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This cover is called Lavender Lake, but there’s no lavender and no lake—just a tragically overworked tree stump, a suspiciously pristine backpack, and what appears to be an oil lantern cosplaying as a centerpiece from a Cracker Barrel clearance bin. Welcome to the...
This cover didn’t just take us on a journey of light and shadow—it drove us off a cliff into the foggy realm of graphic design limbo and left us there to be pecked by stray birds. Let’s start with the first offense: the title. It begins normally enough, with that...
Some covers whisper their genre. Some scream it. Legal Jargon walks into the room in a glittery tutu and starts throwing sticky notes while yelling, “LOVE! LAW! HEARTS! FONTSSSS!” at the top of its lungs. Where do we even begin with this pastel courtroom panic attack?...
If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if a middle school group project, a box of melted crayons, and a rogue WordArt enthusiast collided inside a burning copier, All of Us: An American Adventure is here to provide a visual answer—and possibly a migraine....
If you’ve ever wanted your romance novel to feel like a séance hosted in a lava lamp, Love That Awaits is here to light your path—straight into the shadow realm of confusing design and smudged good intentions. At first glance, you might think this is a heartfelt,...
If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if an AI tried to recreate a 1950s gay muscle magazine using only dreams, delusions, and half-remembered anatomy textbooks, welcome to Building the Breeding Body—a cover that’s equal parts vintage throwback and graphic...
If you ever wondered what it would look like if a children’s toothpaste mascot got promoted to cozy mystery protagonist—Call It a Daisy is your answer. This cover wants to be charming. It wants to be light, breezy, and oh-so-cozy. What it actually is? A high-fructose...
Nothing says “holiday romance” like standing awkwardly in front of a carousel you weren’t actually at. Welcome to Tangled in Tinsel, a festive mishap wrapped in a fuzzy scarf of Photoshop confusion and tied with a bright red bow of font regret. At first glance, it...
At first glance, A Menagerie of Dragons looks like the kind of charming fantasy you'd gift your precocious niece along with a crystal necklace and a hardcover journal. But blink twice—and suddenly you’re trapped in a golden tornado of clip art, confusion, and...
Brace yourself, because Flotilla Leader doesn’t just go full steam ahead—it launches itself off the pier and explodes in midair like an overcooked torpedo of design confusion. Let’s start with the central image: a warship barreling through angry seas while everything...
It’s beginning to look a lot like graphic design hell, and this cover is hanging stockings over the fire of Photoshop sin. Gaming Hell Christmas, Volume Four invites you into a festive Regency world of intrigue, romance, and—presumably—eyestrain. It starts innocently...
Nothing says “steamy holiday fantasy” quite like a glowing gingerbread man, a shirtless dude with LED swords, and a Christmas tree that looks like it was yanked straight from a Target circular. Welcome to Erdelf, a cover that boldly asks: What if Legolas and Frosty...
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.”