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There are bad covers. There are ugly covers. And then there are covers that roll in on a pile of glowing dead turtles, plant a flag of pure confusion, and shout “I am art!”Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Full Throttle Savage — Book 1 in a series that looks like it...
This cover had one job: seduce us into the swirling scandal of a steamy historical romance. Instead, it introduces us to a duke who looks like he just wandered in from a mall kiosk photo shoot and got lost on the way to a Bridgerton audition. Let’s set the tone — and...
Imagine you're a humble goose, just trying to win a local poultry pageant when suddenly—bam! You’re the central figure in a visual crime scene. Welcome to the cover of Miss Butterpig Murder, where chaos reigns, the graphics scream, and the only thing getting...
When Amos Flagg slapped leather, the sound could be heard by every outlaw in Texas — but the sound of this cover hitting the internet? That was pure design catastrophe. Let’s talk about Amos Flagg, Lawman, the Wild West cover that wanted to be Clint Eastwood but ended...
There are certain book covers that whisper their design crimes. Beneath the Brine opts for a full-blown foghorn blast. Let's dive straight in — much like this shipwreck of a design. The swirling ocean motif wants to feel like a tempestuous, stylized nod to nautical...
Some covers whisper. Some scream. And then there’s Manvice, which walks into the room wearing nothing but a bright blue rectangle and a knowing smirk, and yells, “Let’s talk about erectile dysfunction!” Let’s not. This cover is less about tasteful design and more...
Well, the title says it all — and so does the cover. Let’s begin our descent into the marital meltdown that is That’s Why This Marriage Ain’t Gonna Last, a book that promises to strengthen your relationship while looking like it barely survived couple’s therapy with...
Somewhere, deep in the bowels of outdated desktop publishing software, this cover was born — a Frankensteinian collage of grainy JPEGs, bold yellow fonts, and sniper crosshairs that scream, “I made this myself and I regret nothing.” Welcome to Personal Protection...
Deep in the twilight woods of design misfires, where logic goes to hibernate and horses glow under invisible lights, we find “The Hunt and the Huntress” — and oh, what a hunt it is. Let’s set the scene: a mysterious woman on horseback, her trusty golden retriever by...
There are book covers that whisper their genre with subtle elegance, and then there are book covers that yell “AI-generated dungeon snake clip art!” across a foggy swamp. Welcome to In Search of the NAG MANI, where every design choice feels like it was made by someone...
If a book cover could start a diplomatic incident, this one would already be standing trial at The Hague. The Cold War Between USA and China doesn’t so much illustrate global conflict as it does wage war on graphic design itself. We’re talking a multi-front disaster...
What do you get when you cross The Matrix, a pharmaceutical board meeting, and a dystopian fever dream from a discount AI generator? You get Silenced Healers — a book cover that looks like it was whistleblown into existence. Let’s open this file (carefully — it might...
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.”