Lit Lingo

15 Jun

Posted at 09:00h in Editing by

Ask An Expert: Interview with Book Cover Designer Eric Labacz on Great Book Cover Design Trends in 2021 and Beyond What design elements contribute to a great book cover design? And what book cover design trends are popular in 2021 and beyond? Today on our Ask an Expert series, we’re sitting down with book cover designer Eric Labacz, who has created some of our most eye-catching and popular cover designs for our sister publishing company Books Fluent. Eric shares what key elements make for timeless, great book cover design, how genre should influence cover design, and some of the biggest cover trends we’re seeing right now. What do you enjoy most about designing book covers? Hands down the creative process that is involved in communicating certain details about a book in a unique way that urges readers to explore it further. How long have you been a book cover designer? How did you get involved in this industry? I have been designing covers for four years now. Prior to that, I worked for an agency and worked as a Senior Designer and Art Director in the toy, video and food packaging industries. In 2016, I decided to create a home-based studio and I was fortunate to connect with a local publisher a year into it. She started giving me cover projects and I instantly fell in love with cover design. I decided to put all my efforts into connecting with other publisher and author clients and, four years later, here we are. In your opinion, what are the key elements of great book cover design? Well, of course, you need the title, the subtitle if it pertains, and the author’s name, but the difference between a so-so cover and a great cover are how those elements are creatively arranged along with imagery and color. An interesting and engaging composition, a focal point that intrigues the reader and eye-catching colors are some elements of great covers. Should a book’s genre influence a book’s...

01 Jun

Posted at 14:38h in Editing by

I, for one, hate change. I’m a planner and a list-maker, and switching gears makes me dizzy. Checklists, deadlines and color-coded markers are the backbone of our society, sure, but when plans change, it’s better to adapt than to fight it out. Why do publication dates change? Publication dates can shift for a variety of reasons. However, it’s important to keep in mind that in every case, your team may suggest a date change because they believe your release would be more successful on a different day. Your team knows that publishing a book is more often a marathon than a sprint. While detours may add a mile or two to the journey, they can also better prepare you for crossing the finish line. Here are a few common reasons for moving a book’s release date: Production Delays: From editing and designing to printing and shipping ARCs, a lot of work goes into production, and there are often several eyes and hands working on a book all at once. A thorough publishing process opens up the possibility for delays. Editors often factor time into their schedule for a few things to go wrong. Even so, if a snag is hit in one department, it may cause others to fall behind too. Unforeseen Circumstances: The pandemic is one of the most monumental unforeseen circumstances we’ve encountered in a while. Due to its impact on travel, many books that had planned in-person book tours had to adjust their schedules. To see some of the hundreds of altered publication dates, check out this spreadsheet from Publishers Weekly. Competition for Media Attention: Say the planned publication date for your book was set for Election Day, or a similarly newsworthy date. As the day approaches, and you realize the impending media frenzy, your team may decide to move your release date out in order to give it a better shot at securing publicity. Catching the Trend Wave: Book releases can also shift to earlier dates on the calendar!...

15 May

Posted at 09:00h in Editing by

The pandemic has changed everything, including the publishing industry. In our new “State of the Industry” blog series, we’ll be breaking down exactly how the pandemic has changed the game for publishers, booksellers, authors, and readers. By understanding how the publishing industry has rapidly transformed in 2020 and 2021, writers and authors will be better prepared to navigate the new state of the industry in 2022. Let’s start with a question: How did the pandemic in 2020 change the game for publishers? Answer: They started out rough and finished strong. According to a December 2020 article in The New York Times, (“Surprise Ending for Publishers: In 2020, Business Was Good”) book sales dropped sharply in March and April 2020 as panic and closures disrupted daily life. But demand increased beyond pre-pandemic level in June 2020 as buying habits and stores transitioned. 2020 concluded with: Print sales up by 8% (NPD Bookscan) Audiobooks up 17% over the same period in 2019 (Association of American Publishers) Ebooks up more than 16% after a several year decline (NYT) So, how did the events of 2020 influence book-buying habits and genre trends? The short answer is that books on race and antiracism, politics, home DIY projects, and escapist literature like YA fantasy had a VERY good year. Sales were UP in the following categories: Books on race/antiracism: The Black Lives Matter movement (which began at the end of May with the killing of George Floyd) inspired a surge of sales on books about race and antiracism. Titles like “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi and “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo became bestsellers, and booksellers had trouble keeping them in stock. Political books: In a charged and divisive election year, political books like those released about the Trump family and Barack Obama were major sellers. Home and Gardening books: With more people spending time at home, gardening and home DIY books saw a sales increase of 20%, as people took on new projects both to keep themselves occupied and due...

01 May

Posted at 09:00h in Editing by

In terms of printing and distribution, Ingram and IngramSpark are the best and the biggest. They are well respected in the industry and have great reach to online retails, bookstores and libraries. If you publish your book via IngramSpark, it will populate to Amazon; however Amazon offers publishing directly through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), and with the difference in royalty and print costs, it really can be worth pairing them together for your independently published book.  IngramSpark Ingram is an avenue that traditionally published authors have for distribution, and IngramSpark is a branch which lets independent authors access that same market but in a Print On Demand (POD) structure.  Part of what makes them the best is that bookstores love them and find them easy to work with—they can order every book they want from Ingram/IngramSpark in one order form versus when books are sold on consignment or through smaller less well known distributors.  In effect, bookstores want to make their buyers' jobs easier, so less forms is better, which is why they like it when books are available via Ingram.  KDP  KDP is a separate distribution account directly attached to Amazon that distributes solely to Amazon. They have IngramSpark beat a bit in terms of printing costs but their royalties are really the benefit.  IngramSpark allows you to set the distribution discount percentage from 30-55%, but KDP automatically sets that at 40%. So if you have your IngramSpark percentage set at the 55% that bookstores expect and the lower percentage with KDP can help pad the lower royalties through IngramSpark.  There is the option to distribute exclusively through KDP, and either do distribution to just Amazon or apply for their expanded distribution, which gives a bit more reach. It does offer up some benefits, such as the higher royalty rates and access to Kindle Select.  However, you’d be essentially closing the door to any bookstore or library opportunities—not only because Amazon is their direct competitor but also because it is...

