How to avoid the self-published look
You might already be aware that there is an easy way to spot home-made, amateur self-published books, or you might not have the experience to tell. Basically, your book cover needs to look at home among other best sellers in your genre and your free samples need to entice the reader to buy the book.
Here is our idea of a poorly designed amateur book:
It is clear that the author has set-up this cover using Microsoft Word and did not consider it to be worth his while engaging a graphic designer to design it. It does not even look like a book.
This will limit the sales of the book because most people will take it as a sign that the interior is not written well, and it is a self-published memoir that may not hold their interest.
The insensitive wording of the title and the erroneous use of ellipsis in the sub-title will also be a big hurdle for most readers. The accuracy and copyright of images may also be in question as there is an image is of an alligator, not a crocodile.
The way the image and text is positioned is not inviting and most of the text will barely be readable when viewed as a thumbnail in online bookstores.
There’s really no excuse for releasing something to the world that is half-done, home-made or poor quality. It shows a lack of awareness on the part of the author and a lack of respect for readers and the entire book trade.
With services like PMBO around, you will never need to publish a substandard book or ebook.
Here is our idea of a well-designed professional book:
This book is self-published and it is an animal memoir. The images available for self-published titles are often the only limiting factor on the designer, and there is usually a way to work with what they are supplied to create a professional book cover.
Some new indie authors think that if you’re only selling online then it is only the front cover that will impact on sales. That’s like saying you only need a good product photo on eBay and then you’ll make mountains of cash. It simply is not true. The experience of readers after sales is just as important as their interaction with your book prior to making the sale.
If they have a rubbish experience with your book because there are widows and orphans throughout, the spine or back are poorly done or the content (writing and images) are substandard, do you think this will help you make other sales? Will a dissatisfied reader make recommendations to other people, mention you on social media or review your book in a positive light? Like any business, part of the marketing strategy of a book needs to be focused on the experience of the consumer after sales.
Of course, if you’re selling your book in person or hoping stores will stock it, then it’s important to get the back, the spine and the interior as professional as possible.PublishMyBook.Online recommends striving for the best quality you can afford by utilising the talents of professional editors and book designers.
In all cases, you will need to manage your selling information (meta-data) carefully, because people will judge a book firstly by its cover, but secondly by the selling information:
- Title
- Author name
- Price
- Short description (blurb)
- Categories
- Reviews
- Samples
For more on how to optimise your book’s meta-data to increase your sales, please consider our book marketing services.
Why is quality control important in self-publishing
By using PublishMyBook.Online your book will benefit from our professional publishing workflows, which include checking and proofing procedures. For example, our book designers must have their work approved by a layout-proofer before they can send a sample of the first few chapters to the customer. Before cover designs are allowed to be sent to customers, they are commented upon by at least one other designer.
We have tested and published hundreds of ebooks over the years, and our ebook quality assurance is so thorough that some big-name publishers are coming to us for our services and advice.
Our checklists ensure that our ebooks will work on the majority of devices and reading apps, and are at the cutting edge of coding and development criteria.
If you are managing your own self-publishing project, make sure you test your book on the same platform it will be viewed on by your readers. Print for print. Ebook devices for ebooks. When you are new at publishing books, you really must check everything, and cannot assume it will all work out. You do not know what you do not know.
If in doubt, always engage a professional book publishing project management company, like PublishMyBook.Online.
You may also be interested in
- Why use a self-publishing service instead of going it alone?
- What is an ISBN and how many do I need?
- What companies should I register my new book with?
- What publishing brand should I use when I self-publish my book?
- What should go on the publishing details page of my book?
- What is front matter and back matter?
- How do I maintain creative control over my book?
- How to avoid the self-published look
- How long will it take?
- How do I get my book published?