Inside Publishing

Now that your book is finished, what happens next? We're here to guide you through the publishing process, from editorial to distribution and sales.

17 Things Self-Publishers Need to Know About Book Design

by Joel Friedlander
Bowker | Tue Jul 30, 2013

Most self-publishers are concerned with book design for a few months during the production of their book. Book design is a specialty within the field of graphic design, in the same way that packaging design, or the design of signs are specialties. What this means is that there are a lot of conventions, a vocabulary and a set of practices and assumptions that underlie most professional book design. Since self-publishers only need to navigate this territory once in a while, I've frequently maintained that it's better to learn how to hire a book designer than it is to learn book design yourself. But since design is important to the eventual success of your book whether you attempt to do it yourself or hire it out, it pays to know something about those conventions and assumptions. After all, we don't want anything getting in the way of your communication with your readers.

Inside Publishing

Design & Production

Read more about 17 Things Self-Publishers Need to Know About Book Design

8 Mistakes that Will Absolutely Kill Your Book!

by Hobie Hobart
Bowker | Tue Jul 30, 2013

The covers we choose for our books are much more significant than many authors think. Over the years I’ve seen everything from a finely designed book cover, to one the author created himself. Now, there’s nothing wrong with designing your own cover - if you’re actually a cover designer. Otherwise, you should leave it to the pros.

I recently had an opportunity to sit down with my friend and colleague Hobie Hobart to talk about the importance of book covers. I think some of his answers will surprise you!

How long does the average consumer spend viewing a book cover before they decide to buy or not buy the book?

Bookstore browsers spend an average of 8 seconds looking at the front cover and 15 seconds studying the back cover before making a buying decision where your book goes straight to the cash register, not back on the shelf.

Inside Publishing

Design & Production

Read more about 8 Mistakes that Will Absolutely Kill Your Book!

Designing a Successful Ebook Cover

by Adam Schnapper
Bowker | Mon Jul 22, 2013

Ebook Covers ≠ Print Covers

Ebook covers have different challenges than their print counterparts. Most readers will first see an ebook cover when it's a small thumbnail amidst a grid of ebooks on the digital storefronts. This is the critical moment where a reader will either notice the title immediately, or miss it. The small size of these thumbnails brings new challenges for your cover design.

The Title

Inside Publishing

Design & Production

Read more about Designing a Successful Ebook Cover

Five Simple Ways to Improve your Ranking on Google Search

by Penny Sansevier...
Bowker | Wed Jul 17, 2013

In fact, Google is too smart for most black hat marketers. On average, Google changes their algorithms over 500 times a year. Why do they do this? Well, mostly to make sure that websites that are focused on content farming and other black hat SEO tactics don’t climb up the search engine ranking.

Inside Publishing

Marketing & Publicity