Oh, stop shouting. I hear you. "Duh, Michelle! Everyone knows the purpose of a book cover is to sell the dang thing. That's why it's so important. Now take your ball and go home because no one wants to play with an idiot."

To which I reply, "Hold up there, Hoss. Sure, the sales aspect is valid, but there are other reasons a book cover is important. So pipe down and listen up. You just might learn a thing or five."

5 Reasons Why Book Covers Are Important

Protection
No, not as in you can whap someone over the head with it. A book cover's most functional job is to protect the brilliant writing within. It holds together and protects the pages.

Status Symbol
You are what you read . . . or at least that's what other people think when they see you toting a book. Other's perceptions of you will be very different depending upon if you walk around with a copy of War and Peace under your arm or if it's a Harlequin romance.

Decoration
Even if Martha Stewart isn't your middle name (and if it is . . . wow, stinks to be you), books are part of a living room's decor, or family room, or wherever it is that you keep your books. A coffee table wouldn't be complete without a gorgeous book sitting on it.

Preview
I'm never one to arrive late to a movie because I love to see the movie trailers. A book cover is like that, giving you a bit of a teaser for the story inside.

Classification
A cozy mystery cover is distinctly different from a bodice ripper, and a cover gives you that information at a glance.

Book covers do have a pretty full agenda besides simply being a marketing tool, which honestly makes me glad I'm not a designer. Way too much pressure.