Book Covers for Business Books

"A look back at the best business books of 2009"

"Business Monday books columnist Richard Pachter offers his highly subjective list of favorites"

See Richard Pachter's complete article in the Miami Herald, http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/1399600.html

From Susan Kendrick
http://www.writetoyourmarket.com/

The end of the year is a great time to look back and see what books stand out as having the most impact in their markets. I ran across this best-of list by Richard Pachter this morning on the Miami Herald website. I'm passing along his picks because they offer insight into what makes good book covers for business books.

In other words, while Pachter focuses on the content and usefulness of these books, my interest (and my reason for passing them along to you) is in their packaging.

I started looking for these covers on Amazon, eager to see what they looked like. I got excited when I saw that these book covers do the three things every good cover should do. They each incorporate the following:

-- Clear, compelling book titles and subtitles

-- Book cover design that brings that title to life

-- The marriage of text and design that establishes a strong verbal and visual brand

Interestingly, these covers also help answer two questions a good client of ours, a first-time business book author, recently asked us. They are:

1. What colors work for business books?

Notice how four out the five books shown here are predominantly white. They have that clean, powerful, authoritative appeal of books like Malcolm Gladwell's Blink, The Tipping Point, and Outliers, as well as his newest book, What the Dog Saw.

While it may seem easy enough to come up with such simple concepts, it isn't. There are far too many business books still coming out that are cluttered and dated looking--these are the "teal green carpet" of the book cover world. in fact, I ran across an interesting article on this phenomenon called Why Are Business Book Covers so Ugly? This article is worth reading for a look at the book covers and for the comments from readers that offer some interesting input as to why.

2. What sells more business books--a text-only or more illustrative cover?

See how the books shown here are largely text-driven, with the exception of Bailout Nation as well as the iconic Twitter book, where it makes sense to incorporate the ubiquitous visual brand.

The rest of the graphics on these books are relatively simple. No cliche landscapes, horizons, mazes, soaring eagles, or any combination of these (yes, this still happens). Any graphics take a single-shot approach--there is a singular visual message that directly supports the title and the concept of the book.

Of course, this doesn't mean that all business books should be white or predominately text-driven. The particular book title and book cover design for every book should be carefully determined based on a number of factors, including: the target market for the book, what appeals to that audience, if the book needs to stand out in a crowded market or create and dominate a new niche right from the start, how well the brand (if any) is already known, how and where the book will be marketed, etc.

Even while there is no "right" answer for what kind of book cover works best, one look at these covers reveals some definite trends, and from major publishing houses like Wiley and Random House.

Each of these books also demonstrates that the best book covers have billboard appeal. They are bold, professional, and they make a strong, singular statement--in both book cover writing and design. They are good examples for any author of how great business book brands are born.

Questions about the how to create the writing or design concepts for your book and brand? Email us at info@WriteToYourMarket.com or call 1-888-634-4120.

Susan Kendrick, Write To Your Market, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 1-888-634-4120.

Professional Critique and Consultation Package

Year-End Special -- One Week Only

For you ... or a great gift for a colleague, friend, or client
(Click on the box to open.)

Happy Holidays!
What a busy time of year, so we'll keep this short and sweet.

Here's your special year-end package. We offer this super-low pricing
only twice a year, for one week only.

-- Order now and deduct it on your 2009 taxes
-- Use it any time in the next 12 months, whenever you're ready
-- Use it yourself or gift it to a colleague, friend, or client

ONE WEEK ONLY:
Offer expires December 29

Please click on the link below for details.
http://writetoyourmarket.com/YearEndHolidayOffer2009.html

What are you working on next?
Creating A Brand . Re-Branding Your Business . Book Cover .
Website . Call-To-Action . Media Materials . Speaker's Kit .
Business Name and Tagline . Social Media Outreach

Whether you're an emerging or established author, expert, speaker,
entrepreneur, this package can help you. Check it out.

Warmest wishes for a wonderful holiday with family and friends,
Susan Kendrick and Graham Van Dixhorn

No Book Cover Testimonials? No Problem

Create Powerful Book Marketing Copy-- Even When You Don't Have Big-Name Endorsements

Susan Kendrick
Susan@WriteToYourMarket.com


Click on image at left to see final front cover and back cover sales copy for this new book, released November 11, 2009.

A big concern for authors and experts is getting endorsements. You add credibility to your business, books, products, services, consulting, and speaking when you have recognizable names or organizations behind you.

