S. W. Raine

We’ve all heard the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

I have a confession: I absolutely do. Book covers are usually the first thing that determines whether I’ll even pick up a book to read the blurb. On the other hand, I have absolutely bought books knowing almost nothing about them because the cover was just too pretty to leave behind.

I know. I’m terrible. (But put some foil on a book, and apparently all bets are off.)

Ooooh, Shiny

Foil is probably my greatest weakness when it comes to book covers. I love shiny things, and book designers have apparently discovered how to use this information against me.

That’s how The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker caught my attention. The foil immediately made me stop, but then I noticed the interesting font and gorgeous decorative corners. The “jinni” part intrigued me too because I’ve always been interested in Middle Eastern lore, food, and music.

Have I read it yet? No. Listen, I’m a very slow mood reader. I’ll get there.

The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner got me with foil too, along with the gorgeous marbled look of the water. Then I discovered it involved hunting for sunken treasure and pirates, at which point the book was basically playing unfair.

I haven’t read that one yet either. I said I’d get there.

And then there’s my Deluxe Limited Edition of Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. I’d already read the book on Kindle, and I LOVE the movie, so nobody needed to convince me that I liked the story.

But this edition? The jacket has luminous artwork in gorgeous sunset shades. There’s foil. And the edges have shooting stars. What was I supposed to do? Leave it there?

Sprayed edges have also started catching my attention lately, so apparently my susceptibility to beautiful books is only getting worse.

My Rules Change for Really Old Books

Of course, all of this goes completely out the window when I’m browsing old books. For those, I have an entirely different system.

If a cover looks old, I’m picking it up. Leather. Intricate patterns. That unmistakable look of a book that’s been sitting on shelves for generations. For those, I need to know how old they are.

I immediately open it and look for the publication date. If it was published before 1900? YES. Fiction, nonfiction, it doesn’t matter.

Am I ever going to read it? Probably not. At that point, I’m not choosing a story to read. I’m collecting a little piece of history that somehow survived long enough to end up in my hands and eventually on my shelf.

So yes, I judge those books by their covers. I’m just judging them by entirely different criteria.

And Then People Started Judging Mine

The funny thing is that now I’m on the other side of this experience.

At book events, people who have never heard of me or my stories will stop at my table and tell me how beautiful my cover art is. They’ll pick up a book, look it over, and often ask who created the artwork.

And every time, I’m delighted to tell them: Fiona Jayde Media.

Fiona designed my very first published cover, The Techno Mage. At the time, I knew almost nothing about genre expectations for book covers. I didn’t know what elements I was “supposed” to have. But I knew exactly one thing: I did NOT want a person on it.

Fiona told me an airship would work just fine, so I basically handed her the reins and let her go. I had no idea what to expect when that first cover came back.

I loved it. And fortunately, so do my readers.

My contemporary fantasy covers were a slightly different adventure because people on covers are the norm. This time, I described my main characters, Fiona found several models, and I chose the ones who looked the closest.

For The Elemental’s Guardian, she also drew inspiration from the movie poster for The Last Airbender because my main character uses air magic.

(Yes. THAT Last Airbender movie. The terrible one we generally agree doesn’t exist. Which pains me to say because I usually love M. Night Shyamalan’s work, but… we all make mistakes.)

Fiona’s interpretation turned out amazing.

I’ve trusted her with my covers since the beginning, and apparently I had excellent taste in cover designers because these days, Fiona also works in Hollywood. The last time we messaged, she’d just finished working on posters for Percy Jackson, and she’s also worked on Doctor Who posters.

So when someone at an event asks who created my covers? Yes, I am ridiculously proud to tell them.

Book Covers Are Just the Beginning

I know the saying tells us not to judge books by their covers, and obviously beautiful book covers can’t tell you whether you’re going to love the story waiting inside. But it can definitely make you curious.

That’s what happens to me over and over again. Something catches my eye. Maybe it’s foil or gorgeous artwork. Maybe it’s a title that makes me wonder what’s going on, or an ancient-looking book quietly whispering that it’s from the late 1800s. So I pick it up and look closer. And sometimes I discover a story, a world, or even just a little piece of history I wouldn’t have discovered if the cover hadn’t made me stop in the first place.

Now I get to watch people do the same thing with my books. They notice the artwork. They stop. Then they pick one up and discover what’s waiting inside.

So yes, I judge books by their covers. And I’m not sorry.

Be honest: what’s the last book you picked up because the cover made you stop? Tell me in the comments—I want to know what caught your eye.

Raine