Crisp Cover Copy That Crackles & Pops

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 of book browsing has become primarily a digital affair, and many of us now spend our time scrolling through book listings online with Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 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, professional cover design and sparkling cover content that convinces a book browser to become a book buyer.  While e-book formats sometimes require less emphasis on physical appearance they still need distinctive, eye-popping covers just like their hard copy counterparts because a viewer’s first look at a new book is often in online search results, where the cover thumbnail image is literally the size of a thumb.  The cover needs to bounce off the screen!

If your front cover is your book’s first impression, your back cover content (typically a synopsis, sales copy, and/or author biography) needs to make a lasting one. In a digital, print-on-demand, self-publishing world, it’s important to realize that this back cover content isn’t just for the physical book cover — it is also commonly used as 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. Your cover copy needs to be pristine, persuasive, and perfect (not to punctuate a point).

And that leads many self-publishing authors to an inevitable question? Should you write your own sales copy?  Certainly you’re capable of it, right? After all, you wrote the book it’s for! But, writing something that educates or entertains is different from writing something that sells.  Different skill sets sometimes require different experts, and it’s okay to ask for help.

The skilled writing and editorial team involved in the Outskirts Press  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 craft compelling content (typically with fewer alliterative phrases than this blog positing) that hooks your readers and makes them want to know more about you and your book.

You’ve spent so much time and energy creating your masterpiece–don’t let your hard work go unnoticed! Amazing back cover copy can make the difference between someone viewing your book…and someone buying it.

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

Learn More

#1 Rated Self-Publishing Company — 4 Years Running!

With so many options out there, it can be hard to decide where to publish your manuscript. But Top Consumer Reviews just made it easier to identify who you can trust. For the fourth consecutive year (2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020), the consumer product and services review site has named Outskirts Press #1 in the self-publishing industry!

There are many reasons Outskirts Press has garnered this honor multiple years in a row, according to TCR, citing a wide range of affordable products, a high level of customer service and our 100% royalties structure. To quote TopConsumerReviews.com, “Everything you could need from a self-publishing provider can be found at Outskirts Press. This company’s strong reputation, excellent range of packages and a la carte services are just a few of the reasons why they remain at the top of our rankings. Outskirts Press continues to be our top pick among self-publishing services.”

Now it’s time for you to experience for yourself the service that is #1 in the industry. Our Publishing Consultants are waiting to help you get what you need to achieve your goals for your project. Your dreams of becoming a published author are just a click away!

So, are you ready to publish your masterpiece with the A+ rated and #1-rated self-publishing company according to the Better Business Bureau and Top Consumer Reviews, respectively? If so, connect with Outskirts Press right now in whatever manner is easiest for you:

 

FREE Package Upgrade AND a free Kindle edition!

Make a good buy—get a great upgrade! For a limited time, Outskirts Press will upgrade you to a better self-publishing bundle when you publish today.

Interested in Full-Color Publishing? Pay for the less expensive Ultimate Black & White package and you’ll get everything that comes with the Full-Color package at no extra cost. Did you only budget for Basic Black & White? Buy it today and you can claim all the extras that come with the more inclusive Ultimate Black & White publishing package! Just enter upgradepkg at check-out before this limited time offer comes to an end!

In short, you’ll receive hundreds of dollars’ worth of extras that aren’t normally included in the package you purchased. When you start today, we will also publish and distribute an Amazon Kindle eBook Edition of your book for free.

So, are you ready to publish your masterpiece with the A+ rated and #1-rated self-publishing company according to the Better Business Bureau and Top Consumer Reviews, respectively? If so, connect with Outskirts Press right now in whatever manner is easiest for you:

“I am pleased with my experience with Outskirts Press and I look forward to publishing my next book with the company.” – Robert McNally, author of Life is a Dream: A Journey of Wonderment

 

5 Ways Social Media Can Help Self-Publishing Authors With Book Marketing

With the exploding popularity of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest, it’s easier than ever to connect with people all around the world. But, if you’re not sure how to get started or are unsure about how to make connections with your target audience, don’t worry! Here are 5 easy tips to help you!

1. Determine what your goals are.

  • Increase awareness? The average person spends nearly two hours on social media every day, and therefore social media is one of the best places to grab a reader’s attention.
  • Drive traffic to your book? Drive visitors to your author webpage or to your listing on Amazon.
  • Generate new leads? These are people who have indicated interest in your book in some way, shape, or form, but haven’t yet purchased it.
  • Build your royalties? You can use social media to turn your audience into paying customers.