"A testimonial from a well-known industry expert can be a powerful addition to your book's cover. However, for a first time author these can be difficult to land," says Steve Pavilanis, author of A Life Less Anxious. Steve did end up getting an endorsement from an author / expert in his field that he used on the front cover. The back cover, however, relies solely on solid marketing copy.

Getting testimonials, especially from big-name industry experts and authors, is a process that takes time for an author. Because many authors and experts are publishing books to meet specific goals and deadlines, they often don't have the time, even when they do start the process early. In that case, know that there are at least 10 essential marketing elements that you can use to build your back cover copy, and just one of these relies on having testimonials.

Steve's book is a great example of powerful back cover copywriting that does not rely on testimonials. It makes such a compelling case for the message in the book and the authority of the author that you don't even notice. What would actually be worse is adding a quote from a "nobody," someone that means nothing to your readers or other decision-makers. Those kinds of quotes can be dangerous in that they can actually detract from your credibility instead of add to it.

Use These Same Book Marketing Copy Tactics on Your Book Cover

Take a closer look at the back cover copy that my partner, Graham Van Dixhorn, wrote for this book. Analyze the headline, the opening positioning paragraph, the conversational style, the bullet points, the feeling of this book marketing copy being fresh yet authoritative, intelligent yet accessible. Even if you are not looking for the particular solutions that this book offers, you can see how it would appeal to someone eager to find answers from such a trustworthy resource.

Knowing that you have many choices for creating powerful sales copy is important, especially when you see so many books that use only testimonials as their back cover copy, to the exclusion of any other sales copy. If you'll notice, these are usually books by authors who are already well-known and widely read, and often the book is their second, third, fourth, and so on. You also see endorsements-only copy on fiction books, which is a format often used for that genre. Many of these books will have the story summary and author info on the book cover flaps.

You are different if, like so many authors and experts we work with, you are publishing a book to establish yourself as an expert in your field and you want your book to be a serious lead-generator back to you and your services. In that case, you need powerful back cover copy that does that job.

One other thought that may help is that if and when you do get the testimonials you want once your book has been released, you can add them as a high-visibility section of your website and to subsequent printings or editions of your book. You can also use those testimonials as a way to stay in touch with your list, the media, and others you want to keep updated on the success, newsworthiness, and credibility of you and your message.

If you have any questions about how to write your book cover copy or testimonials for approval, or if you have questions about how we can do that for you, please feel free to contact us at info@WriteToYourMarket.com.

To the success of you and your books,
Susan


Susan Kendrick, Write To Your Market, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 1-888-634-4120.

Advice for New Authors--Do These Six Things Now

A Look at One Author's Successful
Book Launch and How She Did It

By Susan Kendrick
Susan@WriteToYourMarket.com

It’s always a pleasure to feature a new book from one of our book cover and marketing clients. We couldn't be happier to see Susan Berg launch her timely and important book, Choose on Purpose for Twentysomethings: Finding Work You Love, Places to Grow, People Who Care. If you have a special twentysomething in your life, consider Susan’s book as a gift for them. It’s that good.


Hit the Road Running!

As an author, take a look around Susan Berg’s Choose on Purpose™ website. It’s a good example of how you can have an all-in-one book and brand presence, actively promote your book and your services, and engage on many levels with your online visitors.

Even better, in this article you hear directly from Susan Berg about what she’s been doing to not only successfully market her book, but to use her new book to get speaking engagements, be invited as a featured guest on a national webcast, line up workshops, be a guest blogger, and more.

What’s Working for This New Author Can Work for You

After going back and forth with Susan Berg over the last few months about all the good things that are coming together for her, she and I compiled the following list of marketing musts that are working for her and can work for you, too. Check out what Susan Berg has to say about her book-marketing journey.

1. Submit Your Book for Review

… For attention from Library Journal, B&N, and others
“On the book front,” says Susan Berg, “some very good news. Both Barnes & Noble college and retail have approached me to sell the book in stores. We're very excited about this, as the book made it through those high walls all by itself. That’s the book cover copywriting and design at work. I also got a review from Library Journal. According to Dan Poynter, that can be good for sales of anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 books. I'll take it!”

… The American Marketing Association
“More good news,” says Susan Berg, “is that the American Marketing Association approached me in August to do a national webcast. There were more than 1,000 people signed up from companies and colleges all over the country! The AMA even purchased 25 books to promote the webcast. I believe this invitation came through someone at the AMA keeping up on professional book reviews, and she caught the Library Journal review of my book. So, submitting your book for reviews, while it can feel futile, can pay off.”

