Once Upon a Cover: The Power of Eye-Catching Copy

There once was a time when you might venture forth to browse the shelves at your local bookstore or library, run your fingers along a hundred or so spines, and snatch up the book that most grabbed your attention. These days, the process has a digital equivalent, and many of us readers lose hours upon hours of our lives scrolling through listings on Amazon and Barnes & Noble’s online stores before settling on the books which pull us in. But in one thing, we haven’t evolved. Despite mostly eschewing cliches, one continues to haunt us: “don’t judge a book by its cover!”

These words haunt us because of their impossibility. We do judge books by their covers, and in an era of rapid digital evolution, we’re still drawn to books with interesting cover art over those with basic or template designs. And while e-book formats sometimes require less emphasis on physical appearance (interior formatting is simpler and a full cover design is not always necessary), they still need distinctive, eye-popping cover artwork. And since the reader will be viewing the cover on a screen–often the size of a business card–it is very important that the design is appealing and captures the essence of the book.

If your front cover is your book’s first impression, your back cover synopsis is a very valuable second; you’re targeting your reader, pulling them in, and convincing them that this is a book worth investing in. One typo or missing element could make the difference between your sales being “okay” and “wow!”

And, it’s important to realize that this back cover content isn’t solely for the actual back cover — it is also the sales copy (otherwise called “the annotation”) for the detailed sales page on sites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble! Most book buyers thoroughly read the sales copy of the books they are considering, so this is not a detail you can ignore.

But should you write your own sales copy? Writing something that educates or entertains is different from writing something that sells. As a professional author, it’s important to know when to ask for help.

The skilled team behind our “Cover Text Refinement Option” knows what it takes to transform a browser into a buyer! With this optional production option, you’re telling your readers that your book is worth their time and money because you’ve made it the best it can possibly be–both inside and out. Meanwhile, the Outskirts Press copywriters will do what it takes to hook your readers by professionally summarizing your manuscript, creating eye-catching headlines, and writing a compelling author biography.

You’ve spent so much time and energy creating your masterpiece–don’t let your hard work go unnoticed! An amazing back cover and sales annotation can make the difference between someone scrolling past your book…and someone buying it.

Have questions? For more information about self-publishing with Outskirts Press, get in touch with a Publishing Consultant. There are three convenient ways to connect:

1. Call us at 1-888-672-6657 (OP-BOOKS)
2. Live-chat with us via our website
3. Go online to schedule an appointment