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"Seen at Last" – and unfortunately, so is this cover. Let’s talk about this design disaster masquerading as a motivational health title. This isn’t a cover; it’s a visual identity crisis that wandered into Photoshop and forgot what it was doing halfway through. First...
Some covers tiptoe into the realm of corporate self-help aesthetics. Freedom Mapping sprints headfirst into it wearing gold sneakers and shouting buzzwords through a megaphone. This is the kind of cover that looks like it was designed during a motivational seminar...
Some book covers whisper. Some sing. By Means of Peace stands proudly among the very few that look you dead in the eye, clear its throat, and say, “I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m going to do it loudly.” This is a cover that tries so desperately to project...
Imagine walking down the fantasy aisle, and suddenly you're ambushed by a Bratz doll cosplaying at a Spirit Halloween sale. Congratulations — you've found A Witchy Mistake, the cover that proves not all spells work as intended. Or maybe this one worked exactly as...
Somewhere in the deep sea of cover design mishaps swims a lone amphibious vigilante—his name is Frogman Puck, and his mission is apparently to leap off skyscrapers in a scuba suit and punch typography in the face. Let's begin where all design disasters should: the...
Some covers whisper sweet nothings. This one yells across the cosmos with a foghorn made of neon body paint and poor rendering choices. Stolen Destiny isn’t just a romance — it’s an intergalactic hostage situation between taste and execution. And reader, taste never...
Some book covers whisper “gothic mystery.” Others murmur “haunting romance.” The Haunting of Heatherhurst Hall doesn’t so much whisper as it wheezes softly from the back of the fridge, glowing faintly in the dark, begging to be put out of its painterly misery. At...
If you've ever wondered what happens when a fighter jet cover gets baptized in MS Paint and dipped in Chrome Gradient, look no further than this explosion of colons, clouds, and confusion. Redemption: Episode One: Messenger of God: Iran Attacks (yes, that’s the full...
Some covers whisper mystery. Some scream adventure. Shaxoa’s Gift does neither — it just awkwardly flaps a watercolor feather at you and hopes you’ll mistake confusion for cosmic significance. Let’s start with the centerpiece: the feather. It’s big. It’s colorful....
If Nowhere Ranch were a place, it would be located squarely at the intersection of Foggy Missteps and Cut-and-Paste Creek, where cowboys go to get lost in their own cover art. What initially looks like a brooding, emotional western romance quickly reveals itself as a...
Few covers manage to deliver such a potent combination of utter tonal confusion, accidental comedy, and graphic design meltdown as this little bonfire of chaos: Bulverde Beat Mystery Explosion. And yes, that is the real title — not a Mad Libs result. Let’s start with...
Every once in a while, a cover comes along that teeters on the very edge of acceptability — a cosmic seesaw balanced between bold artistic ambition and graphic design confusion. Pluralities by Avi Silver sits right there, dangling one leg over the pit of Horrible...
A Note to Authors Featured Here
The purpose of Horrible Covers is not only to critique but also to highlight how much cover design matters to a book’s success. Many authors set out with the best intentions but end up with covers that don’t reflect the quality of their writing — sometimes because they tried to do it themselves, sometimes because they relied on someone who wasn’t a professional cover designer.
We understand how frustrating that can be.
Our aim is simple: to help writers put their best work forward with cover art that does justice to the story inside. If you’ve been featured here and are ready to level up your presentation, reach out through our contact form and mention “Horrible Covers Author.”