What book covers can tell you about marketing...

I just read an excellent post by author Sandra Hutchison about her journey to find the perfect book covers for her writing. Like any business, selling books is a lot about marketing. You may have written an amazing book, but if your cover is awful, good luck getting anyone to buy it!

What I like about Sandra’s article is that she explores all the different ways you can create covers — from self-made to professionally designed. You can see the progression from DIY cover (not a great photo, mostly browns, kind of "clunky" typeface) to professional-looking cover (higher-quality and more unique photos, attractive colors and typeface).

Websites are similar. Like a book cover, your website and/or blog may be the first thing clients see of your business. You have a brief window of time to get their attention, so you want to put your best foot forward, so to speak.

In the guide that my fellow-writer Lisa Logan and I published in 2018, we have a section on creating book covers, and you can see my early, terrible attempts at designing a cover. If you’re like me and love the process of getting your hands dirty and doing your own projects, then creating your blog might seem like fun. But, as Sandra points out in her article, it's important to be aware of issues that crop up in any industry.

For book covers, writers need to pause and think first -- is that “free” clip art from the Internet really copyright-free? If you’re photographing a model for your cover, does he/she have too much skin showing? Advertisers can have strict “decency” rules that sometimes defy logic!

Writing articles for your website can produce similar hurdles. Did you use the correct grammar? Is that book quotation copyrighted? Did you include key words so that search engines will pick up the article and move it closer to the top of the list? Hiring professionals to write your website content not only helps you avoid those kinds of headaches; it also helps your business gain credibility and visibility.

Much like a great book cover, strong content grabs the audience and pulls them in. If that content is more than just fluff, if your clients learn something useful, then you've gained their trust. They know your company understands their needs.

To get help with your website content, just send me an e-mail at louisajdang@gmail.com with your topic. We can work out an affordable price for your project and get the ball rolling!