Ink Tree Ltd.
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inktreemarketing.com
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Some Words of Advice On Book Design
for Self Publishers
Reprinting this article:
You may only reprint this article with permission from Ink Tree Ltd. Please contact us at info@inktreemarketing.com before reprinting.
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Every day books are submitted to us at Ink Tree Ltd. for assessment.
We hear from so many authors and/or self publishers who are hopeful
that their books will be attractive to volume buyers. Every day we
must disappoint most of those hopeful people. Declining books is a
very difficult task because we know that books are like babies to
their authors. The writers have spent many hours creating and
nurturing their ideas, putting their words on paper for the entire
world to see. It is so hard to be the guys who have to say, “Sorry”.
By far the most common reason for rejection is that the books have
been designed by “publishing services”, which may or may not be part
of print-on-demand companies. Now, there is nothing wrong with
print-on-demand companies as such. Their mandate is to accept the
files that you present to them and to output a printed volume. That
is what you pay them to do. The danger to the self publisher is that
the quality of design will most likely not have a professional, book
store-quality appearance. Print-on-demand companies produce a
standard book format which is evident in the books cookie-cutter
appearances, and that look is recognizable by book buyers and media
persons at a glance. If you plan to sell your book during personal
speaking engagements, or perhaps on your website, the book’s
appearance may not be an issue. But, if you plan to sell thousands
of copies, the book’s first impression is crucial to media persons
and to book buyers.
First impressions count. Do people judge a book by its cover?
Absolutely. A book must draw the reader in: first by the unique,
relevant title and the front cover design, then by the sales pitch
on the back cover, and lastly by the quality of the contents. These
criteria instantly attract or repel professionals in the book trade,
so your book has only seconds in which to succeed or to fail.
Because you are not there to explain or to sell your book, it must
stand alone. It must say, “Buy me. Your life will be better if you
read what I have to say”. If it doesn’t – it’s done. It’s just that
simple.
Our goal is to help you to sell thousands of copies of your book but
if you want large numbers of people to buy your book, our advice is
this: design and edit your book yourself. We don’t mean that
literally. We mean that you must hire a professional book designer
who understands what a great cover looks like, who can help you
choose a great title, and who has the talent for setting up the
book’s pages so that a booklover actually enjoys the experience of
reading your book. You also need a professional editor who is
experienced at improving your writing without changing your voice or
the meaning of your words. This is a great talent, indeed. It is a
task that you absolutely cannot do yourself. What you mean to say
and what the reader “hears” may not be the same thing because your
brain will fill in or gloss over mistakes since you know what you
mean to say.
To conclude these few words of advice, please take charge of your
own book. It may be tempting to accept what appears to be the easy
way of self publishing a book, but the success of your book depends
on its appearance. Try this exercise: go to a large bookstore and
look closely at books. Take note of what the large publishing houses
are producing. These are your competitors. Make yours different --
and better.
©Ink Tree Ltd. 2008
Ink Tree Ltd. helps authors publish, market and sell books.
We have all the tools you need to succeed in book publishing. Let us help you make your book a success. http://www.inktreemarketing.com
**For more information on
successfully self publishing your book.
Click Here **
**See our
Book Marketing Secrets page for more information on non-traditional book sales.
Click Here**
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