The Basics of Book Selling: A Triple Threat
Sometimes it’s the basic things that make all the difference. The secret formula for selling books is one of these things. But never fear because it’s not actually a secret; it’s straightforward and doable, and it works.
As a matter of fact, the triple threat (I may be the only one calling it this, btw) is common knowledge for a lot of people, so you’ve probably heard the following advice before, but I’m repeating it here because it’s something writers don’t necessarily take seriously.
The triple threat is Cover, Page Design, and Sales Description.
Or, an impressive cover, clean page design, and enticing sales description.
If these three things sparkle, you will have a much easier time selling books. Because think about it: you go through a lot of trouble to get three seconds of attention on your book via discounts, promotions, book festivals, advertising, etc. When you finally have a reader’s attention, you want to impress them with your cover so that they will either pick up the book and turn it over to the back cover (your sales description in the digital version of this example) or flip through the actual pages. Either way, all three of these things must pull their weight in order to make a book sale.
COVER: Unless you’ll be giving your book away for free and you don’t care whether people read it or not, you need to work with a cover designer. When I see a homemade cover, it makes me think the author doesn’t feel that their work is worthy. This may not be the case, but that’s the kind of picture homemade covers paint.
On the other hand, when I see an intriguing, well-designed cover, I automatically think, This book looks good. I may be wrong about that, of course. The book may be horrible, but a great cover subliminally plants that “good book” seed. It draws the reader in with its beauty or its ability to create curiosity—or both of these things at the same time. It makes the potential reader want to learn more about the book. If you’re in a bookstore, a successful cover will entice you to pick it up and read the back cover. If you’re online, you’ll click straight to the sales description.
What if you don’t know any cover designers? Google them. There are many good ones out there. I use Damonza.com, which is a popular company, but don’t just take my advice. See what some research comes up with. Prices run the gamut from hundreds to thousands. Find the right designer for you.
How much should you pay? The basic rule is to spend as much as your budget can afford.
A good designer will read a summary of your book, listen to your ideas, ask for examples of covers you think capture the right vibe for your book, and take into consideration any of your concerns. When I work with Damonza, they come back with two to three drafts. I usually like all of them but feel that one stands out. Be sure to ask your designer how many rounds of revision they allow in case there are elements that you want to tweak. They’ll want to make sure you’re happy with the end result, but the opportunity to make changes will not be unlimited.
For more about book covers, click here.
PAGE DESIGN: First, study some traditionally published books to see what professional page design looks like. The design is more important for paperback books than it is for e-books—not to say it isn’t at all important for digital books. One difference between paper and digital is that you may select a specific font for your e-book, but on Kindle, for instance, the reader can choose to read the book in whatever font is available on their machine.
You can do your own page design using Vellum, and it will look professional. (In order to use Vellum, you need either an Apple laptop or desktop computer. There’s also a way to go online and use it, so if you don’t have an Apple computer, check that out.)
Why is it advisable to create your own page design but not to create your own cover? Cover design is much harder to master than page design. With Vellum, you have many design and font choices, and all of them look professional. There’s very little you can do to mess it up. With covers, it’s the opposite. It’s easy to mess up and very hard to get right. Therein lies the difference.
I learned how to use Vellum by watching Joanna Penn’s video tutorial along with Vellum’s Help tool. But if you don’t like learning how to use software, you can also hire someone to do the page design for you. Damonza, for instance, can handle this task, or you can search for a page designer online. Page design costs a lot less than cover design.
One con to hiring it out is that you will have to work with your page designer to make changes in the future. For instance, if you discover typos or other errors, you will not be able to make those improvements yourself. And later, when you have a sequel of the book and want to update your "Also by" page or add an excerpt, you'll have to hire it out.
SALES DESCRIPTION (BACK COVER COPY): No one I know likes writing book summaries, but they have to be done, and they have to be done well. So spend some time here. Take a bunch of books down from your shelves and read their blurbs. Get ideas from the ones you like best. This type of writing definitely requires a learning curve, so do a few drafts and see what you come up with.
If you feel you still need help, you can hire it out. Reedsy might be a good source, or ask your editor if they can recommend someone.
Some writers have been turning to AI for help with these blurbs. I have yet to use AI for anything that involves my books, but plenty of people are making use of these cutting-edge writing tools and seem to really like them.
Whatever route you take, make sure the description is intriguing. Present the main characters, the conflict, and the stakes. If you do that, and you have an eye-catching cover and attractive page design, you’ll be that much closer to clinching the sale.
Kim Catanzarite is the author of the award-winning Jovian Universe sci-fi series, and her new Angel of Death series begins with Staked: A Vampire’s Tale, publishing in Oct. 2023. She is a freelance writer and editor for publishers and independent authors, and she teaches copyediting for Writer’s Digest University. Her Self-Publishing 101 blog discusses the ins and outs of indie life as well as all things writing craft. Kim lives on the east coast USA with her husband and daughter.