… Twitter group following, and more
“What's also important about this AMA webcast is that we got a Twitter group following from it as well as inquiries for follow-up materials and a request to be a guest blogger. Most of all, my daughter and Chief Outreach Partner, Kirsten Berg, and I got a chance to work together. That was wonderful.”

2. Make Public Appearances

“As for getting the word out about my message, public appearances of any sort are the ticket for me. And, whether it is speaking, workshops, or presentations, the book is my calling card.

The Media
“One outlet for connecting with the media has been HARO (Help A Reporter Out). For someone like me who doesn't want to invest in a paid newswire service while they’re still learning the ropes, it’s a way to see what kinds of stories and interviews people are looking for. I have gotten interviews through HARO, so again, that’s something that has been worth trying. The media kit (go to “Media Downloads” on this page) you and Graham developed for me has been invaluable in getting these interviews."

Speaking Engagements
“All the speaking engagements I am getting I have gone after myself. My media kit and of course my website have been a big help for showing who I am and what I can do. I work through my contacts to find people willing to talk to me, then I meet with them and propose a speaking engagement. Other new authors and speakers should know that it can be a lot of leg work, and you have to be patient. It usually takes weeks to get the appointment, then months to actually have a speaking engagement. For example, a friend who works at a liberal arts college introduced me to the director of the Career Center in July. In August she agreed to schedule me to speak. I will be conducting the workshop in early November."

More on the Power of Speaking for Authors:
For more information on the effect speaking can have on your book sales, see my last post, “The ‘Rules of Fives’ for Successful Book Marketing.” If you would like more information on how to create a speaker one sheet to promote yourself to meeting planners and speakers bureaus, contact us and we’ll walk you through the components of a typical speaker’s kit. As Susan Berg mentioned, above, the media kit we created for her (again, see “Media Downloads”) can double as a speaker's kit, at least in getting started.

3. Connect With Colleagues

“The other thing that is working for me,” says Susan Berg, “is ‘top of mind’ phone calls to colleagues with whom I have been out of touch. I don't ask for a thing. I call only with the intention to reconnect. But, what I'm finding is that my passion about the book somehow gets other people excited about getting involved. I've found, as a result, at least one opportunity for a workshop with an old colleague who will help me promote the book, as well as a new relationship with a non-profit with whom my advisory board can get involved. This helps us further promote our work. Just calling and talking to people who know you does wonders! Sometimes it generates opportunities, but it at least always results in a pick-me-up and validation for the work I'm doing. Some days, that’s enough.”

4. Get a Book Cover That Opens Doors

“As for the book cover, for me it is everything. The positive response I get to the front and back cover copywriting you created for me does its work everyday. The language is so simple; it reaches people on contact. My ability to turn that copywriting over and over into marketing sound bites and content I use on my website and elsewhere allows me to use my time more effectively. I’m not constantly re-inventing the wheel. You perfectly mirrored the book’s content with wording that is comfortable and compelling. That message, complimented by the cover graphic, is consistent with the reader’s experience throughout the book.”

Check out these links for more info on creating book titles and subtitles and for creating book back cover sales copywriting.

5. Build a Great Website

“How important is my website? CRITICAL!” says Susan Berg. “I point people to it for detailed information on me and my work. I especially have them look at the Media Room page for insight on my speaking approach. Nobody wants to look at hard copy anymore. It's all on the web. Having links to Amazon and B&N also makes me look credible. This is where the copywriting you created plays a big role. I re-use it or adapt it, so I’m not creating everything from scratch. And again, it ensures that the website mirrors the book content. You hit a home run aligning the marketing message on the book cover to the book and my work”

6. Get a Professional Media Kit

“Having a good media kit is really important. I have had several people tell me they were impressed with the thoroughness of the media kit (see media downloads) your partner, Graham, created for me. People who accepted my responses to HARO make this comment as well as publicity people. They are impressed, for example, that the kit already includes interview questions they can use. A media-friendly kit like this makes you look professional and like you know what you’re doing, even when you feel like the learning curve you are on is 100% vertical, and you're figuring things out as you go."

Whether you are in the planning stages for your book or coming down the home stretch, Susan Berg and her Choose on Purpose book, brand, book cover, website, media kit, and her experiences as a new author can help you see what you can do to successfully launch and promote your own book.

Questions?

If you have any questions about anything discussed in this article or how Graham and I can help you with your book cover, website, or media kit, do not hesitate to contact us. You can also call us at 1-888-634-4120.

