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Some book covers promise adventure. Some promise drama. Civil@Work promises… a PowerPoint presentation you’re forced to sit through at 8 a.m. in a hotel conference center with stale muffins and lukewarm coffee. From the moment you see it, you know you’re in for...
Cozy Mysteries, Zillow Listings, and Clipart Pets: The Ditie Brown Disaster Every once in a while, a cozy mystery cover shows up that doesn’t whisper “curl up with tea and sleuthing” so much as it screams “free downloadable stock photo from a real estate website.”...
Say Yes to the Nemesis… Or Maybe Just Say No Rom-com covers are supposed to sparkle. They’re supposed to be charming, witty, and maybe even a little whimsical. Instead, Say Yes to the Nemesis looks like the designer mashed together three different Canva templates at 3...
Every once in a while, a cover comes along that feels less like a book advertisement and more like a fever dream in Photoshop form. The Undefeated Throne is one such masterpiece of mismatched nonsense, where no two elements look like they belong to the same reality....
Ah yes, The Shape-Shifter Series #9. Because nothing screams “trust issues” like a Photoshop mash-up of forest animals that clearly weren’t even in the same hemisphere when their pictures were taken. Front and center we have Mr. Fox, glowing like he’s being...
Ah yes, nothing screams “high art” like a cover that looks like a perfume ad reject. Hotwife Cheating Affair arrives in all its grayscale glory, as if the mere absence of color could somehow elevate it from “bargain bin erotica” to “sophisticated scandal.” Spoiler: it...
Ah, Deadly Checkout. A cozy mystery cover so busy it looks like the result of a committee meeting between a librarian, an AI art generator, and a handbag enthusiast. Let’s break this down. The Flying Purse of Doom Front and center we have what appears to be the murder...
Every so often, a cover lands in our orbit that feels less like a book and more like a cosmic inside joke. Draconians Shared Bride is one of those covers — a glowing, oiled-up train wreck that asks the age-old question: what if intergalactic warriors looked like they...
Some covers manage to inspire hope, encouragement, and professionalism. Others, like When You Can’t Pour From an Empty Glass, inspire only despair — and possibly the urge to recycle. This isn’t a book cover so much as a motivational poster that accidentally wandered...
It should be noted that the author changed the cover at the time of posting this review, changing the main character and familiar. Is it better - no, and you decide why it is just a bad if not worse. Just remember to see that the author name also morphed into...
Some book covers whisper “trust me, I’m professional.” Others bellow “science can be fun!” But Earn Your Own PHD doesn’t whisper or bellow — it shrieks in fluorescent neon with all the grace of a late-night infomercial for miracle cures. Let’s start with the title....
Ah, the “headless abs” romance cover. A proud tradition in publishing where men are reduced not to characters, not to personalities, but to a gleaming six-pack wrapped in plaid. Giddy-Up rides this overworked trope straight into graphic design purgatory, and boy, does...
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.”