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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/44860
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I'm not sure it's the ebook buyers who are the silly ones here.

Of course people judge a book by its cover, as they should. To navigate the thousands or millions of books on a real or virtual shelf, a reader needs a guide. A good cover will convey genre and hint at the story inside. It sets an expectation for the reader that this story will fall inside the category of books they generally enjoy reading.

Once that's done, the blurb will then confirm those expectations by letting the reader know a little more about the story while making a promise of what they have to look forward to if they buy.

Some readers look inside, read the first paragraph or even the first few pages, but some like to buy and be surprised.

However, at this point, the author has gained the reader's trust. Expectations have been set and promises have been made. It is up to the author to prove that the money spent was worthwhile.

The silly ones are authors who believe that a great cover and blurb are enough to mask a turd and make them money. Sure, they've made one sale (unless the customer is so angry, they return it), but they've also made sure that the reader will never pick up another book they've written or tell a single soul about it (unless it's to say 'Don't buy that book!').

Very few writers make money from one book. The silly ones are the authors who think a strategy of fooling readers by failing to meet the expectations set by a great cover and blurb is enough to build a career.

Original score: 6