There’s no question that turning the pages of a great book is a wonderful feeling—but is it more wonderful in a hardcover or a paperback? Aside from considering quality, durability, portability, size, price, or release date, many readers simply choose the cover with the more appealing design. At times, it’s a hard decision: One cover could be more eye-catching, while the other could appear more fitting for the book. Other times, a cover might stand out as remarkable (or remarkably disappointing), making comparison a no-brainer. Whether choosing the superior design is difficult or easy, it’s always fun. Continuing our Book Cover Contest series, we compared the hardcovers and paperbacks of 20 recently released books, asked our community on Instagram and X to vote for their favorite cover for each book, and compiled the results below. (Paperback images are featured on the left side; hardcovers are on the right.) See if your favorite covers won, and find new reads along the way!
The Seaplane on the Final Approach by Rebecca Rukeyser
Rukeyser’s sensual, darkly funny novel follows a young woman fascinated with “sleaze” as she travels to the Kodiak Archipelago seeking new experiences. While the paperback design features two plump raspberries, indicative of the narrator’s overfull desire and erotic passion, the hardcover design displays the story’s strange wilderness setting. Our readers voted for the hardcover, as the remote Alaskan environment facilitates the narrative’s eccentric characters, unexpected plot twists, and eco-tourism commentary, while also nodding toward the wilderness of desire.
WINNER: Hardcover
Open Throat by Henry Hoke
The narrator of Open Throat is a ravenous but lovable queer mountain lion who protects a homeless encampment, fascinated by human life. Lonely and vulnerable, they reflect on their memories and search for their identity. The lion appears vicious on the paperback, their open jaw exposing sharp teeth. On the hardcover, an ink-blot illustration suggests the novel’s psychological depth, and the lion’s fiery eyes hint at their menacing nature and mental turmoil. Our readers preferred the hardcover, more interested in the lion’s interiority than their monstrosity.
WINNER: Hardcover
Old Enough by Haley Jakobson
College sophomore Sav thinks she’s ready for her life to begin, but she can’t anticipate the crises that are to come. In the coming-of-age novel, Sav navigates queer love, heartbreak, growth, and friendship. The hardcover proves vague, but on the paperback, a bright red cocktail represents transitioning into adulthood, with all its fun, difficulties, and messiness. The font, which appears hastily hand-painted, appropriately suits the chaos and spontaneity of growing up. Its lack of perfection makes it perfect, which our readers appreciated: The paperback cover stood victorious.
WINNER: Paperback
Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan
Nolan’s gripping, provocative novel follows the narrator’s spiral into obsessive longing after the abrupt end of an enthralling romance. While probing love, power, and submission, the novel questions what we want, how we want it, and why we want it. The hardcover keeps the novel’s secrets, but the paperback displays the narrator’s vulnerability and of course, her “desperation,” whether lying on the bed in sexual submission or post-romance dejection. Unsurprisingly, our readers favored the paperback design.
WINNER: Paperback
Old Flame by Molly Prentiss
Emily yearns for a fulfilling and balanced life—and when she faces an unplanned pregnancy, she is forced to make choices that will shift her old life into a new one. The hardcover embodies feeling pulled in different directions and striving for something that seems out of reach, and the paperback emphasizes tough decision-making. Despite the hardcover’s clever visual, the paperback’s sharp photo, urgent color scheme, and italicized text are even more enticing. They clearly enticed our readers, since they chose the paperback over the hardcover.
WINNER: Paperback
A Spell of Good Things by Adòbámi Adébáyò
In modern Nigeria, an ambitious boy supports his family during their financial struggles, and an overworked, young doctor is the “perfect child” in her wealthy family. Their lives collide during a political crisis, and a captivating tale of class inequity, gender inequity, violence, love, and humanity unfolds. Neither the hardcover nor the paperback reveal too much about the narrative, but the paperback’s beautiful design is unquestionably alluring. In our polls, the paperback triumphed.
WINNER: Paperback
Some of My Best Friends: And Other White Lies I’ve Been Told by Tajja Isen
Isen’s sharp, shrewd, and sometimes uneasy essays boldly critique present-day racial justice initiatives. They confront sensitive topics, from arts and entertainment to law and politics, interrogating the discrepancies between values, intentions, words, actions, and impact. While the hardcover is pretty, the paperback gets to the point: We say a lot, but we do a little. Featuring text-message bubbles, the potent subtitle, a fingers-crossed emoji, and a lot of blank space, the design fits Isen’s criticism. Accordingly, the paperback appealed to our readers more than the hardcover.
WINNER: Paperback
Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo
Flor can predict the exact day a person will die—and she isn’t the only person in her family with secrets. In an emotional epic, Family Lore traces the lives of Flor’s sisters, cousins, aunts, and nieces across generations, past and present, Santo Domingo and New York City, leading up to the day of Flor’s living wake. The hardcover and paperback are both colorful and beautiful, simple but intriguing. Ultimately, our readers voted for the hardcover: Its remarkable elegance is difficult to surpass.
WINNER: Hardcover
Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh
In a beautiful, spellbinding novel, Cursed Bread tells a haunting tale of small-town life, set in a 1951 postwar French village during a real-life unsolved mass poisoning, as madness, hysteria, and desire consume the town. While the paperback suggests that something might be a little off in the rural French village, the hardcover immediately grips readers with Cursed Bread’s unsettling eeriness and dark elegance. The hardcover draws readers into the book’s mystery, and our readers agreed, selecting the hardcover as the better design.