2. How often should you post?

  • Facebook – Two or three times per day
  • Instagram – Once or twice per day
  • Instagram Stories – Eight to 16 Stories, twice per week
  • Twitter – Three to ten times per day
  • LinkedIn – Once or twice per day
  • Pinterest – Five to ten times per day

3. When should you post?

  • Twitter – 1-3pm weekdays
  • Facebook – 1-4pm weekdays
  • LinkedIn – 7-8:30am and 5-6pm Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
  • Instagram – 5-6pm weekdays and 8pm on Mondays
  • Pinterest – 2-4pm and 8-11pm weekdays with weekends being the best
  • Google+ – 9-11am weekdays

4. What should you post?

  • Facebook – Post videos about your book, live videos of you talking about your book or at book events, photos of you and your book, blog posts and curated content.
  • No matter what type of post you’re sharing on Facebook, the copy you add alongside your content can be key in how it performs.
  • Instagram – Post hi-res photos (your cover, your author photo, any images or illustrations within your book), behind-the-scenes photos of your book events, quotes, user-generated content (sharing other photos, such as attendees at a book signing) but give credit to the original creator (known as a re-post), and Instagram stories. Captions are limited to 2,200 characters, and after three lines of text, they become shortened with an ellipsis (those 3 dots you see on posts). You want to grab the readers’ attention with your opening line or two.
  • Twitter – Post news about your book, blog posts, photos of you and your book at events, curated content and images. The type of copy in your tweets can drive huge improvements in your results.
  • Pinterest – Images are the best thing to post on Pinterest. Post hi-res photos of your book, the cover, book events, step-by-step photo guides and infographics.
  • LinkedIn – Post professional information about your career as a writer. Since LinkedIn is a professional networking platform, the most suitable content will revolve around you as an author. Share news about your book and milestones on your LinkedIn page, particularly if the book involves career advice.

5. Automate, engage, and listen

  • Automate posting of your social media content. A tool like Buffer is great for automation. It allows you to create all the content that you want to, all at once, and then place everything into a queue to be sent out according to whatever schedule you choose.
  • Social media requires engagement. When people talk to you, talk back. Set aside time during your day to follow up with conversations that are happening on social media. These are conversations with potential customers, references, friends, and colleagues.
  • Don’t forget, the ultimate purpose is to sell copies of your book. So always be polite, helpful, and generous. Book sales will follow.

For more information on marketing your book, log into your Publishing Center for a complete list of marketing options and to access the free Book Marketing Resource Center.

 

Crisp Cover Copy That Crackles & Pops

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 of book browsing has become primarily a digital affair, and many of us now spend our time scrolling through book listings online with Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 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, professional cover design and sparkling cover content that convinces a book browser to become a book buyer.  While e-book formats sometimes require less emphasis on physical appearance they still need distinctive, eye-popping covers just like their hard copy counterparts because a viewer’s first look at a new book is often in online search results, where the cover thumbnail image is literally the size of a thumb.  The cover needs to bounce off the screen!

If your front cover is your book’s first impression, your back cover content (typically a synopsis, sales copy, and/or author biography) needs to make a lasting one. In a digital, print-on-demand, self-publishing world, it’s important to realize that this back cover content isn’t just for the physical book cover — it is also commonly used as 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. Your cover copy needs to be pristine, persuasive, and perfect (not to punctuate a point).

And that leads many self-publishing authors to an inevitable question? Should you write your own sales copy?  Certainly you’re capable of it, right? After all, you wrote the book it’s for! But, writing something that educates or entertains is different from writing something that sells.  Different skill sets sometimes require different experts, and it’s okay to ask for help.

The skilled writing and editorial team involved in the Outskirts Press  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 craft compelling content (typically with fewer alliterative phrases than this blog positing) that hooks your readers and makes them want to know more about you and your book.

You’ve spent so much time and energy creating your masterpiece–don’t let your hard work go unnoticed! Amazing back cover copy can make the difference between someone viewing your book…and someone buying it.

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
Learn More

FREE! Custom Cover, Cover Text Refinement and Kindle eBook Edition when you publish today!

Human beings are visual creatures — so make sure your book has all the ingredients to turn casual shoppers into buyers. Purchase the Ultimate Black & White or Full-Color publishing package and we’ll give you a Professionally Designed Custom Cover (a $499 value) AND Cover Text Refinement (a $199 value) absolutely FREE!

The best covers instantly pique interest with captivating images and riveting copy that communicate the character of your book. No matter who your audience is, readers should get excited the moment they see it on a shelf or online.

To get Free Custom Cover Design PLUS Cover Text Refinement that will help you sell, purchas ther Ultimate Black & White or Full-Color publishing package today and enter promo code CustomRefinement at checkout. Your free custom cover and cover text refinement services will be added to your account in 48 hours.

When you start today, we will also publish and distribute an Amazon Kindle eBook Edition (a $299 value) of your book for free.

