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Nothing says “romance meets hockey” quite like a cover that looks as if two completely unrelated stock photos crashed into each other on the slippery ice of graphic design neglect. Through the Five Hole wants to be a steamy love story with a sports edge, but instead...
This cover didn’t just miss the mark—it missed the entire target range, fell off the map, and wandered into a cobblestone alleyway to lean lifelessly against an ambulance that has no idea how it got there. Surviving Enchantment Part 1 wants to be urban fantasy, wants...
This cover almost slid by under the peppermint-scented radar, wrapped in a cozy romcom aesthetic and just enough red-and-green to lull us into submission. But not today, Holiday Unscripted. Not. Today. Let’s start with the title, which is doing its best to look like a...
This one almost snuck by us like a werewolf in a bustle skirt — but once you catch sight of that rust-rimmed porthole of design confusion, there’s no un-seeing it. Let’s begin with the most pressing issue: why is the protagonist peeking out of a Victorian submarine...
We almost let this one slide under the radar — tucked away behind layers of grunge, occult symbols, and what appears to be an oozing yellow infection spreading across the design like a biohazard-themed rash. But then we looked closer. We saw the signs. And now we’re...
This one almost ghosted past us. At first glance, it looked like harmless camp — a punk‑zine horror vibe with a screaming cone monster and a playful grindhouse title. For a split second, we thought, “Okay, quirky. Maybe even intentional.” But then we took a closer...
We almost missed it. This cover almost slipped past the roast radar by sheer force of atmosphere — creepy clown? Check. Moody lighting? Sure. Ominous font and dark vignette? Present and accounted for. But like a sideshow illusionist with a stage full of smoke and...
There’s trying too hard, and then there’s accidentally summoning a demon into your PowerPoint presentation. Infected Freaks: Volume Three – The Red Tower, Part One (a title that’s longer than the runtime of some indie horror films) is a full-blown cover design...
Well, well, well... look what almost slipped past us in the dead of night. At first glance, The Dark Lord looked innocent enough — moody lighting, gothic vibes, an appropriately ominous moon. We nearly let it walk straight past the bouncer and into the “acceptable...
What do you get when you mix a period drama, a revenge plot, and a stock photo model who looks like she just remembered she left the oven on? You get The Spinster Strikes Back — a cover that promises sass and scandal but delivers something more akin to Satin Clown...
There are book covers that whisper. Some that scream. And then there are covers like Return to Southampton County, which mumbles awkwardly in Times New Roman while standing in the corner of a junior high history fair. This is the kind of design that says: “My message...
Every once in a while, a cover comes along that truly leaves you speechless — not in awe, but in utter anatomical confusion. Goodbye, Earl, Book 4 in the Ladies’ Revenge Club series, promises sass, scandal, and a good old-fashioned aristocratic takedown. What it...
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.”