WINNER: Hardcover
Confidence by Rafael Frumkin
As two young men pursue a career of illegal scam artistry, their relationship, crimes, and greed become increasingly complicated. Frumkin’s novel presents a scathing take on capitalism, deception, and the American Dream with satirical absurdity and hilarious wit. The paperback keeps the most astute elements from the hardcover—the emphasis on “con,” money visual, and excluded head—and offers more cash, a more contemporary feel, and the leading duo in a more confident stance. According to our polls, the paperback won our readers’ favor.
WINNER: Paperback
Excavations by Kate Myers
At an archeological site in Greece, four starkly different women encounter an unusual artifact—one that shouldn’t exist—and the head professor realizes that something went wrong. He tries to bury history, while the women work together to dig up the truth. The hardcover echoes the novel’s feminist angle, and the paperback highlights the setting, featuring a Greek-inspired font, hot summertime colors, and excavation site images. Our readers found the paperback more fitting. The playful cover mirrors the humor and wit that make Excavations such a fun read.
WINNER: Paperback
Loot by Tania James
In the 18th century, a teenage woodcarver agrees to build a mechanical tiger for Tipu Sultan’s sons, leading to an epic adventure amidst colonialism, war, and displacement across India, Britain, and France. The hardcover’s vibrant colors are striking—but the paperback, featuring a building reminiscent of St. Paul’s Cathedral, a topsy-turvy tiger, and an 18th-century floral design, won our polls. The upside-down illustration reflects the impact of colonialism, which severely upended the world, and the woodcarver’s quest, which flipped his life out of its status quo.
WINNER: Paperback
Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck
The story of a romance begun in East Berlin at the end of the 1980s, Kairos meditates on memory, change, and the passage of time to offer a powerful examination of history. Individual, collective, and national histories parallel and intersect in surprising ways. Both cover designs are artful and abstract, posing more questions than they answer. The creative and confounding artwork suits Erpenbeck’s complex narrative, but the hardcover might be a bit too difficult to interpret, as our readers preferred the paperback.
WINNER: Paperback
Central Places by Delia Cai
When Audrey returns from her dream life in Manhattan to visit her hometown in Illinois, she confronts her complicated connection to her roots. She reexamines family dynamics, past relationships, and cultural identity—urging her to reconsider her future. The paperback edition depicts Audrey, literally torn between big-city plans and small-town history with a ripped-paper-like division. This design feels too on-the-nose. Our readers voted for the hardcover, appreciating the gorgeous artwork and the partial transparency, which could represent looking inside the self.
WINNER: Hardcover
American Mermaid by Julia Langbein
When a teacher adapts her feminist, eco-warrior, bestselling novel into a screenplay, she is directed to convert the empowered mermaid protagonist into a stereotypical mermaid designed for the male gaze. Strange things start to happen, and the teacher and her mermaid must fight to maintain their voices. Both the hardcover and paperback are intriguing, but our readers chose the hardcover as the winner. The fun and fantastical design reflects Langbien’s amusing, imaginative, spectacular storytelling.
WINNER: Hardcover
On Earth as it is on Television by Emily Jane
After alien spaceships briefly visit Earth, Blaine, Heather, and Oliver grapple with certainty, uncertainty, life, and doom. Through a hilariously absurd narrative, Jane’s exuberant debut novel tells a heartfelt, poignant story about what it means to be human in the contemporary universe. The hardcover is appropriately colorful and energetic, but the paperback turns it up a notch with brighter colors, a more energetic, tightly-packed layout, and a strange cat. The paperback cover—victorious in our polls—is loud and bizarre, just like Jane’s novel.
WINNER: Paperback
The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie
In McKenzie’s quirky comedy, Penny—dealing with a number of life challenges—goes on a road trip in an odd-looking, barely-working van, embarking on an unpredictable journey that proves to be a charming, hopeful story. Both the hardcover and the paperback feature the teal van and adorable dog, but their designs are drastically different. The paperback grabs attention, but the hardcover better captures the eccentric, endearing, uplifting experience of following Penny on her quest. Our readers preferred the unique design on the hardcover.
WINNER: Hardcover
Wellness by Nathan Hill
A couple of ’90s college sweethearts grow distant as they struggle with present-day marriage. New anxieties have emerged with the passage of time, from social media to potential polyamory, making their relationship a challenge to maintain. On the paperback, the formerly-young lovers face each other, separated and surrounded by a busy design, indicative of their busy world. On the hardcover, they stand together in the center of a triangle. The simple design and unified couple won over our readers, leading the hardcover to victory.
WINNER: Hardcover
The All-American by Joe Milan, Jr.
Bucky has one goal—play college football—until he is deported to his birth country of South Korea, a place entirely foreign to him. A series of unpredictable mishaps test Bucky’s physical strength and inner character while he searches for his home and self. Between two contrasting cover designs, our readers favored the hardcover. They might have liked the serious feel, the focus on Bucky, or the aesthetic appeal—or they might have disliked the paperback’s middle finger. Regardless, the hardcover prevailed.
WINNER: Hardcover
The List by Yomi Adegoke
A celebrated journalist navigates truth and trust after her fiancé is called out in a viral social media post. When online toxicity permeates offline life, it makes a mess—and Adegoke’s novel dives into the quagmire. The paperback’s goofy emoji minimizes the gravity of the book’s timely, complex issues. On the hardcover, a menacing storm of chat bubbles threaten growing terror, and the bright, fragmented text feels alarming—and intriguing. Our readers voted for the hardcover, which brilliantly frames The List’s riveting suspense, scary realities, and thrilling plot.
WINNER: Hardcover
The post Which Looks Better, Hardcovers or Paperbacks? appeared first on Electric Literature.
