I recently got a copy of a self-published book from a friend who was understandably excited about her new baby, but it so looked like a self-published book. This has always mystified me: how is it, given that we’re absolutely surrounded with examples of beautifully produced books that self-publishers still keep coming up with crummy-looking covers? Why, after investing so much time and effort into the writing of their books, do so many authors stop short of the finish line?

Here at Selfpublishing.com we receive files every day – some are formatted wonderfully, and some leave a little to be desired. Some defy all the rules – so the following outline of do’s and don’ts should help many of our beginning publishers (and some of the ones who’ve been around for a while) make sure they don’t commit the more common design crimes.

Strong compelling back cover copy sells books! Think about how you buy a book. You pick it up, look at the cover, and if you like the visuals, title, and subtitle, it’s because something resonates in you; something about what you see calls to some desire or longing inside you. That desire could be anything. In the case of a novel (or even non-fiction), it might be to have a transcendent reading experience – to be touched, moved, entertained, transported, etc.

Over the past couple of years I have often felt like Sir Percival searching for the Holy Grail. I’ve determined, in my mind, that affordable illustration is possible although in my quest many promising leads have appeared only to later disappear. This time, I think I may have finally found it. Interested?

One of your biggest sales tools is your book’s cover. Did you know that if someone sees your book on the shelf, you have less than 30 seconds to sell it?

But everyone else does! I dare you to take the book cover challenge. Spend at least 20 minutes in to your local bookstore. Browse around different titles, picking up things that look interesting.

WHAT SIZE SHOULD MY BOOK BE? You’ve spent a great deal of time — more often than not years — writing your book, whether its a novel, non-fiction, poetry, or family history…