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"Do
not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do " - John
Wooden
Make
no mistake about this fact. Your book will be judged by its cover! If
someone sees your book on a shelf, you have less than 30 seconds to
sell it. That’s right. Your book cover is a significant sales tool.
Often, it is your most important sales aid in a bookstore. Since you
only have a few seconds to impress the customer, you must invest time,
energy, and/or money on this sales effort. If you have the budget dollars
to afford this, a graphic artist experienced in designing book covers
is recommended.
Front
Cover Tips
The
front cover title of your book should stand out from the rest of the
print. A subtitle should be used to further describe the subject matter
of the book. For example, our book Turning
Stones Into Gems
could be confused with a book on jewelry or science. However, the subtitle,
An Inspirational Self-Development Syster, clarifies the purpose of the
book by describing the subject matter of the book. The front cover should
also include the name of the author and couldhave a strong endorsement
or the name of a prestigious award.
Use
Contrast
Contrast
helps to get your book noticed. Examples of and suggestions for contrast
are as follows:
- Use
lighter background with darker color type or darker background with
lighter color type.
- Use
different type (font ) and styles for the title and subtitle.
- Use
combinations of upper and lower case letters.
- Use
regular type, italic and bold type face combinations.
Back
Cover Tips
The
back cover should contain the benefits of the book, endorsements and/or
testimonials, the book subject category, bar code, ISBN, name, address
and phone number of publisher, price of book, and website address (if
available).
Spine
For
many books, the spine is the first thing a consumer will see on the
shelf. The title and the author’s name should be bold and easy to read.
Use a simple and easy to read font. No need to get too fancy here because
the human eye may not focus on it well; you just lost a potential buyer.
If your publisher logo is eye catching use it. It is not necessary to
print the full company name here, depending on the thickness of the
spine.
Click
Here for More Info on Book Cover Design
Other
Tips
Research
other books in your category or genre
Visit
a bookstore to browse different books for ideas. Some printers have
design templets or samples that you can review and select. For a fee,
some also may have custom design services. The extra time and effort
you spend on your book cover can mean the difference between success
and failure
Design
your book to be noticed
Try
using different sizes, graphics, font, colors, and etc. after researching
other books in your genre. If you have a great endorsement, award or
review, consider putting it on the front cover. Your book usually should
be compatible with other books in same genre. For example, a paperback
romance novel has a standard format, size, front cover, and etc. You
would not expect to see a paperback romance novel without a picture
on the front or in a size 8.5x11. However, sometimes an odd size will
get your book noticed and enhance sales. Our point is you have to use
good judgment but don’t be afraid to test the waters. If you are trying
sometime totally radical, you might start with a short run of books
first. If you are satisfied with the response, then you can print more
books the next time. You will spend a little more money this way, but
you could save a lot too if the response to your book idea was not favorable.
Use
full or four color process covers
Color
attracts attention and that’s what you want. Although color is more
expensive, this can be money well spent. The difference in sales can
more than justify the additional expense of full color. Sometimes a
black and white or two-color cover can work just as good as a full color
cover. For example, if you are selling your book in seminars, people
may be more interested in the information than the packaging.
Keep
it simple and avoid clutter
If your
book is on a shelf, the title should be easy to read from a distance.
The theme of the cover should be easy to understand. Loading the cover
with too many graphics and words will probably prompt a browser to move
on to another book. So keep it simple but make it grab their attention.
Design
a cover that fits your audience
If you
are producing a cookbook, your cover should have food. If your book
is on fishing, it might help to have a picture of a fish on the cover.
If you are writing a romance novel, a sensuous picture of a man and
woman on the cover would not hurt. Our point is you should use common
sense. Get a feel for book covers in your book’s genre. Look for ideas
from some of the bestsellers. Also, remember women buy the majority
of books, whether for themselves or for a man. Make sure your cover
grabs the attention of a women if you want them to but it.
A good
book cover designer is worth the expense
Don’t
take lightly the value of a book cover. Expect to pay from $500 to $2,000.
Some publishers have oil paintings done from which they run prints for
the cover. Expect to spend five figures when you get this elaborate.
Self-publishers don’t need to spend this kind of money to be successful.
However, using Uncle Willie or Cousin Pookie to design your cover may
not get you the results you need.
Our
graphic designer listened to our ideas on a cover concept. She also
read our galleys before she designed drafts of the cover. She knew what
size font to use on the spine based on the number of pages in our book.
She knew which printers were good with color separation. She had the
latest software and an arsenal of graphic tools. She saved us a lot
of time and trouble because she specialized in book covers. She was
well worth the investment we made in our book covers.
When
you are proud of the appearance of your book, it shows when you talk
about it. People can see and hear your enthusiasm. You may have a great
book, but if you hate the cover you may reflect your dissatisfaction
or frustration when you are promoting your book. This is not to say
you are guaranteed success because you have a great cover. However,
great covers sell books. What's inside the book counts more but a well
design cover gets the reader to pick up your book from the self. If
you plan to sell your book in bookstores, you need to take the book
cover seriously.
© 2000 U R Gems Group All Rights
Reserved
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