Marketing books happens while writing books. Before you write your book chapters you want to get your hot selling points in order. You need to know how to design a book cover that will get readers to buy your book. The # one selling point is the front cover, but never forget about the back cover and the special attention you need to give it as well.

Front Covers Sell Books

Book selling needs easy to read book titles. Your audience will spend about 5-10 seconds, so a whole sentence with long sub titles doesn't make sense.Make your book title clear first, clear and compelling, second. Shorter titles are easier to remember for your book buying target audience. So the title is all-powerful for great sales.

The front book cover design should match your book's topic.

Use reds, blues, and strong colors for business books. Please only three different fonts for the cover. Book graphics on the cover make a difference in big sales.

Back Covers Sell Books

After the front cover your target audience will look at the back cover of your book for only 10-20 seconds, so make each word (about 30-50) count. It's the #2 hot selling point that pre markets your book. Emerging authors often forget to pay attention here.

Does your back cover pass the test?

Best Solutions to the Biggest Mistakes

1. Mistake: Too many non-powerful words and too busy to have a focus.

Best Solutions: Use sound bites, visual and emotional words, benefits, and testimonials to compel your capture your readers' attention. Make every word count and be willing to get five-fifteen edits.

2. Mistake: Too long an author's bio or large photo. Your audience wants to know how the book will help them, teach them a skill, or entertain them. The initials after your name don't really mater. Just a sentence or two that enlivens you.

Save the large photo for the inside back cover. Your face won't sell books.

3. Mistake: Repeating the book's title at the top of the back cover.

Best Solutions: Since your buyers already know the title and are stimulated enough to look at the back cover, hook them with a WOW, compelling headline that asks a question or gives them the #one benefit of your book.

Notice the headlines in your newspaper. Visit your bookstore and notice other best selling authors' headlines.

4. Mistake: Omitting testimonials or book reviews.

Best Solutions: Testimonials sell more books than any other information on the back cover. Put at least three up. Use one from a top professional in your field, one from a satisfied reader, one from a celebrity who cares about your topic, and one from a top media person. These can be local contacts.

In her book, A Kick in Your Inspiration, Ruth Cleveland got one testimonial from an ex convict! Jacqueline Marcell, author of Elder Rage, took eight months to get forty testimonials from celebrities. Her book is endorsed by: Steve Allen, Ed Asner, Dr. Dean Edell, Dr. John Gray, Dr. Nancy Snyderman/ABC, Regis Philbin. Jacqueline Bisset, and Phyllis Diller.

Worth the effort? Yes, because she made the cover of the AARP Bulletin distributed to over 35 million readers. It included a feature story, some how-tos and contacts and pictures of the author and her book. She had to dance fast, and order 10,000 books to get distributed by the time the piece came out. After it came out, she was inundated with speaking engagements. There's a problem you might love to have!

Notice, after authors get well known, they fill their back cover with only testimonials. Potential buyers will purchase when they see people they trust and know recommend the book. You may want to even add extra testimonials in the front pages of the book. The more testimonials, the better!

If you are unsure how to ask for testimonials the easy way, contact a professional book coach.

5. Mistake: Independent publishers submitting galleys to reviewers, distributors, and wholesalers without ANY back cover information.

Best Solutions: "Make the back cover your first area of concern," says Susan Howard, Director of Consulting Services at top publishing firm, The Jenkins Group Inc., who write "The Publishing Connection" She adds, "Waiting for testimonials is generally the reason the back cover of a galley is left blank. Failure to realize the value of the back cover seems to equate with the failure to realize that the text for the finished back cover can always be changed before the printing of the book."

Your target audience of web visitors or book buyers need a good reason to buy. More than any other copy, testimonials sell books. Reading testimonials from peers and famous people they recognize and trust, they accept your book. On your web site your benefit loaded testimonials make your "lookie-loos" become buyers!

Testimonials work harder than other promotional words, so be sure to start collecting them early and use them on any back cover of a book you write.

Your Book's Back Cover Testimonials

Here, you need three kinds of testimonials: one or two from a celebrity or leader in your field, and the others from the man or woman on the street who needs what you have--your target audience thrilled readers. These testimonials are the most important thing to include on your book's back cover; better than benefits, better than your bio, because your prospective buyers trust your book more when others recommend it.

How to Approach your Book Reviewers

1. Start collecting testimonials before you finish your book.The turnaround time can be weeks.

2. Know your audience won't read the whole book because they are busy. Make it easy for your chosen reviewers to respond. In your first email request send only your tell and sell and a chapter and ask for feedback.

3. Follow up with an email asking for the testimonial and include a list of your top benefits so they don't have to dream up copy.

4. Always state the date you need the testimonial giving them a week or so to do that.

5. Include only testimonials on your second book's back cover and know these sell better than even a list of benefits.

Collect many more testimonials each time you email or meet someone interested in your topic. Put these in your front pages of your book.

How to Get Web Copy Testimonials

Without good sales copy on your Web site for each product or service, you won't sell much. Email your savvy web potential reviewers a list of benefits and statements to help them create a powerful testimonial. Not all testimonials are equal. Ask your audience to keep them short with the reasons they love your service or product.

Preparing for your Testimonial Request

Write a list of seven benefits and seven features. Include these in your email note for your review. Benefits are outcomes your book buyer gets after using your service or reading your book. They include more money, better relationships, better health and better life's work. Features explain what's in the book, such as pictures, stories, or how-to's.

Create a Testimonial folder in Word. Entitle, date, and save testimonials here. Keep them for you web site to always have fresh kind words from your audience. Create files for book testimonials, workshop testimonials, web site testimonials and service ones. Organizing your files and folders makes it much faster to retrieve these gems when you need them to build business and book sales.

Tip: Once you get the testimonial, edit it so it serves you better. Then ask permission for the revision.

One professional speaker and author I coached wrote a book on compassionate communication. Her testimonials included one from a convict! Not exactly the man on the street, but certainly a captive reader.

Contact www.elderrage.com to find out more about Jacqueline Marcell, author of Elder Rage, who took eight months to get forty testimonials from celebrities like Regis Philbin. It was worth the effort, because she made the cover of the www.aarp.org newsletter that goes out to over 35 million readers. And in www.thirdage.com, it notes in the blog that her book made "Book of the Month" club.

Praise from others, especially recognized names, tells the reader that your book is worthy of their investment. Include testimonials in every marketing piece you do: back cover, flyers, press releases, web pages, and your ezine. So, you're not famous! Ask for the testimonials anyway. People in higher places want to help you become successful.

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