When it comes to people buying your books, a lot depends on you. That is, you have the power to make people pick out your book from an array of books.
There are times when readers don’t have any particular book in mind. They are just interested in adding to the number of books in their library.
As a writer, you have a responsibility of turning heads in the direction of your books if you intend to make sales or become famous for your work. This responsibility can be shared with your publisher or graphic designer, but a major chunk of it rests on you.
In this post, I’ll show you a few tips to help you in that regard.
1. A good title
One of the first things that captivate a reader is the title of a book. When the title is captivating, readers would want to know more about the book, what it entails and what they can gain from it.
In selecting a good title, you are not just looking for one that would attract your reader, you are also looking for one that will depict the true content of the book – either directly or figuratively.
Take Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The titles of most of her books are not often straightforward, but they depict the content of her books. And take R.L. Stine. Most of the titles of his books give you a hint as to what to expect in the book. But either way, their titles are appropriate, and they make any reader want to pick them up especially if it is in the area of their interest.
2. A good summary
Another thing that attracts a reader to a book is the blurb on the back page. When readers decide to shop for books in a store, they pick up a book that interests them and turn to the back to read the blurb, or read the brief description of the book if they are shopping online.
The blurb says a lot about a book and can determine whether or not the book will be purchased or read. As a writer, endeavor to put your thoughts together to capture many thoughts in a few words and present them to your readers. That way, as soon as they pick up the blurb, they are compelled to read the whole book.
3. Good first chapter
Sometimes, many readers bypass the process of reading the blurb or caring about the title and just want to delve into the book. Other times, they may go through those processes and create time from a tight schedule to read the book.
But they must keep going, and that first chapter has to be the fuel that will push them to the end.
4. Attractive cover or design
Many times, people pick up a book because of the cover design, whether the combination of colours, the design, or the picture used on the book.
Things as basic as these have the ability to attract a reader. And this is very important, especially in children’s books. Once the back cover catches the eye, there is a high probability that the book would be picked up, and eventually read.
5. Appropriate genre position
There are times when the genre of your book contributes to how well your book will call to your readers. This works with some of the other tips listed above.
When your book is listed in a certain genre, readers should be able to pick it up, look through it and be satisfied that it is what they are looking for.
So, the ball’s in your court.
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Olamide Omolawal is an avid research enthusiast with an interest in creative and content writings.
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