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Historical fiction should feel sweeping, textured, and alive with detail. The Philadelphia Matriarch, however, feels more like an awkward AI mash-up where the algorithm couldn’t decide between Amish postcard and wax museum exhibit. Front and center is the matriarch...
Some covers whisper mystery, some hint at grandeur, and some… well, some look like someone accidentally set a donut on fire in Photoshop. Where the Boys Arthe falls squarely into that last category. The first crime is right at the top: three moons. Not three phases of...
Rom-coms are supposed to sparkle with charm, wit, and a promise of swoony chaos. The Spreadsheet Situation, however, gives us none of that. Instead, this cover looks like someone opened up PowerPoint, clicked on “Insert SmartArt Graphic,” and called it a day. First,...
What happens when your book promises adorable monkeys, art theft, and mysterious devices—yet looks like the dust jacket of a noir funeral pamphlet? You get Saving Maria, a cover that’s somehow both hilariously off-base and profoundly committed to its own confusion....
But Definitely Bent Out of Shape When you first glance at Bound But Not Broken by Danae Ayusso, you might think: “Hey, this is polished!”—and you wouldn’t be completely wrong. The cover wants to be a bold statement piece. It wants to scream “emotional depth,” “complex...
Sometimes a book cover whispers its theme with subtle elegance. Other times, it shouts at you with a lightning bolt, a chunk of carpet, and colors so mismatched you wonder if the designer was working with a broken monitor. Between the Lines falls squarely into the...
There’s a special kind of schadenfreude in discovering that even publishers — yes, even the ones who proudly put “Publishing” in their name — can produce a cover so magnificently awkward it could double as a PSA against bad design choices. Behold Signed Sealed...
Ah, nothing says “cozy mystery” like a cover that looks like a stationery set you’d buy from the bargain bin at Hobby Lobby—if Hobby Lobby catered to assassins. To All Those I’ve Killed Before seems to be aiming for a mysterious, minimalist vibe, but instead delivers...
Ah, Winter’s Chill. A title that suggests quiet snowfall, frostbitten drama, and maybe a few hearty mugs of mead. Instead, the cover delivers a mash-up that looks like the rejected poster for a Game of Thrones spinoff called Bears, Braids, and Bad Filters. The scene:...
Sometimes, a book cover doesn’t whisper “buy me.” It doesn’t even mutter “maybe.” No — sometimes it sighs heavily, slumps in its chair, and stares at the industrial dryer like it’s the portal to a better universe. Reverse Tomboy is the visual equivalent of a student...
Every once in a while, a book cover comes along that makes you stop, tilt your head, and mutter, “This… this can’t be it.” Justice on a Cold Platter by Harold DeBoe is one such masterpiece of graphic design negligence. It’s less of a visual enticement and more of a...
Ah, behold the cover art equivalent of whispering “deep” into a fog machine. This is Namuh, which — if you squint with your third eye — reveals itself as “Human” backwards. Yes, the title is literally the kind of wordplay your friend with a My Chemical Romance hoodie...
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.”