that book design is all about giving form to content but also appreciating the balance between the two.
In his Ted talk, Kidd explained that on his first day of graphic design class in school, the teacher drew a picture of an apple, then wrote the word Apple and said: "Listen up. You either say this," pointing to the word apple, "or you can show this," pointing to the picture of the apple.
"But you don't do this," he said, pointing to a picture of an apple with the word Apple beneath it. "Because this is treating your audience like a moron. And they deserve better."
So a book cover can show or tell, but can't do both.
It’s Worth A Look!
Wtf?
Best-selling author Jeff Goins thinks covers should also know and respect the audience of the book.
"Books are not created in a vacuum. They are not merely a manifestation of the author's creativity. The content needs a form, and the form will influence the way the content is consumed," Goins wrote. "All art has an audience, and books are no different. Good book design, then, is not just an expression of the story or idea behind a book. It is a piece of the marketing. As such, it needs to matter to the people it was intended for."
The Hobbit
Do Your Kids Suffer From Nightmares? No, Not Yet? Well This Should Help A Lot
My Mom Used To Read This One To Me
Coming back to Chip Kidd, he said that a book designer has a responsibility to three groups of people: the reader, the publisher, and the author. So the ultimate goal of a good book design is to get people to respond. For the reader, you want people to say, "Wow! I need to read that." For the publisher, you want them to say, "This is something we can print." And for the author, you want them to say, "Yes! This expresses my idea better than I could!"
So I guess you could say that a terrible book design is boring, unmarketable, and superficial.
Found This In A Doctors Office A Few Years Ago. I Think About This Way Too Much
What..........The.............F***!!!!! If I saw this in my doctors office I would be seriously weirded out!!!!
Not Sure If This Has Been Posted Before, But...
Prehistoric Passion From Mars
The Very Hungry Cthulupillar
Kissing The Coronavirus (Coronavirus Erotica?!)
How Ironic
I’m Just Waiting For The Film Adaptation
My Librarian Wife Always Has Interesting Finds
When Your Mom Tells You To Get A Real Job, But You Double Down Trying To Prove You Can Start That Cult You Always Said You Would...
Woof? I Feel So Empty
Browsing Through Books At A Thrift Store, Um...
Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover, Even If It Is A Collage Of Jpegs
Even The Price Is Questionable
I Think I've Found It! The Most Glorious Photoshop Of All Time!
Terrible Everything
How To Talk With Your Dog About Homosexuality And Communism
That Lighthouse Imagery...
Empress Theresa - Final Cover
His Leg On Ready Player One’s Cover
I thought this was photoshopped at first....I looked at my copy its real!!!!
Kissing The Coronavirus Is Back!
Romance Is The Gift That Keeps On Giving
Is the fish supposed to cover the nipples? Didn't quite manage that...
I Can’t Believe It’s Real
Librarian Wife Comes Through Again
The 50th Edition Lotr Covers Are Something Else...
I Don't Even Know What To Say About This Book Cover
Til That Native American Women Shot At Cowboys With Lasers (Also There Was Young Love In The Wild West)
Ten Things Doctors Won't Tell You About Your Cpap Machine
People Who Need To Die: Cell Phones
This Is Bad Even For The Low Bar Of Dinosaur Erotica
Imagine Getting Kilt
Don’t Steal This Kids Lunch
Just Say "No"!
If You Fail You Can Always Say, "The Devil Made Me Do It!"
I Don’t Even Know What To Say About This One
I'm Impressed By Her Balance
Apparently Hitler & Co Invented Time Travel
Religious Fruitcake 101
...if You Say So!
Can't Stop Staring In Puzzlement At The Perfectly Matching Hemline
This Series Of Books Is A Goldmine
From The Author Of Kissing The Coronavirus!
Don't Make Me Go Back, Mommy: A Child's Book About Satanic Ritual Abuse By Doris Sanford
C'mon Everyone, Let's Join In On The Fun!
I Think Mom Has Taken This Too Literally...
"These Heels Were Made For Walking, Through The Apocalypse"
This Author Is Cancer
Step outside the box... And then the mortician will put you in a new one.
Our Library Was Trying To Get Rid Of This One
Found This On Facebook
This Belongs Here
Secrets
Why The Hell Was This In The School Library?
Lisa Simpson Grew Up To Be A Hitchhiker
It Came With A Poster As Well
Tractor Teacher
Not A Strip I'd Want To See
Is This What Happens When You Build Your House On An Ancient Wolf Burial Ground?
