Importance of Book Cover Copy in Self-Publishing

Readers really do judge books by their covers. That is what your cover is designed to do – communicate the value of all of the great material in between. Keep this in mind when developing your back cover copy and make sure it’s professionally drafted by your self-publishing provider – this is marketing writing; artistic writing.

The BACK COVER COPY is restricted by the size of the book’s back cover.   Ideally, the size of the cover should be taken into account when composing the back cover copy to ensure the ultimate balance between font size and aesthetics. You don’t want too much copy so as to require an illegibly small font. You also don’t want too little copy, leaving big empty spaces on the back cover.   There are three main components to the back cover copy: 1) the headline, 2) the synopsis or marketing copy, and 3) the author biography.  There may also be quotes, cover blurbs, or other testimonials about either the book or the author. In some cases, these cover blurbs may justify more exposure than the summary of the book. Ultimately, the entire back copy should be composed with the goal of getting a browser to become a buyer.  Bullet point and numbered lists are good, effective elements of back cover copy for non-fiction books.  Cover copy for fiction books should demonstrate highly effective prose.

Have fun and keep writing.

– Karl Schroeder

Self-publishing – know your market and have a plan.

The reason books sell has little to do with content quality. At least initially. Just like any other product on the retail market, books sell because readers know about them.

Some books have the advantage of author platform, or industry applicability, and can hit strong out of the gate. The more nebulous quality of fiction can result in a slower start, but a much longer shelf-life.

The point is this, know your market and leverage your resources to meet those potential readers. Outline a marketing plan with your self-publisher that takes advantage of internet marketing and retail resources like Amazon who has pre-qualified readers based on profiles and virtual book pairings.

Work smarter. Work harder. Become a successful self-published author.


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Self-publishing Driven Book Selling

Self-publishing has seen some solid press over the past couple of weeks.

Once predominately considered vanity publishing, self-publishing 1.0 generally meant books were, produced, printed, and then sold to authors to sit in their garages or basements.

But with new information technology, distribution methods, and integrated marketing support self-publishing is rapidly finding its place in the industry with even newly pressed self-publishing authors finding write-ups in the New York Times.

Readers and consumers, publishers, and retailers are adapting. Now even brick and mortar bookstores are changing the way the see self-published books as a value to their customers. From our friends at Self-publishing Review came this cool new program at the legendary Boulder Book Store:

At the 20,000-square-foot Boulder Bookstore in Boulder Colorado, Arsen Kashkashian said self-published books are “definitely a growth market for us.” After getting “inundated” with local authors looking to sell their self-published books, the bookstore instituted a policy and fee structure loosely modeled on publishers’ co-op policies. Self-published books are taken on consignment, and authors are charged a basic one-time stocking fee of $25. The fee goes up from there for a book’s newsletter placement, website promotion, etc. There is also a fee for participation at events, which usually feature several authors who divide the cost. As long as the book looks professionally bound, Boulder Bookstore will accept it on consignment. By the end of the year, Boulder will stock about 100 self-published titles on its shelves.

Regardless of where you may be in the writing and publishing process, self-publishing is barreling ahead full steam. Research, know your options, and become as successful published author as you can be.


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The Vook? Yes, Vook.

There will likely be a good deal of hype this week about a cool new multimedia option called the Vook.

What will this do to the self-publishing industry, and will yours be the first independently published piece available?


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Self-published Author Talks Haiti, Book, and Rebuilding

Where do you even start?” was the question posed to self-published author Craig Juntunen as he spoke with press about his book Both Ends Burning, his orphanage foundation, Chances for Children, and how you can help rebuild after last week’s devastating hurricane in Haiti.

Check out or more information on how you can get involved with Craig and Chances for Children.



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