Book Design: Fundamentals of Book Cover Design

The art of book cover design is like a double edged sword. On one hand if done correctly you can get book covers that are magnificent to behold, their colors completely complementing one another and the images on the cover totally capturing the essence of the book. On the other hand if done wrong, book covers can become a total disaster. They could come out as classroom project disasters, with gaudy color combinations that hurts the eyes and book art that nowhere near complements the story. This is why you should know the true subtleties of book cover design.

Here are some essential aspects of book cover design.

Focus on the concept of the book

Any book designer worth their salt should know that one of the fundamental elements of good book cover design is focus on a concept. The mistake that some book designers make is that they bombard the book cover with a myriad of images and colors that nowhere near does the book any justice. One thing that book designers should first do is to consult with the author and ask the story or the concept of the book. Once you get the concept you can get started on the design cover. Do not overuse too many images because it will only make it look gaudy and cheap looking. Be sure on the genre of the book, because nothing is more embarrassing and grave a mistake than getting the genre wrong.

Pay attention on the most minute of details.

Book design can be considered as a very exact art. This is because the most minute of details could make or break a book. The main thing to remember is that the book cover should interpret to the reader the theme of the book.

Be minimalistic in your approach to book cover design

Minimalism is a great concept to follow when it comes to creating a book design. While in some cases more is always better, when it comes to book cover design, less is always better. The use of just one or two images highlights the topic of the book and unclutters the book cover of unnecessary eyesores. You should also use only a few colors because using a myriad of colors will destroy the ambiance of your book and instead make it chaotic and look extremely dirty.

Get inspiration from other book covers

Use other book covers as inspiration and a source of fresh ideas. You should look at award winning book covers and see how they were done. Pick out certain nuances that you can emulate in your own work.

Things that you should avoid doing when you are creating a book cover is using overwrought or exaggerated typography that destroys the books overall image. Using stock images should also be used with caution. Although it might come out beautifully, it can also come out bad, really bad. It should also be taken into account that you should not make your book covers too complicated, like adding unnecessary images and artwork. This would only confuse readers and make your book cover look cluttered and senseless.

Another mistake by some bookventure book designers is that they make the author name bigger than the book title. This is a big mistake because unless you are Stephen King or another bestselling author it won’t work, and will only make it look ungainly and unattractive. Another common mistake is unattractive back covers, this is because most people look to the back of the book to see the synopsis of the book. And if the back of the book does not match the front cover it will ruin the reader’s perceptions on the book.

All in all what you should always remember when it comes to book design is that you should always pay close attention to detail and always be willing to go the extra mile. The book cover is one of the main factors whether your book will be a success or not.

Tips on How to Use TV Advertising for Book Promotions

When it comes to book sales one of the most important elements to keep track of is book promotion. Book promotion gives authors a chance to spread word of their books and help their chance of selling their books. Book promotion also helps the author garner a loyal fan base that will not only help in sales but also help in gaining popularity for his or her book.

One great form of book promotion is through TV advertising. But what exactly constitutes TV advertising? TV advertising is technically a span of television programming produced and paid for by any organization. And it could be as simple as a commercial or a feature in a TV show.

The most important characteristic for a TV advertisement is that it should convey a certain message to market a certain product or service. Which in this case is a book promotion.

Sadly though not everyone is open to this mode of book promotion because some people think that television is being slowly edged out by the internet as a media form or they think that the cost is too high and not worth the risk. But what they forget is that television is one of the more accessible forms of advertisement because it has been in use for a longer period of time and a larger number of people are still using it as a means of getting news.

Which is why TV advertising is a great way to promote a book. But the question now though is how you can use TV advertisements to promote your book.

Here are a few tips on how to promote your book through TV advertising.

The advertisement must have a specific audience in mind

When you promote your book through TV advertising you should keep in mind that TV advertising is a somewhat more expensive mode of advertising than most. Which is why you should really make it count and target the most compatible audience for your book. Thus before you even release your advertisement, you should take certain elements such as geography, social standing, profession, etc that will help make the advertisement more effective.

Take into account the geography of your target audience

Another thing to take into account when you advertise your book is the geographic aspect of your target audience. This is important because your advertisements cannot reach every network, and thus should be well planned out. You could have your advertisements on local, national or cable TV or you could combine two such as national and cable to reach a wider audience.

Timing and seasonality should also be taken into account

You should identify the best day or month that would have the best potential for increased revenue. It all really depends on your books genre and your target audience. One great example would be releasing a book TV commercial for a suspense/horror novel during the Halloween season.

By selling a suspense/horror novel during the Halloween season you are able to take advantage of the season and the popularity of anything scary during the event.

Take advantage of market conditions

It should also be mentioned that market conditions should be monitored carefully. Thus if you notice that local economy is slowing, chances are the airtime available on local television stations is cheaper and you can negotiate some terrific deals. One example is the case during the recent economic situation, when TV and cable companies were looking to fill their advertising slots and willing to negotiate.

Make a good deal with a TV network

Try to get the most cost-efficient package for your advertisements. When it comes to packages the most cost-efficient would be a 10-13 week period. You should also try to book advertising spots in advance so that it would be easier for the network to include you in their schedule.

Create a professional looking Book teaser

One of the best ways to advertise your book is to create a book teaser. But if a book teaser is not well done it would only damage your book’s reputation. Which is why if you are thinking of putting a book teaser as a book advertisement, you should keep in mind that your book teaser is attractive and well done. That way viewers will have a more positive outlook on your book and hopefully impress them enough to make them buy your book.

Try to mix your advertisements with other media

So that you can cover all bases better it is a good idea to cover every aspect of your book’s advertising. There are a lot of ways that you can supplement your advertisement. You can ask your television station if it has a website and see if there are any potential promotional activities on that website if you buy TV advertising. This is where TV trumps radio. While still advantageous, a radio ad streaming online does not carry the weight of a TV ad.

To this day, Television is still one of the most powerful and influential advertising mediums. It lets you deliver your message to mass audience while directing it to your target demographics for your book launching. Advertising your book on TV gives your audience a memorable viewing experience of your story and leaves them with a lasting impression. Through this type of promotion, you can generate awareness and attract attention to your work.

The TV Ad Teaser of BookVenture will help you build your brand and help it skyrocket to fame. Promote your book on a massive scale by airing it in a TV Ad on a national television for a whole month! The TV Ad Teaser will air your TV Ad on major cable networks in selected market areas in over 70 locations.