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This cover looks like someone typed “hellfire puppet show” into an AI generator trained exclusively on Goosebumps fan art and Halloween clearance aisle regrets. Let’s begin with the title: Fire, Fangs and Brimstone. A bold attempt at alliteration, sure, but the font...
What we have here is not a “Swan Song” — it’s a design whimper softly echoing through the halls of amateur publishing. This cover is less a farewell note and more a shriek from the uncanny valley of cozy mystery branding. Let’s talk typography, or rather, the absence...
Sometimes a cover doesn’t need neon explosions, Photoshop wolves, or half-naked billionaires to earn a spot in the Hall of Horrors. Sometimes, all it takes is one very corporate shade of blue and a design committee that clearly thought “watercolor rectangles” would...
If silence is golden, then this cover is positively screaming in 24-karat surround sound. “Silence of the Grave” looks less like a fantasy novel and more like a promo poster for a Vegas magic act starring someone named “Lady Enchantress and Her Loyal Shepherd.” Let’s...
Minimalism is an art form. Done right, it’s sleek, powerful, and confident enough to whisper instead of shout. Done wrong, well, you get Emergence by JK Franks — a cover that whispers, shouts, and mumbles all at once, and somehow still manages to look unfinished. The...
There are bad covers, and then there are covers that look like they crawled out of Microsoft Publisher 2003 and begged to be taken seriously. Room with a View and Homicide falls squarely in the latter category, a shining example of why cozy mystery doesn’t mean “cut...
Some covers whisper “family saga.” Some declare “Western epic.” The Brothers Brown stands awkwardly in the middle of a dusty road shouting, “I’m not sure what I am, but I definitely found this font online for free!” The scene is simple — two red saloon doors. That’s...
Pumpkin spice may be the flavor of fall, but this cover is more like the taste of regret. “Poison & Pumpkin Spice” promises a cozy mystery, but what we get is clip art masquerading as design. That latte mug could’ve been ripped straight from a Word 2003 stock...
Welcome, brave traveler, to The Imrati Trials, otherwise known as “Fifty Shades of Purple, but Make It Fantasy.” This cover doesn’t just use purple—it weaponizes it. Purple crystals, purple lightning, purple haze in the background that looks like Prince himself...
If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if someone designed a sci-fi book cover entirely in shades of “industrial dishwater gray,” then Quest for the One has your answer. Spoiler: the answer is not good. At first glance, this looks less like the thrilling...
What we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is not so much a book cover as it is a Pepto-Bismol commercial in paperback form. The Bargain looks less like a steamy romance and more like the box art for “cheap floral tissues” at your local dollar store. First, let’s talk...
Romance novels are supposed to sweep you away into a world of passion, intrigue, and historical elegance. But this cover? This is less “swept away” and more “tripped on the ruffled hem of a gown and fell headfirst into the uncanny valley.” Let’s start with the leading...
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.”