Do Book Back Covers Really Matter?

Being an author is no longer just about writing. Now, you have to become savvy about marketing your book.

An important element of book marketing is the back cover. And making it powerful really does matter.

In fact, aside from the front cover, the back cover is what will motivate the reader to buy your book. Anyone who picks up your book will look at the back cover after looking at the front cover.

The basic elements of a book’s back cover are usually:

-A brief, grabbing description (back cover copy) to let the potential reader know what the book is about. Don’t give away the ending, though.
-An illustration from the book’s interior or storyline.
-A picture of the author with a brief bio. However, unless you’re well-known, you might want to go with the book’s copy rather than your bio.
-The barcode and ISBN, but the book’s formatter/designer will handle this.

For the back cover copy, you’ll have up to 200 words to fit comfortably on the back cover without it looking crowded. You have to make those words count.

Here are examples of back cover copy:

Chrysanthemum
Picture book

Chrysanthemum thinks her name is absolutely perfect, until her first day of school. “You’re named after a flower!” teases Victoria. “Let’s smell her,” says Jo. Chrysanthemum wilts. What will it take to make her blossom again?

Ivy & Bean – What’s the Big Idea?
Chapter book

It’s Science Fair time at Emerson School, and the kids in Ms. Aruba-Tate’s class are supposed to find a way to cool down the earth. Some kids are making litterbug-eating robots. Some kids are holding their breath for a very, very long time. But what should Ivy and Bean do? Something with ropes? Something with explosions? Something with ice cubes? Or maybe something . . . different.

The Talented Clementine
Chapter book

When it comes to tackling third grade, Clementine is at the top of her game–okay, so maybe not all the time. After her teacher announces that the third- and fourth-graders will be putting on a talent show, Clementine panics. She doesn’t sing or dance or play an instrument. She can’t even hop with finesse. And as if she didn’t feel bad enough, her perfect best friend, Margaret, has so many talents, she has to alphabetize them to keep them straight.
As the night of the big “Talent-palooza” draws closer, Clementine is desperate for an act, any act. But the unexpected talent she demonstrates at the show surprises everyone—most of all herself.

Crispin – The Cross of Lead
Middle grade book

I kept asking myself if I felt different, if I was different. The answer was always yes. I was no longer nothing . . .
How odd, I thought: it had taken my mother’s death, Father Quinel’s murder, and the desire of others to kill me to claim a life of my own.

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Back covers can also just have an illustration, no text, but I don’t advise this. You want to motivate the reader to take action with effective copy (a brief description).

Then there are the back covers with blurbs from influential sources, such as Publishers Weekly, the New York Times, and well-known people. If you have these types of endorsements, you’ll definitely want to use them.

Some back covers have reviews of the book from influential people. Some have a combination of elements.

BE CAREFUL

It’s important to carefully consider what you put on your back cover and how you organize it. The back cover is the second-most-important book marketing tool. The most important is the front cover illustration/design/title. You’d think it’d be the story itself. Ha.

To get more ideas on back covers, go to the library to see how major publishers create back covers and the copy in your genre.

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I’m a working children’s ghostwriter, book doctor, editor, and self-publisher. I help turn your idea, outline, or manuscript into a book you’ll be proud to call your own—and provide hands-on guidance through every step of the self-publishing process.

OTHER HELP I OFFER:

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