To the Success of You and Your Books!
Susan

Susan Kendrick, Write to Your Market, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.writetoyourmarket.com/. 1-888-634-4120.

Book Marketing: What Really Works

"The Rule of Fives" for
Successful Book Marketing

From an internationally bestselling author,
who started out with a box of books just
like everybody else.

By Susan Kendrick
www.WriteToYourMarket.com

Every day, there are more ways available to market your book. But, if you are a new (or not-so-new) author, you want to know what really works, or just as importantly, where you should start.

Of course, we all know there is no magic bullet when it comes to book marketing. There is not one key you can turn that will keep your books flying off your website, amazon, or bookstore shelves.

Even bestselling authors and publishing experts like Jack Canfield and John Kremer will say that it is the steady, persistent effort of doing a few things every day to market your book that wins the race.

Still, some things work better than others ... right?

I asked a good client of ours this question. Patrick Snow, author of Creating Your Own Destiny, has been so successful that he now guides other new authors through the book publishing process. His book, completely self-published, has done so well that he just got picked up by Wiley Publishing for a two-book deal. (See more of Patrick's results below.)

"Great question and great topic," said Patrick. "The following is what I coach / teach my publishing clients." When I looked over Patrick's remarks, I thought of "The Rule of Fives" as a good way to help you remember what worked for his book, and what will work for yours, too.

5 Most Important Criteria for Creating a Bestseller

1. Author's Willingness to Promote Their Book for the Rest of Their Lives
2. Book Cover Design
3. Book Title / Subtitle
4. Introduction of Book
5. Actual Content

Want to know more or pick Patrick's brain a little? Patrick has offered to do a complimentary publishing consultation with anyone who contacts him through this article. In your email to Patrick, just mention that you heard about him on Susan's Book Cover Coaching blog. Email Patrick@CreateYourOwnDestiny.com.

Next, how to market your book ...

The Top 5 Ways to Market Your Book

My book cover copywriting partner, Graham Van Dixhorn, helped Patrick create his title, subtitle, and back cover copy back in 2001, in other words, Patrick has had plenty of time to market this book and be the judge of what works. Here are his top picks for how to successfully market your book.

1. Speaking
2. Giving Away Books to Movers and Shakers
3. Becoming Your Own Publicist
4. Selling Books to Direct Sales / MLM companies
5. Selling Foreign Rights of Book

* Plus ... social networking. "It's becoming a bigger part of book marketing," says Patrick, "but people are still seeing mixed results with this strategy. Many people believe it should be number one, and I would disagree with that, at least for now."

There it is, pretty straightforward. That is a list you can get to work on right now. But, Patrick didn't stop there; he is
passionate about this topic of book publishing and book marketing. He continued by saying this about his NUMBER ONE book marketing choice, speaking.

"The best way to promote your book is to speak
on the topic of your book as often as possible!"

The 5 Most Important Groups to Approach

Patrick confirmed that for speaking you have the following markets:

1. Corporations
2. Associations
3. Network Marketing / MLM
4. Colleges and Schools
5. Churches

Again, if you have questions, Patrick is offering a complimentary consultation to anyone who contacts him through this article (see details above).

So, now you have three Top-5 lists you can refer to every day as you market your book strategically and successfully, moving ahead based on what works. Here are those three lists again:

__ The 5 Most Important Criteria for Creating a Bestseller
__ The Top 5 Was to Market Your Book
__ The 5 Most Important Groups to Approach

More Results -- Or, What Can Happen When You Do What Works

Patrick has sold more than 150,000 copies of his book. He has been featured on the cover of USA Today and in The New York Times. When Patrick talks about his results, this is what he says: "My book cover was the best investment I ever made. Many people buy the book based on the title alone. My book cover has also catapulted my speaking career!" For more information on the writing and design principles at work on Patrick's cover and other successful authors, go to Bestselling Book Cover.

Patrick insisted we pass this on as well, because he knows first-hand what it takes to succeed in a field where it is easy to fail. "In no way would my book have had this success if it were not for the work that your company brought to the table with title, subtitle, and tagline.......and back cover copy."

If you have questions about the information in this article, especially regarding your book cover or how to get speaking engagements, please feel free to contact us, Graham and Susan by email or at 1-888-634-4120

Now, go do what works!
Susan

Susan Kendrick, Write to Your Market, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.writetoyourmarket.com. 1-888-634-4120.

