Many people falsely believe that becoming a published author is very difficult. The truth is, just about anyone can self-publish a book. Producing your book is only one small part of the battle---selling it is the true test. To start off, you need to get some solid advertisements produced. If you are planning to handle the production of your own marketing materials, here are some guidelines for making a basic book advertisement.
Instructions
Gather the Details
1. Start by developing a tag line for the book. This should be a one-sentence phrase (about eight to 10 words) that sums up the purpose of your book. The tag line for your book advertisement should be eye-catching and meaningful, and may even be shocking. It can be either a question or a statement. For instance "24 Hours to Live---What Would You Do?" would be a great tag line for a book.
2. Write a short synopsis of the book. The synopsis is a description of the story or purpose of the book. If your book is a novel, summarize what happens in the story without giving away the ending. For a non-fiction book advertisement, tell the prospective buyer what they will take away from reading this book.
3. Gather positive reviews, testimonials and endorsements for the book. Three quotes are sufficient for a book advertisement. You need to build confidence in prospective readers that this is a good book worth checking out. The deciding factor for many people when mulling over a book purchase is seeing positive reviews from other customers.
4. Save the image of your book's front cover in your image editing software.
Transfer to File
5. Once you have all of these elements, it is a simple matter of adding and positioning them on the page. Many graphic designers use QuarkXpress, Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop to design advertisements.
6. Decide on a size for your advertisement. Most posters are either 12 by 18 inches, 18 by 24 inches, or 24 by 36 inches. Whichever size you choose, add 1/2 inch to both the length and the width to allow for a 1/4-inch bleed on each edge. So for a 12-by-18 inch poster, your total file size should be 12 1/2 by 18 1/2 inches. Bookmark advertisements are usually about 8 1/2 by 2 3/4 inches.
7. Add a background color to the advertisement that complements the colors in your book cover. Place your book cover image somewhere on the poster, usually near the top. Add your tag line in large letters.
8. Type in the book title underneath the tag line in larger letters. Add your reviews underneath the book title or in open areas around the entire ad. Finally, place your synopsis at the bottom of your ad in smaller letters. (After the viewer is drawn in by your tag line and book cover, they will most likely come in closer to read more.)
Tags: your book, book advertisement, book cover, line book, book title