This is a fun and interesting debate. There are some genres that have clear rules or guidance about the style of cover to be recognisable. In YA Sci-fi, there seems to be different variety to similar themes, just like the Titles that are formulaic. Right? We've all seen them. But what if we are talking about literary fiction? What about novels with Gothic elements to them? What are those covers supposed to accomplish? Traditionally a lot of Gothic Romance covers feature some looming Manor House, a very typical convention in these literary style stories.
To answer this question, I found a list of modern literary novels containing gothic themes, and let's see what these covers accomplish. For example, someone said that my cover with an impressionist painting made her feel like she's going to read a story about a couple in the past. So, if we applied that reasoning, what you think you are going to read, I selected some of these covers and gave my impressions of what vibe they evoked for me, and what I would expect, based on the cover, to find in the book. https://booksandbao.com/best-modern-gothic-novels-by-women/ Keep in mind, I have never heard of or read any of these books, and have not read what they are actually about! Let's have some fun with this! (You can reference how close I got or didn't get to the list above)
This is giving me "Single White Female" vibes, I expect to find a creepy sister obsesssed with her other sister and maybe Sororicide?
Based on the cover alone, the only reference point I have to go on, is that it's a close up of a painting I would see during the Regency/ Jane Austen period. Maybe a portrait of a woman from that era?
This cover gives me zero idea what the vibe or theme of the book is. Again, a classic style portrait with a rock island super imposed. It makes me think of the Count of Monte Cristo, escaping from the rock island prison. What do you think? Is that the type of book I should expect to read?
Oh this is easy, because I feel like this style of cover has been very popolar. I've seen covers like this for Achilles, and there was another blue book about Greek mythology themes. Think I should expect to open these pages and find those books are comp titles to this one?
I mean this one reads loudly as an edition of a book printed in the 1960s or 1970s. It doesn't give me anything about what the theme of the book is. Maybe it's a spinoff of the Stranger by Camus? I have no idea. The typeface reminds me of TV shows in the era with the Brady Bunch?
How do you pick a cover? What do you think important goals that a book cover should accomplish should be to convey what's inside?