Yesterday, we discussed your author bio and the various ways you can use one. I mentioned publishing your author bio either on the back cover of your book or in the back matter (pages toward the back of the book).
Question: What else goes on the back cover?
Answer: Whatever it takes to attract, intrigue and/or entice readers.
I tell authors, when they are working on their book proposal, to think like a publisher—get into his head. Give him the information he needs that will convince him to invest in your project.
And when your book is completed and you design your back cover, your primary consideration is now your target audience—your customer. Marketing experts say that a potential customer will pick up a book and spend something like 5 seconds looking at the front cover. Most will then turn it over. How much time they spend looking at the back cover depends on what you’ve presented there.
Generally, you’ll build the following into your back cover copy:
1: Brief description of the book. (“Ten true stories of women military pilots.” Or “Tips and techniques for photographing your pets. Or “A story of love and intrigue within a high profile government agency.”)
2: For nonfiction, a bulleted list reflecting some of the most important aspects of the book: (How to choose the background for your photo shoot; Tips for getting your pet’s cooperation; How to stage more creative photos; Make your dog more photogenic…)
3: Your photo. For the pet photography theme, you may want to use a photo of you photographing a dog or cat—or a picture of you posing with a pet. For a novel, use your most attractive or most “writerly” publicity photo.
4: Your bio—especially important for a nonfiction book. Again, following the pet photographer them, you’ll want to provide the information that a potential customer requires: Who are you? What is your expertise/background in photographing animals? Have you published anything else? This author might write, “Ben Hansen specializes in pet photography. He was the photographer for three White House dogs and he’s the author of “How to Capture Your Dog’s Personality in Pictures” and “Photographing the First Dog.” He has had articles published in numerous magazines, including Photography Today, Parent and Child and The Dog’s Day. He currently lives with his wife and two very photogenic dogs in New Hampshire.
5: Testimonials/endorsements. If you have collected favorable comments for your book, particularly from high profile people, use one or two on the back cover.
6: Your website address. I like to place contact information on the back cover
Don’t forget to save room for the barcode.
If you need additional information about what goes on the back cover, how to prepare the back matter and front matter of your book or you have questions about other aspects of writing, publishing and/or book promotion and distribution, order my book today—The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html
NEWS FLASH
The shipment of our brand new book, Catscapades, True Cat Tales is scheduled to arrive on our doorstep tomorrow, Thursday March 18, 2010. I’ll spend my day Friday preparing shipments to customers and delivering them to the post office. In order to receive your copy (and gift copies) by the 22nd – 25th of March (depending on where you live), place your order today. This 130-page book has over 40 color photos of cats and kittens and includes around 40 stories and vignettes about cats and kittens. The stories are humorous, harrowing and heartwarming. And the book is only $12.95.
http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html
Most of you know Patricia Fry as a strict, nonfiction writer. Catscapades, while still nonfiction, is quite a departure from what she usually writes, in that she has attempted to capture the essence of cats and their cat-like antics in storytelling fashion.