How to Test Your Marketing Copy to See What Works

Part One:
Let Your List Decide

By Susan Kendrick

www.WriteToYourMarket.com

See "Testing Tips to Get You Started" at the end of this article!

If you are working on a critical piece of marketing copy—like a book title or subtitle, business name or tagline, headline or other branding sound bites—you can get to a place where you know you have good copy, but it may not be clear if it is the best copy.

Why can “short copy” be so tricky?

There are two good reasons. First, the kinds of short phrases mentioned above are your primary “hooks,” the most visible components of your positioning and sales copy. Everything else depends on getting this short copy right, because it has the lone job of getting people interested enough to stick with you, read the rest of your copy, and take action—to literally “buy” what you have to offer. Whether you want people to buy your books and products, speaking presentation, consulting services, or just to contact you to find out more, your copy needs to get them interested enough to take the next step.

Second, writing this type of high-performance copy requires you to step outside of your own tastes and preferences. You know the value of what you have to offer, but how do you put that in terms that matter to someone else? Another way to put this is that is awfully easy to fall in love with our own ideas. Even the well-meaning feedback of friends and colleagues will still be somewhat biased in your favor. And, more to the point, your friends and collegues may not have anything in common with your target audience and what's important to them.

To resolve both issues associated with writing effective short copy, the best thing to do is test your copy in the real world. It is easy, relatively quick, and what you learn will amaze you.

It Takes a Village

The following copy-testing technique was suggested during a group coaching session with a client of ours who was in the early manuscript stage for his book series. He wanted to nail down the subtitle for the first book so his team could move forward with his website and marketing for this new brand.

The group that came together to talk about this book and product line included the client, editor, project manager, myself, and my favorite book marketing expert, John Kremer, author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books.

John gave his feedback on the subtitle choices I had created for the client. There were some solid options, and what didn’t work for the subtitle would clearly make great marketing headlines and branding sound bites on the client’s website and elsewhere. The task was to choose among these good choices for the best subtitle choice. John’s advice was to test our top two choices for the subtitle this way:

Create Two Versions and Let Your List Decide

To do this yourself, select something you can offer people as a free download. If you are testing a book title or subtitle, the download can be an excerpt from the book. If you are testing a business name or tagline, headline, or other sound bite, the offer can be for a special report, evaluation, checklist, or tip sheet.

Next, position the offer as if there were two choices. For example, if you are a financial advisor, you could offer a tip sheet with your unique approach to helping families save money. You will be offering just the one tip sheet, but the offer will be made to look like there are two choices, because each will have a different title or sales headline. One could be called:

“The Official Money-Saving Handbook for Busy Families”

The other copy you test could be called:

“Money-Saving Secrets of America’s Wealthiest Families”

(Not bad for two made-up names, huh?)

Again, no matter which tip sheet people choose, they will receive the same download, but you will quickly see which marketing copy gets more results.

Testing Tips to Get You Started

If you are on the fence about a key piece of copywriting you need to market your books, products, and services, keep the following tips in mind to get the best results:

1. When testing any marketing copy, test only two versions or two copy variables at a time.

2. Whether you are working on your own or with professional copywriters like my partner, Graham Van Dixhorn and me, make sure you are testing two good pieces of marketing copy that have already been carefully developed and fine-tuned as much as possible.

3. Carefully select the free download you offer. Make sure it offers valuable information you can stand behind and are proud to circulate.

4. Offer the free download to your own list. In addition to testing your copy, doing so will help you learn more about your list and their current needs and interests. This is information that will be helpful to you in continuing to reach out to them with your products and services.

5. If possible, also send the offer out to other lists, that of a colleague or expert in a related field whose readers and subscribers would value your offer.

6. Use this testing technique only once for each download you offer. In other words, don’t test two copy versions for the tip sheet above, and then test another two versions a week later for the same tip sheet, at least not with the same list of people. You can do repeat tests with different copy variables as long as you use a different list each time.

7. Put a time limit on the offer. You want immediate feedback you can start putting to use to move forward with your marketing.

8. Allow yourself enough time to use what you learn. If you need to finalize a business name or tagline, book title or subtitle, or website headline, and you are working with other team members like a graphic artist, book cover designer, or website developer, allow time to test, choose, and have your final copy ready for them to use.

If you have questions about which marketing copy you should test, please contact us at info@WriteToYourMarket.com, or call us toll-free at 1-888-634-4120.

May Your Best Copywriting Win!
Susan

Susan Kendrick, Write to Your Market, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.writetoyourmarket.com/
1-888-634-4120.