With One Breath (Czech For "Reading In One Sitting"): Pillar Of Fire (And Other Short Stories)
Cheap Date?
Photoshop? I've Got My Kids!
That's actually pretty good though if I'm being honest, drawing people is really hard and this one turned out pretty good
Beneath The Half Ass Photoshop
Yeah It Does...
I Met The White House!
Why The Chinese Are The Way They Are
Why are you the way that you are? Every time I try to do something fun...
Can You Feel The Love Tonight?
Excuse Me, Are You Talking To Me?
Old book, when it was written r-word might have been a medical term still.
The 1987 Berkley Reprint Cover Of ‘It’ Is Really, Really Bad...
Substitute Father
Philosopher's Stone, Albanian Version. Not Sure What's Going On Here
My Anaconda Just Don't...
Odd Experiment I'd Expect This From Bert And Ernie But Not Elmo And Grover
The Title Was Weird Enough To Get My Attention At The Library
Do Movie Covers Count?
Milk: The Deadly Poison
I'm Not Entirely Sure What That Is But I'm Not Convinced Kids Would Eat It
In Our Neighborhood David Has Aids By Doris Sanford
People Who Need To Die: Bad Drivers
Maybe I Would Have Been Better At Geometry If I Had This In High School
I'm not sure whether this is a book about how to get guys or how to solve geometry equations, help
Check This Kindle Author’s Sweet Photoshop Skillz
how- who in the world would make this cover and say “ah yes, this is terrific!”
This Infamous Serbian 8th Grade Biology Textbook... With Nicolas Cage On The Cover, For Some Reason
You Gotta Love The Covers Kai Chooses For His Books
Warm Fuzzies For Lonely People, Now With Beanie Babies!
This Title Is Surprisingly Relevant Nowadays
This Book Cover I Found On Amazon...
Empress Theresa - "Improved" Edition
I Feel Violated
Ah Now This Is Modern Art
À Mash Made In Heaven. The Title Is Sexy Potatoes. I’m Sure They’re Onions
My Latest Purchase
Presenting To You: The Very First Draft Of "Stranger Things"
Picked This One Up At A Thrift Store
Found In One Of Those Trashy Book Apps
That Man Is Most Assuredly Deceased
Cookbook Covers Shouldn't Be Uncomfortable
I Found This At My School's Library
The Dangers Of Kissing... Or Whatever These People Are Doing
Ok guys apparently kissing is sin so I guess from now on it’s “you may now fist-bump the bride”
Why Are His Feet So Detailed
Found This Beauty At Goodwill
No This Is Not Lord Of The Rings
Uncanny Valley Much?
I Think The Title Is Just As Bad As The Photo
This Book Was Recommended In A Thread About Power Armor, But The Cover Is Ridiculous
The Gears Are My Favorite Part
When you wish to have legs just as the dark elves are shutting down the magic abilities of earth:
No Ponies In The House!
Oh No
Of Animals, With... Of Animals
True Stories Mysteries Of Animals With Of Animal Amazing Abilities Intelligence
I'm Not Sure Why You'd Pick Such An Utterly Terrifying Cover For A Joke Book
Things Were Different Back Then
How Do You Even Begin
Hey Girl... I Heard You Like Book Covers
Give that guy a cell phone and there'd be D**k pics flying all around the world
I Have Spoken Too Soon...
I'm getting a hunch that Lawrence Ambrose is not the guy you want as a neighbor, looking at his oeuvre.
Going To Learn This Language Just To Read This Book. Art
Do Online Book Covers Count? Because, Yikes
I Loved These Books When I Was Younger But This Is Just Horrible
im reading that book rn! its a good book but not this... just no...
Subtlety Is The Key
"He A Little Confused, But He Got The Spirit"
Trump himself tweeted that there was no evidence that he won the elections because of Russian interference. That was before he became the first president in history who was officially declared a troll and got banned from mainstream social media.
This Butt-Faced Alien Viking
No
A Shell Of A Read
How To Make Beautiful Food In A Mold
Not Another Lotr Fanfic!
I Can’t Believe This Is A Real Book
Some of these books are parodies that I've seen on other humor sites.
Yeah kinda disappointed, thought these would be natural monsters...
Load More Replies... Some of these books are parodies that I've seen on other humor sites.
Yeah kinda disappointed, thought these would be natural monsters...
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