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When you pick up a book called Romance with Leather, you expect something sultry, mysterious, maybe even a little dangerous. What you don’t expect is a couple’s candid photo from the family reunion slapped onto a navy background with WordArt. The “romance” here comes...
Biographies should capture the spirit of their subject — bold, intriguing, alive. The Hulda Clark Story instead delivers a cover that looks like it was commissioned for the county courthouse hallway and then shackled to a wall forever. Front and center, we’ve got a...
Medical books don’t have to look glamorous, but they should at least look professional. Semaglutides instead looks like it escaped from the brochure rack at CVS, dressed up in harsh colors and clip-art injections. The cover is dominated by a giant syringe pen,...
Some titles promise majesty. The Golden Raven suggests something dark, elegant, mysterious, maybe even mythic. Instead, the cover delivers… a firework accident inside an inkblot. The centerpiece of this design is a chaotic explosion of red, yellow, and white sparkles,...
Some covers whisper their story. The Last Hope doesn’t whisper — it screams every possible subplot at once, like a B-movie poster that forgot what genre it was supposed to be. Front and center we get our golden armored spaceman, striking the pose of someone...
Paranormal romance covers are supposed to drip with atmosphere — think moody shadows, glowing eyes, and just enough mystery to lure readers in. The Macconwood Pack Tales, Volume 1 instead looks like it was pieced together from a bargain bin of clip art silhouettes and...
Historical fiction should sweep you away to another time and place. The Oak and the Ash instead takes you on a dreary stroll through Beige Alley, circa Whenever. Let’s start with the artwork. We’ve got cobblestone streets, brick buildings, and two anonymous figures...
Romance novels are supposed to be about passion, vulnerability, and emotional pull. Unrequited instead gives us… a torso in the dark, contorted like it’s auditioning for a deodorant commercial. Let’s start with the pose. Our mystery man isn’t brooding, he’s arm-locked...
Space is vast, mysterious, and awe-inspiring. Tabitha Prime, on the other hand, is cramped, awkward, and confusing — a visual reminder that not every trip to the stars deserves a launch. Let’s start with the giant floating head. Our heroine’s face looms so large it...
Some covers scream their design crimes with neon wings and glowing fireballs. An Alternative to Believing in Nothing takes a quieter route, whispering its mediocrity with all the energy of a Windows screensaver and a clip-art silhouette. The central figure is where...
Some covers aim for cosmic mystery. Butterflies on the Net: Chasing Phantoms aimed for that too — and then got lost in a Photoshop wormhole full of sparkles, floating heads, and clip art butterflies. The first thing that hits you is the floating redhead of destiny...
With a title like Disorganized Crime, you expect mob intrigue, shadowy back alleys, and maybe a splash of danger. Instead, this cover delivers what looks like the cast photo for a canceled network drama about HR compliance training. Let’s start with the “family.”...
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.”