13 Mar

Posted at 12:34h in Authors, Book Design, Book Marketing, General PR, Media, Resources, Self-publishing, Social Media by

It’s key to list your book on multiple platforms such as Indiebound, Bookshop, Barnes and Noble, and Apple Books, but we cannot deny the importance of optimizing your book’s presence on the largest bookselling site in the world: Amazon. If you’ve ever wondered about specific ways to make your book stand out among the millions of books listed on Amazon, we’ve got you covered with a list of tips to make your page look optimized and professional! Book Description Your book description (after the book cover) is one of the first things people will see when looking at your book on Amazon, so here are some ways to make it pop. Make the first sentence of your description a quick, catchy blurb of your book, and put it in bold! Christopher Parker has a great example of this, with his short but gripping description of the book right off the bat, front and center. You can then go into a more detailed description of your book, after initially catching their attention with the first sentence! Add quotes to the end of your book’s description to give readers a taste of what is to come if they read the book! Editorial Reviews The Editorial Reviews section on your book’s Amazon page highlights reviews, usually from non-customers, such as other authors, media outlets, bloggers, or experts in the field (like an industry publication). However, if you don’t have as many reviews from that kind of outlet, you can start out by adding reviews you’ve received from Amazon, Goodreads, or NetGalley! Some examples of Books Forward authors that have Amazon pages with Editorial Reviews: The Lighthouse by Christopher Parker Read My Lips by Kelle Z. Riley As you can see on Christopher Parker’s listing, he uses quotes from other authors, Kirkus, and bloggers. And Kelle Z. Riley used reviews from readers on Amazon and NetGalley! Either way is beneficial. As the editorial review section is more eye-catching and closer to the top...

13 Mar

Posted at 12:29h in Audiobooks, Authors, Book Marketing by

Audiobooks are booming like never before. According to Deloitte, the U.S. audiobook market in 2020 was valued at an estimated $1.5 billion. Yes, that’s billion with a “b.” When 2020’s pandemic shuttered libraries and bookstores, and delayed postal deliveries, stuck-at-home readers browsed digital shelves instead, and audiobook sales kept growing. In the UK alone, the pandemic increased audiobook sales by 42% in the first half of the year according to The Guardian, while print sales plummeted. Audiobook listeners are readers. And the takeaway is this: There’s never been a better time to release an audiobook. Here are three reasons authors should jump on the audiobook bandwagon (as soon as possible): 1). Expose your work to more readers. By releasing an audiobook, you will reach an audience who have, by preference or necessity, transitioned away from print media. If you’re releasing a nonfiction book, you’ll be able to reach the growing market of 18-34 year old urban men who prefer audiobooks (particularly nonfiction), and who have traditionally not been known as a strong book-buying market according to Good E-Reader. If you’re releasing fiction, you’ll be able to reach the vast majority of busy stay-at-home moms who juggle kid-centric commutes with an endless list of household errands--but who still want to find time to read a book. You’ll be able to reach elderly readers who can no longer easily see the printed page, or readers who are homebound for a variety of reasons in 2021. Why wouldn’t you want to expose your work to the widest audience possible? Audiobooks substantially broaden your reach. 2). Bring your book to life in new ways. Gone are the days of clunky audio cassettes, scratched CDs, and uninspired narrators. Today’s technology can broadcast your story in vibrant color on the theater screen inside people’s minds. Audiobooks (such as the ones we produce through our sister company Books Fluent) are dynamic and engaging. Talented voice actors, multi-voice casts, sound effects, musical interludes, and other interactive and engaging elements can be...

08 Jun

Posted at 08:00h in Amazon Optimization, Authors, Book Marketing, Self-publishing by

When weighing distribution options, you may have noticed that Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) offers an exclusive program called KDP Select. Essentially this means that your ebook is exclusively distributed through KDP, and that opens it up to additional promotional opportunities. But is it worth it, and what’s right for YOUR unique publishing path?...

10 Jan

Posted at 08:00h in Authors, Community, Conversation, Publishing, State of the Industry by

The pandemic has changed everything, including the publishing industry. In our new “State of the Industry” blog series, we’ll be breaking down exactly how the pandemic has changed the game for publishers, booksellers, authors, and readers. By understanding how the publishing industry has rapidly transformed in 2020 and 2021, writers and authors will be better prepared to navigate the new state of the industry in 2022....

10 Aug

Posted at 08:00h in Authors, Self-publishing, Writing by

One of the most important sales tools for your book is its cover copy. Your cover will catch readers’ eyes, but it’s your cover copy--aka the book summary that appears on your book jacket and on your online retail pages--that will actually persuade them to buy your book. Here are five hacks for creating brilliant, concise, and intriguing cover copy that will help you sell books....