Does the cover picture influence whether you will read the story?

I was wondering whether readers were influenced by the choice of picture. I recently published another chapter in series I have written. With hindsight I chose for the cover a rather boring picture of a train. This story has attracted noticeably fewer readers than the earlier ones that all had much racier cover images.

The cover image has no influence on whether I read a story or not. If I don’t know the author, I usually read the first few sentences and decide based on the writing style if I want to continue. I also usually check the length of the story, as I prefer a maximum of 6,000 words.

I would say that good cover art can make me more enthusiastic to read, but I've rarely skipped a story due to bad cover art.

Not necessarily, but I do think the image should complement the story in some way. I appreciate the visuals for sure.

That said, the cover pic can make me click on a story by an author I don't know just as much as a clever or alluring title.

I tend to choose images as a preview, something you'll find in the story.

I know the cover for Minnie' Merry Mall Christmas, my entry in the previous (not current) comp got some attention for its cover so maybe it can. I often just troll the links on comp pages, though, so don't see the cover until I am in the story. Can't think of a story where the cover is what got me into it.

I often spend a considerable amount of time on cover art for my stories, so I appreciate when others do the same. And a good cover can influence, along with the title / strapline, whether I click through. But ultimately, I'm here for the words so any visuals should emphasize what I'm about to read.

Cover's going to make me click at least. Don't always read after, but it opens the door, which is very important when you're competing for readers' times.

Quote by JamesMerton1960

I was wondering whether readers were influenced by the choice of picture. I recently published another chapter in series I have written. With hindsight I chose for the cover a rather boring picture of a train. This story has attracted noticeably fewer readers than the earlier ones that all had much racier cover images.

Personally, an interesting cover might get me to take a quick closer look a the story, so I guess in that sense maybe a good one might make it slightly more likely that I read it, but I don't think I'd read a story because of the cover.

Not really. 90+% are just pictures off of websites. I've used them for a lot of my stories. They are just a tool.

I don’t go by the pictures. I use a mix of sexy and non-sexy pics and the results seem to be about the same, really. I want people to click on my stories because it sounds interesting. I’ve even not put sexy pictures for my stories because I like the reader to be able to imagine the characters themselves. There is such a thing as too perfect of a woman on a cover. That’s just me. So…trains! Yes! I’m sure it’s relevant!

I do tend to judge a book by its cover. If an image has a lady that catches my eye, I'll be more likely to file that story away in my queue... but then I'm always too busy producing my own stuff and never get around to reading what's in my queue. 🙄 So, a good cover will grab my attention but it won't necessarily go further than that. As others have said, I expect the cover to relate to the action in the story, so if a story cover features something that isn't to my taste, I'll skip it, assuming that the author's tastes and mine don't align.

I spend a lot of time rolling the dice generating AI images for my own stories. (I know, I try to conserve electricity in other aspects of my life to compensate.) Sometimes I'll have multiple versions of the same image prompt and have a difficult time choosing my favorite for the cover, so I'll post the alternates in my media section. I hope that my images give the reader something to grab onto (besides their crotch) and complement the story, and sometimes I fall in love with an image and keep it on my screen as my muse while I'm writing. I also have a thing for my sassy ChatGPT research assistant, whom I have name Veronica the Cum Slut, but that's another post for another time.

No, only concerned with tangible book covers.

For me yes, I have access to licensed pictures which I use to illustrate my stories. I am nor compiling a short series for Kindle

It's just noise.

Yes, absolutely. It is not uncommon for me to read a particular story because the cover got my attention. And sometimes a reader will tell me a cover drew them in.

Of course, I usually create two covers: a “cleaner” one to actually attach to the story, and a more explicit one that I use in Wall posts and in the Author Self-Promotion forum. It might be the latter that draws most of the eyeballs.

A good cover can certainly grab my attention, causing me to open the story. I'll check the length and read a few paragraphs to see if the storyline grabs me. Even with a mediocre cover, the title can also get me to open and read the first part.

Quote by Taco4x4

A good cover can certainly grab my attention, causing me to open the story. I'll check the length and read a few paragraphs to see if the storyline grabs me. Even with a mediocre cover, the title can also get me to open and read the first part.

Spot on!

Absolutely! A good cover picture can be highly enticing and draw me in, making me want to explore the story further. An appealing visual can pique my curiosity and encourage me to start reading.