Now that you have written your first book you can always try your hands on self-publishing. But, have you ever thought about how important is the 250 words you choose to write on your book’s back cover? It is one of the essential parts of your entire book.
The best amazing graphics give visual clues about the inside of the pages, create the tone, or give some plot hints. Some covers are enough to tell a narrative on their own.
Nobody recalls what’s on the back cover of their favorite novels. Despite this, for self-published writers, this is the most essential and most ignored part of self-publishing.
Do’s to Consider While Planning a Book’s Back Cover
Keep the amount of content to a minimum
On the back cover, you’ll have enough for 200-250 words, maybe less, unless it’s a large coffee table book. If you include too much information, your potential customer will become overwhelmed. You’ll need to make the font so tiny that folks need to read it with a magnifying lens. To avoid that keep the amount of content to a minimum number of words.
Look out for the back covers of books written by authors in your genre
Look at the back cover of other books in your genre for samples of what works for other writers before creating your back-cover content. Analyse the book covers of different authors before you write yours.
In self-publishing Make a concise summary of the content of your book
Write a paragraph or two to keep it brief and sweet. If it’s a novel, include the most interesting storyline points. For a nonfiction book, make a bullet-point summary of the book’s major characteristics and consider putting it on the back cover.
Only use three to five bullet points (odd numbers are preferable, according to marketing studies), and explain to the reader what the book will accomplish for them or what they will learn from it.
In self-publishing Don’ts to Consider While Planning for a Book Cover
Don’t Make Yourself the Centre of Attention on the Back Cover of Your Book
Your primary focus should be on your readers and why they care about and believe what you’re saying. It’s essential about identifying your readers’ desire to read your work. No matter how excellent your writing and substance are, those potential readers will go on to another book if you don’t create that connection.
Don’t Make Use of Clichés
Make use of clichés. Telling prospective readers that this book is “a must-read” that “will transform your life” is a bad idea. The back-cover material is not a review of the book. Make sure the tone isn’t overbearing.
Others know you created the book ad, and writing about it in superlatives makes you appear arrogant, desperate, or exaggerated, depending on how people perceive you.
Write boldly but modestly, providing facts about the book and praising its merits rather than a parade of self-congratulatory adverbs and adjectives.
Don’t forget to grammar-check and proofread your back-cover copy in self-publishing
In self-publishing these are the most excruciating blunders and mistakes! Unfortunately, it’s a dead giveaway to potential readers that the book’s pages are littered with the same type of thoughtless mistakes.
Bottom Line
While you may not recall the back cover material of the last book you read, it most likely influenced your purchase choice. The content you plan for your back cover is very much important to the success of your book. Give your back-cover content the time and care it needs to seal the deal!
