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There’s minimalism, and then there’s this. Swimming Studies presents itself as an award-winning literary memoir, but visually it’s less “artful restraint” and more “someone fell asleep in Adobe Illustrator.” Over half the cover is a wide, unbroken expanse of beige —...
Every so often, a cover comes along that makes you stop, stare, and whisper softly, “Ah, 2003. We meet again.” Cloud Nine by Melissa A. Smith is one such time capsule — a masterpiece of early-Internet design optimism where bevels were bold, gradients were godly, and...
If you’ve ever wanted to see what happens when AI art, bad fonts, and self-belief collide on a hilltop, allow me to present The Heir Apparent. A cover that dreams of high fantasy glory but lands squarely in the uncanny valley — sword first. At first glance, this seems...
Welcome to The Last Hurrah, where the mystery is less who killed him and more who approved this cover. Behold, dear reader: a scene of breathtaking dissonance. In the foreground, a concerned park ranger crouches over what appears to be a gently napping grandpa, both...
There are bad covers that scream chaos, and then there are bad covers that smile serenely while quietly self-destructing — and Poverty’s Perpetual Persistence is the latter. At first glance, you think you’ve stumbled upon the paperback edition of Sweaters, Tea, and...
If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if someone tried to visualize the phrase “graphic chaos with a budget,” look no further than Confusion Has Its Cost. Because apparently, the cost is taste. This cover is the unholy intersection of stock photo noir and...
The Ambition promises high stakes, bold dreams, and life-altering pursuits — and then delivers a cover that looks like a motivational poster got caught in a wind tunnel and landed in a pile of free stock images. Let’s start with the obvious: the Toronto skyline is...
If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when five different Canva templates are forced into a romantic relationship against their will, allow us to present Recipe for Love. A title that promises warmth, heart, and maybe a little flour — and delivers a vector fever...
Some book covers whisper their genre. Some shout their tone. And then there’s The Munich Girl, which stumbles out of a stock photo bin and asks, “Is this anything?” Front and center, we have our protagonist — or possibly a confused bystander — pasted awkwardly onto...
Few covers leave you unsure whether you’re about to read a novel, experience a culinary séance, or get involved in a covert pasta-related assassination plot. The Banquet of Silence manages to do all three — and none of them well. Let’s begin with the smiling woman...
At first glance, An Endless Game looks like it might be a sci-fi novel. But take a closer look and you’ll realize — this is not a cover. This is a graphic hostage situation. The first thing to hit you — before your brain even has time to form words — is the sheer...
This cover has the raw energy of a seventh-grade history project titled “Medieval Sports and You!” and the graphic flair of a forgotten PowerPoint slide. Let’s start with the weapons — or are they lacrosse sticks? Fencing foils? Custom fly swatters for aristocrats?...
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.”