Back Cover Sales Copy and Sales Handle

What´s On The Back Cover of Your Book Matters... A Lot.

The back cover of a book has a big job: it needs to sell the book. The book description not only lands on the back of the book, but can appear in online retailer´s book pages, in bookstore databases, and more. Along with the front cover design, it is the most important marketing element when communicating to your potential audience.

Copy that simply describes in monotonous detail what the book is about will not pique the interest of readers, it will simply bore them, and they´ll move on. In traditional publishing the marketing department will take on this important task in order to position the book to its intended audience in a clear and compelling way. Mill City Press offers a back cover and sales handle writing service to ensure that your book stands the best chance of capturing the attention and interest of your readers.

The Sales Handle is Just as Important

To an audience that is inundated with choices, let´s say you had only one sentence to describe your book. What will make your book stand out? Will they get the gist of it quickly, or will you lose their attention? A sales handle is a very brief description that covers what your book is, and why it´s important to your audience.

Examples:

A tightly woven tale of psychological suspense and a literary tour de force from Booker Prize winner Penelope Lively.

Two mathematicians join forces to stop a serial killer in this spellbinding international bestseller.

Profound lessons for spiritual growth aren´t found exclusively in Tibet and India; they´re found within you in everyday events. This book will show you how to tap into them.

The sales handle typically goes on the back cover at the top, before the main description of the book.

Book description Must Be Crisp and Tight

For fiction, a succinct description of the characters, setting, and plot, leading up to the point of resolution is typical. There should be a tone of suspense that engages the reader enough to make a commitment to find out what happens to the characters, and what kind of life lesson (if any) can be learned. Often a comparison can be made to a similar author (e.g., "If you like Graham Greene, you´ll not be disappointed with this book").

For non fiction, the description needs to prove why this particular book on this subject (which, no doubt, has been written about numerous times over and over) is different or outstanding in some way. What makes yet another book on Italian cooking interesting? Perhaps the recipes include only fresh ingredients, traditions from one region, etc. These are the selling points that need to pop out in the copy.

If you want to be sure that your book stands the best chance in a crowded marketplace, start with an outstanding sales handle and compelling book copy.

Cost is $150

What you get:

*Your back cover sales copy and blurb written by our professional staff who have written this important copy for scores of successfully published books.

*Two rounds of revisions to make sure that we capture the essence of your book.

For more information on this service please contact Anna Schmeling at anna@millcitypress.net or 612-455-2294, ext. 202.