Creating Book Titles--From Working Title to Final Title

Is Your "Working Title" a Winner ...
Or, Does It Still Need Work?

By Susan Kendrick
www.WriteToYourMarket.com

Recently, our friend John Eggen of Mission Publishing, a Division of The Mission Marketing Mentors, Inc., asked us to help him answer a question for one of his members about when to finalize a working book title. This is an interesting question, especially coming from John, because he does a lot to teach authors and experts how to monetize their books before they are even completed, and a good working title is an essential tool for doing this. However, John is also adamant about quality and using only a really good working title, then making sure that the final title you decide on is the absolute best for you, your topic, your market, and your revenue goals.

Here, then, is the question from John's mentoring program member and our answer.

QUESTION:
When Should I Finalize My Book Title?"

“My book is about how living organizational core values drives success -– profits and otherwise. I’ve interviewed 14 companies who practice living their core values and have “synthesized” 5 practices underlying living core values. I have my working title, (and it is available), but the subtitle is a work in progress. I’m working on pre-sales opportunities through speaking. People keep asking about buying the book and I need to have my website up, but I don’t even have the first draft done yet. My question is, how do I know when to lock in on the final book title? The target date for the book release is January 15, 2010.”

ANSWER:

First, Understand the Purpose of a Good Working Book Title

Just as there is expert status associated with being the author of a published book, there is a similar status involved in getting out there with news of your "forthcoming" book. Therefore, using a good working title to promote your book while you are firming up plans for your book cover does many important things for you and your book.

A good working book title enables you to talk about your "forthcoming" book in a concrete way, in your emails, on your blog, on your website, in speaking presentations, and through your consulting. In this way, it lets you start building a loyal following for your unique ideas and approach to your topic. A good working title can also help you reach out to joint venture partners who will ultimately be very important to your promotion and sales efforts. In fact, since you are still writing the book, you have the flexibility to mention or quote these experts in your book, a great incentive for them to get behind you and your message.

How to Know When It's Time to Finalize Your Book Title

But, your working title and subtitle can take you just so far. The question remains ... when do you need to settle on the final title and how do you know if it’s a winner? The answer is that you need a firm title and subtitle to move onto the book cover design stage, and you need at least a front cover to start pre-selling the book on your own or other websites. So, when your book-in-progress starts getting enough exposure through speaking engagements and other channels that people are excited about it and want to buy it, it’s time to take these next steps forward. You earn income from early sales and build on the marketing momentum that you have created.

Simple logistics also come into play. If your target release date is January 15, 2010, you will need to count back through all the publishing production steps—from printing as the final step to creating your title as the first step—to determine exactly when your title must be finalized in order for you to meet that release date. You can download a Free Book Cover Timeline that outlines these steps and how long they take at http://WriteToYourMarket.com/submitformfreetimeline.html.

Is Your Working Title a Winner ... Or, Does It Still Need Work?

To tell if your working title is a winner or still needs more work, check your title against the criteria below. The subtitle should also help clearly define your target audience, what they get out of it, and even how that happens. In the case of a book with a specific number of practices or steps, for example, incorporate that into your subtitle. Specifics sell. And, clarity beats cleverness any day. Your title and subtitle should create a powerful one-two punch that draws in your target audience on contact and makes them want to know more.

The Book Title Checklist

Use this quick-start checklist to see if your working book title measures up or if you need to either rethink or fine-tune it:

• Your title or your subtitle contains a keyword or keywords related to your topic
• The title is easy to say, hear, remember, and talk about
• Your book title is clear and concise, i.e. no one who hears about it or sees it, regardless of their background, will go, "Huh?"
• The title stands out from other books on this topic because of some unique feature or benefit
• It is not already taken--book titles can’t be copyrighted, but you don’t want your book confused with another one out there
• Experts in the area of book covers and book marketing give you a thumbs up
• It will give you the flexibility to create a series of related books, products, and services
• Your book title captures the attention of your target audience, which you can determine either by a focus group or online tools like Google AdWords
• Your book title creates a defining brand that will grow your reputation and your overall business

My book cover writing partner, Graham Van Dixhorn, and I create book titles, subtitles, series names, back cover copy, and more for a wide range of non-fiction books, authors, and experts. If you would like help with your book title or would like feedback on your working title, please email us at info@WriteToYourMarket.com or call 1-888-634-4120.

Best!
Susan

Susan Kendrick, Write to Your Market, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.writetoyourmarket.com/, 1-888-634-4120.