what determines the quality of a book cover?

Originally Posted by adarkfox
I'm going to argue that both "Boo" and "Replacement' covers shown are both good covers - each have very different themes, but you can see that both are "quality" book covers.

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DeadlyAccurate said:

I'm not saying there's no quality to the Boo book cover or that it's not good. It simply isn't one that would entice me to pick up the book. The cover makes me think it's literary fiction (whether it is or not), and that's not a genre I'm interested in.

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I'm with both of you, adarkfox and DeadlyAccurate. Replacement is definitely a quality book cover. Like DeadlyAccurate's view of the Boo cover, it let's me know without picking it up that it's not the genre for me.

The Boo series (Boo, Boo Who?, Boo Hiss and Boo Humbug!) was like Harry Potter for me. Once I started, I couldn't put them down. Life in a quaint small town with quirky characters and mild-mannered mysteries. I love this type of book and it's what I enjoy writing but, in this day and age, I worry that there isn't much of a market for them anymore. They're too tame compared to everything else. But, I write them anyway because I have a great time doing so. I'll see if they attract agents and editors later.

DeadlyAccurate said:

I'm not saying there's no quality to the Boo book cover or that it's not good. It simply isn't one that would entice me to pick up the book. The cover makes me think it's literary fiction (whether it is or not), and that's not a genre I'm interested in.

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These books aren't shelved in the same area. Both accomplish the task of enticing the reader they are aimed at. Book publishers (big ones) have a good grasp of genre-audience- and marketing. The Replacement cover is close kin to 90% of the other YA paranormal/fantasy covers on the shelves right now and has succeeded in sucking in you- the genre reader.

The Boo cover from it's Amazon reviews would indeed be in the literary or Christian fiction section and will have appeal to readers of those genres.

All book covers are a marketing tool just like advertising. A lot of effort and marketing research has gone into them.