Why Not Judge a Book by Its Cover?
Idioms have a special role in the English language—in fact, English might be one of the most idiomatic languages in the world. That means it’s nearly impossible for one to say they are a fluent English speaker without having a virtuosic command over the use and understanding of idioms.
An idiom is a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from the definitions of the words themselves. An idiom enters general usage in place of a word, or when a necessary word is lacking in the language. Idioms can often be replaced by a word: “endure” is a suitable replacement for “bite the bullet”; “go to sleep” for “hit the hay”; “persevere” for “come rain or shine”– you get the point. A light sprinkling of idioms is like a seasoning on language, but over-reliance on them can seem crass or unoriginal. As with all things, a tasteful balance is necessary.
Some idioms, however, are not so easily defined. “Never judge a book by its cover” is one of these. In the English language, many idioms are used in such a way that their central premises are taken for granted, assumed to be unequivocally true. Stacy may whisper to Claire that Tommy stinks like he hasn’t showered in a week, and Claire might respond, saying, “Never judge a book by its cover.” Stacy is ashamed, Claire holds her head up high, and Tommy is as putrid as ever. The use of an idiom in this way is often enough to stop any further conversation of the matter at hand—and Claire’s right. Who knows what Tommy’s going through? Maybe he’s been trying to get in shape, and the only free time he has for a run is on his lunch break. Maybe he contracted rabies when he was volunteering at the local bat shelter, giving him a severe case of hydrophobia. But here’s the point: Stacy’s assessment, regardless of how inappropriate or rude it might have been, is fundamentally correct: Tommy stinks. The idiom would have us ignore that fact–and perhaps we should ignore it out of charity–but to dismiss Stacy’s initial premise, simply because it sounds rude, cannot be the correct approach either. With a little more tact and kindness on Stacy’s part, Tommy might be appreciative of her observation.
So, the utterance of this idiom is not the gavel-drop it seems to be. If we take the idiom literally and apply it to books, we may find that it doesn’t hold water (heh). It’s fair enough to say that we cannot judge the merits of a book simply by its cover. It may be full of useful wisdom or exciting stories—in short, it may be exactly what we’re looking for in our next read. That hardly needs to be said. My concern, as someone who helps self-publishing authors bring their work into the world, is that a book cover looks like it’s self-published. There’s nothing wrong with readers knowing a book is self-published–in fact, I believe it’s something an author should be proud to tell their readers. But self-publishing often gets a bad rap for what’s perceived to be a lack of quality, care, and refinement in the finished product.
Squint and guess which one is the self-published book.
To much of the general reading public, the term “self-published” is synonymous with adjectives like “haphazard”, “rough”, and “amateur”. We want to change that association. For us at Foglio, the term “self-published” calls to mind words like “autonomy”, “individuality”, and “bespoke”. Keeping up with design trends, or staying ahead of them, is one way we ensure Foglio authors can make a positive initial impression on their readership.
Traditionally-published books are not immune to bad cover design. Fun fact: did you know that George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss contains the first written usage of the term “Never judge a book by its cover”? Looks like this cover designer took those words to heart.
Traditionally-published books can have bad cover designs too, no doubt. Case in point: Wordsworth Classics. But the existence of middling covers made by well-known traditional publishers is no reason to lower our standards as self-publishing authors. We put our best into writing the book, but whether it’s justified or not, our work will first be judged by how it’s presented. The cover design, the interior typesetting, the ease of reading, and the print quality all play a vital role in your book’s success.
We at Foglio want to ensure you give the best possible impression when you release your book. Whether it’s a printed book or an ebook, it’s essential make a good and lasting impression on your potential readers. The content of your book is the most important part, of course, but very few readers will give a reader the benefit of the doubt when there are so many options available. You want to entice and attract your readers, and we at Foglio can help you do just that.
Thank you for reading! Reach out to a Foglio Custom Book Specialist today to learn how we can help you create a stunning cover for your next book.
