PUTTING TOGETHER AN ATTRACTIVE EBOOK

PUTTING TOGETHER

When a person looks for a new book to read, they usually spend only a few seconds (either on-line or at the book store) glancing at it. Your job is to catch that person’s attention and make them want to purchase it. This session will review how to make your book stand out from the crowd.

AN ATTRACTIVE EBOOK

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Book Covers Must Catch Your Eye. Like these three examples:

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Part 1 - Picking A Title

• Should be short – 5-6 words (add a subtitle if necessary)
• Easy to pronounce
• Easy to remember
• Descriptive – include keywords that describe, hint of your story
• Complimentary with Cover – Should work with each other
• Should reflect the essence of your book.
• Write down all of your ideas.
• If the book is part of a series, mention that in title.

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Example:
My first book was about a young man’s life story in N.Y. with all of it’s twists and temptations, which take the form of the seven deadly sins. 
The title chosen was:

REFLECTIONS OF EL: In Search of Self

(We will come back to this title soon).
​
​For more details, refer to:

https://www.iuniverse.com/Resources/Writing-Editing/HowToChooseABookTitle.aspx

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Part 2 - Choosing Cover Art

• Think of elements of your story that fit well as background image.
• When using Google Image search be aware of legal issues.
• Browse Stock photo sites (Depositphotos.com, iStock.com)
• Take your own photos (high resolution)
• Work with professional designer (fiverr.com)

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Purchased Stock Photo

Old Book Cover Taken From a Photo

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New Finished Book Cover 

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For more details, refer to:
https://damonza.com/5-tips-to-choosing-images-for-your-book-cover/

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Part 3 - Back Cover (Blurb)

• Situation - Briefly, describe the circumstances of the story
• Problem - Next write about the situation or hitch that makes change inevitable.
• Hopeful Possibility-  Here you provide the hope of overcoming the crisis. This is the cool character or long shot possibility that gives hope that the difficult problem can be overcome.
• Mood -  This part describes the emotional state that readers will have from reading your story.  Example phrases include: “dark, dystopian tragedy”, “humorous chick lit cotton candy”, or “suspenseful, romantic and awash in…magic”.

Here’s a back book blurb example for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone:

​“Till now there’s been no magic for Harry Potter. He lives with the miserable Dursleys and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry’s room is a tiny closet beneath the stairs, and he hasn’t had a birthday party in eleven years.
But then a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And there he finds not only friends, flying sports on broomsticks, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that’s been waiting for him … if Harry can survive the encounter.”

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Finished Front and Back Book Covers for REFLECTIONS of EL

For more details, refer to:
https://kindlepreneur.com/back-book-cover-blurb/

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Part 4 - Author Information

Distance yourself – write from third person, never “I” (don’t be self-indulgent)
Be your genre – bio must reflect mood of book.
Always branding -  (within the book give an business email address).
Keep it brief (about 75 words)
Personal information – it achievements are lacking, personal info can make up for it.
Fiction vs. Nonfiction – Nonfiction relies on author’s credentials (Authority on matter). But Fiction should focus on personal ideas above.

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With Personal Photo

With Reference To Series

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For more details, refer to:
https://forums.createspace.com/en/community/docs/DOC-1871

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A Look Inside The Book

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Part 5 - Writing a Foreword, Preface and/or Introduction

Foreword – written by someone other than the author, perhaps an expert in the field.
Preface – author writes why they wrote the book, establish their experience.
Introduction – about the content of the book.

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For more details, refer to:
http://www.bpsbooks.com/BPS-Books-blog/bid/21727/What-s-the-Difference-Between-a-Foreword-Preface-and-Introduction

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Part 6 - Bibliography

You don’t want to be accused of plagiarism
Collect information for each reference:

• author name.

• title of the publication (and the title of the article if it's a magazine or encyclopedia)
• date of publication.
• the place of publication of a book.
• the publishing company of a book.
• the volume number of a magazine or printed encyclopedia.
• the page number(s)

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For more detailed information, refer to:
https://www.createmybooks.com/US/en/write-a-book/sources-used-in-writing-your-book

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Part 7 - Copyright Necessity

Your unpublished work is already protected by U.S. copyright, which “…protects an author’s expression in literary, artistic, or musical form.”
According to the U.S. Copyright office, you may wish to place a copyright notice on any unpublished copies of your manuscript that leave your control.

Protect your intellectual properties (literary works)
Utilize Copyright.com (free) or $35.00 - $500.00

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For more detailed information, refer to:
https://www.copyrighted.com/
https://www.wellsiplaw.com/how-much-does-a-u-s-copyright-registration-cost/

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If you have any questions, please contact me at:
[email protected]

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