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The cover must say something about the story but not give away too much. There is the saying: don't judge a book by its cover - but let's be honest... we wouldn't go for a book in the store if the cover is not to our liking.

I tend to pick up books with very simple designs. The cover shouldn't be to overloaded.

If I know a movie is a book first and I'm interested in it, I'll go for it/look for it regardless. Other than that, I mostly have a description in my mind of what I want to read, and I search words or genres along those lines. If I am in a bookstore/library, I'll go into that section, look at spine titles, try my luck, and go straight to the back of the book for the summary.

Then, I go by authors I like. And sometimes by books that have chapter previews within them.

Has to be eye-catching. If it's a crime fic, bloody clothes, silhouettes, knives, etc are a great way. Simple designs tend to be more eye-catching for me .
But I won't even look at a book if the font of the title doesn't perfectly match the picture. That's the main thing.

Compelling or simple imagery does it for me.
I hate when there is too much going on and the font and illustrations are all over the place.

A good book cover it should have a sense of attraction ,precise and simple for a reader

The book title is important. If it's obscured or hard to read, my eye just moves past it.

I have learned over the years to ignore the outer packaging of everything from merchandise, to people, to ideologies. It's what's inside that counts. I think we can all recount instances in our lives where the outer look of something served only to enhance expectations which later proved grossly disappointing. Therefore, the graphic artwork of a book cover is totally immaterial to me and I tend to ignore it. My book choices are exclusively based upon reviews and personal recommendations.

I know they say, "Don't judge a book by its cover", but the book is the first impression the reader has of a book. When I'm browsing books the most attention-seeking covers are the ones I inspect thoroughly. I believe the cover should reflect the story and its ambiance. It should be made by a professional graphic designer because they know what they are doing. I have seen countless books with a poorly made cover that show an amateur just pasted images together and that's it. This only showed me the author doesn't care about the elements of his/her book. Think of it like a job interview. If you go with your grease-stained pajamas, you don't stand a chance to be hired. You have to show that person you are a professional in your field and know what you are doing.

I evaluate the book as a whole. But I prefer minimalist and somewhat austere design of book covers

For some reason, in a group of books, I pull out the one with blue hues on the cover first. I guess I do this because blue is my favorite color. Generally, I think a cover and title should relate to the story.

I can't say I'm very biased towards covers that are either very colorful or simplistic in design. I tend to look at the description more than I do the cove.

An eye catching cover and a title that speaks to my interest would certainly draw my attention, but I always check the description before making any purchase.

A clear image with professional layout and don't font that is simple.

A good cover uses all those things—art, font, color usage, deatails—in harmony. There are genre-specific norms which will communicate to the audience just what kind of book this may be. I believe a cover should reflect something about the book, but this is not always the case.

A proper depiction of the book's subject matter or at least a hint of what to expect while reading. The imagery has to capture my attention and be relevant. The typography has to be relevant and readable.

Though not talked about often, creative use of type to paint a picture of the book's subject matter without telling what the book is about.