The cover has to hit like a stone
The world of ebook does not escape to the rules that spontaneously govern the websitesand an ebook is downloaded/purchased (less) based on number of times that is displayed or better, recommended. I would add: displayed in the right contexts; recommended by the right subjects. Buying a million views in Bangalore doesn't do much for selling, it's more for advertising. One could develop aequation to establish the relationship between views/recommendations e download/purchases (less).
An ebook shows itself immediately through its cover. The cover is there first thing to be view and to that is entrusted the task very important of iniziare la seduction and avoid going blank with the customer.
Cover art and the success of paperbacks
The importance of the cover isn't exactly a new concept. As publishers are well aware, the covers are the first tool di marketing. The unsurpassed success of the pocket-sized in the forties and fifties, especially in the United States, it must, in the first place, al price and then at covers, often strongly pulp, which went to turn on theimagination and also pruritus of potential readers when there isthey came across casually in newsagents of the stations or ai Department stores.
At the time a real genre was born, the cover art, of which James Avati, called "the Rembrandt of the pulp" and the prolific designer Rudolph Belarski became the major representatives. It is said that salinger went all the way fury when he saw the pulp cover of the Young Holden and shortly afterwards he changed publishers because of the piss he had gotten. For his part Rudolph Belarsky so went so far in trying to seduce the reader with covers from to invent un new style. The "nipple covers” depicted busty girls in rather risque poses with plunging necklines. A rather effective, albeit heavy, way that has had countless attempts to imitate.
It came to the absurd that the cover not had any more report content. Belarski recounts that the publishers responded to his request for information on the contents of the book with an eloquent: "Don't worry, we'll take care of the story, think about showing your boobs”. In 1948 the Popular Library reprinted a 1925 novel titled The private life of Helen of Troy: on the cover we could see the buxom heroine wrapped in a transparent tunic that showed the shapes of her body and breasts. The scene depicted on the cover did not exist within the book
Even today the publishers and the authors are looking of advice, assistance and ideas on how promote books on radio and television, newspapers and magazines, online shops and blogs, social media and applications. In order for the publication to have a positive feedback on medium, you have to keep in considerazione different factors, first of all theappearance and also the overall one.
La cover, Description, title, subtitle, author's photo and its Biography, should be prepared by professionals. In many cases, however, it is noted that these details are not sufficiently cared for or developed in an amateurish way. Here are some tips to avoid this impression
One. In ebooks, the cover is liquid like the content
Il design of the covers it is a true art form and therefore needs one knowledge of the figurative tendencies, chromatic and typographic, as well as a certain experience in the field of paper and electronic books.
For the cover, you need involve un professional that is capable of rephrase so creative and figurative the message intended to convey to the reader. For ebooks the first thing to check is that the final result of the work di figuration of the content either satisfactory and also expendable in format extremely reduced. On Amazon and other online shops, the cover is displayed in tiny format: 120 x 160 pixels, a postage stamp. The reader may never see it in full size, the design one to be clear. Never forget that the cover of a ebook it's like the ebook itself: it's liquid!
A book can also be well written, but if the cover isn't up to par, it's likely that the media and readers won't give the right prominence to the content.
Two. The title must inspire the reader
THEoriginality it's definitely an element fundamental, especially for wise men, who must make themselves immediately understandable by answering the question "What problem does this text solve?”. In the case of fiction, the choice is decidedly freer, but it must be done to define clearly the record and literary genre, trying to make it clear if the book in question is serious or funny, if it is a self-help manual or a novel for girls, if it is a children's book or a thriller.
To get an idea of market trends, it is necessary to compare with titles more competitive di Amazon. It's important to ask yourself: What makes this title special? Does the title answer this question? What are the keyword most used by users of Amazon? It's possible insert them in title or in subtitle? Is the book part of a series? In this case there must be continuity between the covers of the different volumes. THE titles too vague, too much long o misleading limit strongly the chances of success of the project.
Producers, publishers and bloggers have only seconds to judge the look and title of an ebook, so they need to get interested as quickly as possible.
