Today, with the advent of various communication media, the importance of the visual component of the book cover is increasing as the purchasing behavior pattern changes from paper books to e-books and from offline to online and mobile channels. In particular, social and environmental changes such as COVID-19 caused consumers' emotional anxiety and social alienation, which indirectly increased interest in books in the field of essays that can provide positive emotional relief, empathy, and comfort. Therefore, in this study, consumers' subjective perception of the book cover and visual attention were analyzed through a questionnaire survey and an eye tracking experiment. As a result of the analysis, it was found that overall book information was searched for and purchased through the Internet, and the aesthetics of the cover became a determinant of the quality and purchase of the book. In particular, when consumers look at the cover of an essay book, they prefer a psychologically stable and calm central arrangement, and it is found that the visualized text (message) among the book cover components stimulates consumers' interest and interest. It is believed that these research results will help improve the establishment of desirable strategies for book covers in the field of original and effective essays that can convey the contents of books more easily and implicitly and arouse users' interest and interest in the future.