How do you decide if you want to read a specific book? More than half (57%) of Americans have bought or read a book based only on its cover, according to a new survey. And that seems to be a good method, as 96% of those who’ve done it say the book met their expectations.
The poll of 2-thousand U.S. adults looks into what kind of readers Americans are and finds:
- Two-thirds admit they only read books that have been turned into movies or TV shows.
- But 80% have avoided a book because of its outward appearance, either because the cover looked too plain (61%), used a title font they didn’t like (56%), the cover art didn’t match the genre (52%) or used the poster from the movie based on the book as the cover (49%).
- More than half (53%) regularly give books to others as holiday gifts.
- The top things that influence people to buy a book as a gift include it being on a well-known bestseller list (44%), social media buzz (29%) and the cover (29%).
- Avid readers are more likely to read during the day than at night (88% compared to 69%).
- Overall, people read an average of eight books a month, for a total of nearly 100 a year.
Books with the best covers, according to the survey
- “Misery” by Stephen King
- “Harry Potter” by J. K. Rowling
- The “Twilight” series
- “Fifty Shades of Gray” by E. L. James
- Books by Danielle Steel
- “Atomic Habits” by James Clear
- “The Pilot’s Wife” by Anita Shreve
- “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe
- “Goals” by Brian Tracy
- “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck
- “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult
- “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt
Source: SWNS Digital