Three. Your subtitle must speak to search engines
In nonfiction the subtitle can not absolutely mancare, because its purpose is to explain to the reader the content and the usefulness of the content. His purpose is also that of provide ai search engine of online bookstores a number of keyword to make it available the most times a reader wants to see what the market offers on a certain theme.
Finding the right subtitle is certainly not child's play. Let's take the case of a title like Calm. It could mean anything if it stayed that way. It could be about a marine essay or it could be a guide for stressed parenting or a meditation class. Only the subtitle fa to understand the true and gentle cosmetics of the title: “The power of introverts in a world overloaded with communication”. It makes the reader understand this and communicates four keywords to search engines.
Another case in point is that of a title like Start from scratch. It could be aimed at someone who has struggled with addictions or an ex-con or maybe someone who is trying to start a new life after a divorce. Luckily the subtitle dispels any doubts: "Recipes and tips to regain health, detoxify the body and get back in physical and mental shape". Amazon accepts a good number of words for the subtitle (precisely 123 words). If that makes sense use them all! Also don't forget that the search engine thinks like a 9-year-old child: it doesn't understand double meanings, euphemisms, metaphors and rhetorical figures and paraphrases in general. For him, water is water, and if you say “I'm throwing myself into the Tiber” he really thinks you are doing it.
Four. The description is copy stuff not from the author
In an ebook the Description is equivalent to back cover, to the strips and to the binding of the books. The description is a block of 200 words which weighs a ton in the marketing mix of an ebook. Sometimes you see ebooks without any information or with a very poor description. A very serious mistake because the media and readers would immediately receive the perception of lack of professionalism of the publication.
The purpose of Description and obviously, excite curiosity the potentials readers and get them to do something other than leave the page they're on. A good Description should consist of at least three parts to be exhausted in a space between 200 and 300 words: a attack effective and bubbly that stimulates the reader's imagination with parallels and references to situations that he already has and that are already stimulating in themselves, a short synopsis of the content that highlights theoriginality in itself and in relation to the author's production (if known) and finally a chiusura which must necessarily contain a "call to action”. It is a job that a copyist must do.
In non-fiction le credentials ofauthor are and the information relating to the author must be written, also in this case, by a professional. The bio must be accompanied by a recent large photo, possibly taken for this purpose. You can even dedicate an entire page to it. Sometimes it happens that you have to deal with blurry or badly cut photographs, images that are too old or in which there are other people or backgrounds that are not suitable.
Having a disposal of the reviews of some industry expert, a literary critic or an important personality, it is good to consider the possibility of creating a so-called "blurb” which can be inserted like a band on the cover or better at the opening of the description or even on a special page before or after the title page.
More these information are drafted professionally more i medium they succeed in short time to get ageneral idea of the content, its message and its genre, as well as the credentials of the author and the type of audience to which he intends to address.
Fifth. A copy and paste press release
Il time and the resource more important of our time. In the future it will be the only resource that we will feel scarce. Even the most well meaning, honest and prompt journalist not will never the time to examine the content ed process its own articulation opinion on your work, if only for the load of articles and proposals that submerges it every day. If it has a well written text, perhaps from a colleague, structured, balanced and even impartial can happen is wishes communicate it to their readers by relying almost entirely on that content.
The press office of the publisher or author has to do the work for the journalist putting yourself in his shoesand an communique too promotional è mistaken, as well as one that is too self-referential will arouse the skepticism of the one who will have to decide whether to disclose it or not. Better to refer strictly to the book content, to his original traits in relation to the cultural panorama where it fits, even better if they know it references to the present, to events spoken of oatemi to the attention of public opinion.
One last thing
To understand what a good cover should look like, it may be useful to go to Amazon and look at the ones that populate the section in which our ebook will appear. How would it look next to the competition? Do the lettering, text placement, images, background color, size and balance between the various elements work? Does this work together at reduced size?
Let's never forget that the outward appearance of an ebook inevitably determines its first impression. Appearance and impression is the e-mood of our time.
