3 Tips to Improve Your Book Product Pages
It's no secret that readers judge books by their covers, but did you know that they also judge you by the other content on your product pages? This includes what they see about your book on retailer websites, social media, and your website. Keep reading to learn our best tips to make the most of your book's product pages on online retailer sites.
1. Book Cover
There are two ways to get a book cover – hire a designer to make it for you or do it yourself. Authors with graphic design skills often hire someone else to make the cover. This could be because they feel too close to their story to create the cover, want more writing time, or prefer another designer's style.
No matter who designs your cover, here are some tips to help it stand out against other book covers in its genre.
- Make sure the title is legible at both full and thumbnail sizes.
- Test how the cover looks in black and white to see how it will look on e-readers.
- Choose a key detail (a pet, something from a meet-cute, or a murder weapon, for example) to put on the cover as a visual teaser for readers.
When in doubt, run an A/B test on two versions of your cover in your newsletter or social media. Your fans and followers love telling you about themselves, including their opinions about your book covers (among other things).
2. Text Content
Have you ever gone to a book's page on a retailer site only to find the blurb is scrunched into one big paragraph or displaying wonky formatting? Having an effective blurb can make or break your book sales. Many rebranding efforts often start with a blurb makeover.
Be sure to break your blurb up into small paragraphs that are easier to read with no more than three to four lines of text. Regarding special formatting, such as using bold text and italics, it's best to adhere to the rule that less is more.
One thing that far too many authors forget to include is a call to action. When the reader gets to the end of the blurb, there should be some kind of question or statement that makes them want to one-click on the book and start reading immediately. Here are some tried-and-true examples:
- Get the book and start reading today!
- Although this book can be read as a standalone, it's more fun when you read the full series!
- If you enjoy reading (trope) (genre) books, then you're sure to love (title). Add it to your e-reader today!
If you have a series, aim to adopt a similar word count and call-to-action style for each book. Consistency is key, and if something works for the first book in a series, then there's no harm in continuing the trend for the books that follow.
3. Your Author Bio
Keep your bio short and sweet on book retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, etc. You can usually include a link to a third party where readers can learn more about you, such as your website's “About” page or a social media network.
Use the same profile picture on a book retailer profile that you are using on social media, BookBub, and Goodreads. One profile picture across the board helps readers know they're in the right place. It doesn't have to be a photo taken by a professional photographer. You can use your author logo or the favicon from your website, which may be preferable if you write under a secret pen name.
If this all sounds overwhelming and you need some assistance, head to www.novelpublicity.com/hire to set up a marketing call. We'd love to help you rejuvenate your book product pages!