Ebooks are a popular commodity
What Have You Got To say?
Why cover designs? It’s no secret that ebooks are becoming a definitive answer to this society’s voracious appetite for information. All sorts of people are downloading more and more books to read every day. It’s the perfect answer for people demanding instant gratification. When you want the information, or the entertainment now, who can wait for the library to open? Besides, it’s so convenient.
So there is a huge demand for ebooks and people are cashing in on the ebook “read-volution” in all sorts of ways. Maybe you are hoping to do the same, in one way or another.
Maybe you wish to self-publish your newly completed manuscript and sell it as an electronic original. If so, congratulations on that completion. It takes a lot of work and focus to get as far as you have already. The next part of your publishing journey requires a whole different skill set. I advise you take a moment right now to breathe at this point. Take the time to consider where you wish to go and how you intend to get there.
Maybe you have some information you wish to share with potential clients. You might wish to use an ebook as a vehicle to attract people to your website so they will buy products or engage your services. Of course, it is also possible that you simply wish to share your wisdom with the world.
Whatever your aspirations, there are some basic things to do before you can publish online. You need to properly format your manuscript so that it appears and reads like a book. Books can be formatted in a number of ways including: pdf, Microsoft Reader and several others. There are self-publishing websites that provide on-demand publishing for no initial fee, and others that will help you format your manuscript for electronic publication. Before that, however, you need to consider your cover.
Even Ebooks Need a Compelling cover…
Do you have it covered?
Let’s say you’ve written your first book. Do you have it covered or have you left your potential readers searching in the dark? Inadequate or poor quality graphics could knell insufficient sales.
Let’s face it, the internet is the information highway. People are looking for information. Your people are looking for the information or the story you have to offer. They are also looking for the quality and value you intend to provide. Wake up their interest and stimulate their readiness to spend with graphics that communicate and a cover that pulls them in.
Most people will judge a book by it’s cover…
What WILL your cover designs say?
I’ve been creating cover designs for a variety of products since 1996. For example, I designed and/or illustrated over 200 covers for The Audio Partners Publishing, Inc. You can go into most any Borders bookstore and still find covers or illustrations I created for Audio Partners, even though they are no longer in business, due to a merger.
What I learned about designing and illustrating for book covers, whether ebooks, cds, or audiobooks is that the cover has to be compelling. It has to pull the customer in. If it doesn’t have enough visual grab, they are not going to take a second look and your book will get passed over. People will choose to purchase the book with the cover that attracts their eye the most.
Another factor is the perceived quality of your written material. The perception is that if it has a professionally designed cover, then it must be a quality ebook, CD or product. Humans are naturally drawn by visuals first. You can literally make the sale just by having dynamic graphics.
That’s not the only job of your cover, though. Let’s say your book is all about oranges: how they smell, how they taste, how to grow them, and where to find the best orange deals. Can you imagine how disappointed your customer would be expecting apples and finding only oranges?
If you want people to trust you and you seek return customers, then it is important that your cover design is honest and conveys the true nature of your subject matter in an appealing way.
Note: I am available to design a professional cover for you, or even to format your manuscript. Whatever way you decide to prepare, I wish you absolute success publishing all of your ebooks.