So, are you ready to publish your masterpiece with the Better Business Bureau A+ rated and Top Consumer Reviews #1-rated self-publishing company? Connect with Outskirts Press now in whatever manner is easiest for you:

 

Publish today and get nearly $1000 of extra editions for FREE

Outskirts Press wants to help you reach your reading audiences — all of them. When you purchase the Ultimate Black and White or Full-Color publishing package now, we’ll give you a free:

  • Amazon Kindle eBook edition
  • Barnes & Noble NOOK eBook edition
  • Apple iBooks eBook edition
  • Google Book Preview edition

That’s nearly $1,000 in free publishing options to make your book instantly available to millions of readers worldwide!

To claim your 3 FREE eBook editions plus Google Books Preview, purchase the Ultimate Black and White or Full-Color publishing package while this limited-time offer lasts and enter promo code ReceiveMore at checkout. The free eBook editions will be added to your account within 48 hours.

Would you like help choosing your best self-publishing option? Connect with Outskirts Press now in whatever manner is easiest for you:

“With all the butterflies that came with my first publishing, Outskirts Press provided a great environment and helpful services. Their services were first class. Overall grade of A+” – Sean Senovich, author of The Slayer Chronicles: Community: Book 1 of the Homeland Trilogy.

 

It’s baaaaaack! Huge savings on publishing AND a free Kindle edition!

In case you missed it earlier this month, we brought back one of our most lucrative promotions: 20% Off Ultimate Black & White or Full-Color publishing from Outskirts Press! That’s up to $360 in savings, just for publishing during this limited-time offer.

Plus, now our Ultimate Black & White and Full-Color publishing packages include a FREE Kindle eBook Edition (a $250 value), so you’ll receive even more value if you get started today!

Simply order your Ultimate Black & White or Full-Color publishing package and enter promotion code 20pct-Off and you’ll save 20% instantly.

Would you like help choosing your best self-publishing option? Connect with Outskirts Press now in whatever manner is easiest for you:

“From the day I submitted my manuscript, to the day I received the email that my manuscript was accepted, and most important, the day I received the email notification that my book is published, has been an excellent journey with great support. This is a day that was long in coming. Thanks to the team at Outskirts Press, that help made my book and official day of publication possible. Today, I add Author to my Vitae and professional credentials. WE MADE IT!” –Kenneth J. Kogut, Ph.D., P.E., author of Words to Live By

 

Receive over $850 of valuable publishing add-ons when you start today

One reason Outskirts Press is the #1-rated self-publishing company is because we work tirelessly after your book is published to provide you with the best marketing tools, resources, and services in the industry. And right now, you can receive one of our most popular services for free.

Start publishing today with the Ultimate Black & White or Full-Color package and receive 5 free hours with your very own Personal Marketing Assistant. This invaluable 1-on-1 time with a professional book marketing expert is instrumental to helping your book find all the success it deserves. We will also include Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble NOOK eBook publication and distribution for free, too!

Enter promo code Market-eBooks at checkout to take advantage of this exciting promotion today.

Would you like help choosing your best self-publishing option? Connect with Outskirts Press now in whatever manner is easiest for you:

“I highly recommend Outskirts Press to anyone who wishes to be published. This is my first book and I will use OP for my next book. My Author Representative was a great person to work with. She encouraged me to keep moving forward when I was dragging my feet on getting my book published. She was always helpful and returned my emails promptly. The staff in other departments were just as helpful and professional in their service.” –Robert H. Dunkle, author of Ninety and Nine Plus One: Messages from God’s Word – Plain and Simple

 

Experience our *NEW* Double Publishing Promotion today

What are you going to spend your $150 of free publishing upgrades on? Whoops! Make that $300! Our new Double Promotion bonus doubles your money for twice as much add-on value. Got your eye on a professionally designed custom cover? How about an Amazon Kindle eBook edition? A high-production book video? The choice is yours!

Simply publish today with the Ultimate Black & White or Full-Color package and receive twice as many free author’s copies PLUS $300 in spending money toward any production option you want.

Enter promo code 2x-300 in your shopping cart to take advantage of this exciting promotion today.

Would you like help choosing your best self-publishing option? Connect with Outskirts Press now in whatever manner is easiest for you:

“Self-publishing through Outskirts Press! The only way to publish your book for ‘experienced’ and ‘first time’ authors. As a ‘first time’ author, I had both control and guidance while self-publishing through Outskirts Press. Allowing the writer control and providing guidance as needed is a catalyst for a win-win situation between a writer and publishing company. Don’t just take the word of a Principal Engineer-turned-Poet. See the results by reading my book, Legacy of Wisdom through Poetry!” — Calvin Doucet, author of Legacy of Wisdom through Poetry