Looking for ways to make books stand out? Coming up with a winning concept and writing an enjoyable book is the first step in becoming an author. For self-publishing authors, helping your books stand out to potential readers is the next important step in your writing journey. For your book to attract the attention of readers, book reviewers and sellers alike, these seven tips can help you create and market a book that will catch the eye of the literary community.
- 7 Ways To Make Your Self-Published Books Stand Out
- 1. Focus on Book Layout and Formatting to Make Books Stand Out
- 2. Craft a Winning Cover to Make Books Stand Out
- 3. Include Critical Elements
- 3. Use High-Quality Materials to Make Books Stand Out
- 4. Plan Your Printing Schedule
- 5. Use Feedback
- 6. Develop a Strong Marketing Plan
- 7. Create Smart Distribution Channels
- Print Your Book Now
7 Ways To Make Your Self-Published Books Stand Out
1. Focus on Book Layout and Formatting to Make Books Stand Out
One key way to make books stand out to readers is to ensure that it looks professionally planned and created.
Engage a Professional Formatter. When possible, consider working with an expert formatter to take care of the look and feel of your book’s format. An experienced formatter can adjust the format and improve the look of your book to elevate your self-published book to a level indistinguishable from a traditionally published book.
Pay Attention to Details. Fonts should be readable. Don’t choose an artistic or fancy font that looks noticeably different from the font other books on the shelf use. Instead of looking unique, your book will stand out because it looks unprofessional. Margins should be standardized throughout the book appearing identical on every page. Page numbering should follow standard practices within your genre. Whitespace’s presence in a book, especially near the book cover, gives it a professional appearance. If possible, don’t minimize it to save on printing costs.
Use Professional Templates. Free or low-cost templates are readily available online. Implementing at the beginning of the book writing process will remove the guesswork out of formatting a book, taking care of the formatting options from the start.
2. Craft a Winning Cover to Make Books Stand Out
The first glimpse of your book comes with the cover, so developing a book cover that meets or exceeds their expectations is another excellent way to make your books stand out.
Add Extra Polish to the Cover. Use a gloss or matte coating on your book’s cover to help your book look great while adding to its durability. Other additions like soft touch covers, linen lamination, or even leather can elevate your book’s cover to a high-end professional appearance.
Follow Genre Norms. Be sure to research what other popular titles look like in your genre. Your book should fall within the norm expectations so readers will not be surprised when they see your book cover design.
Work with Expert Cover Designers. Partnering with an expert cover designer can help you maximize the impact of your writing with a knockout cover design that takes into consideration all aspects of your book’s theme, genre, and popular cover design trends.
Use High-Quality Images to Make Books Stand Out. Nothing spoils a beautiful photograph like low resolution. Be sure to check all images for high quality so they will look crisp and clean when reproduced on your book’s cover.
3. Include Critical Elements
Not only should your book cover accurately reflect your book’s genre, theme, and overall concept, the cover must include two essential features that will help books stand out so booksellers and potential readers can most easily find them.
ISBN. All retailers need a barcode or ISBN number on a book to facilitate purchasing. Your book cover should include this vital information prominently on the cover so booksellers and libraries can buy and sell your book with ease.
Strong Author Branding. Don’t miss the opportunity to introduce yourself to your audience right on the book’s cover. Listing out other published books under your name, naming your author’s website and providing a photograph and a short bio are all great ways to connect your author brand with your work right on your book cover.
3. Use High-Quality Materials to Make Books Stand Out
To make books stand out from the crowd, self-published authors should focus on creating a book with professional quality materials.
Binding and Paper. To add to your book’s durability while also making it look professionally crafted, use top-quality paper in the binding and pages of your book. Thicker, heavier-weight paper gives your book an expert look and feel that readers associate with high quality.
Cover. Adding special coatings or finishes to your book cover can increase the professionalism of your book and help books stand out on the shelf from others in the genre.
4. Plan Your Printing Schedule
When you finish the development and printing of your book may seem like the perfect time to get your book in front of potential readers. But in truth, there may be a better time to print and distribute your book. Carefully planning your printing schedule can boost your book sales and make books stand out from the others on the shelf.
Pick Publishing Dates Appropriately. If your book naturally coordinates with specific events, dates, or anniversaries, consider pushing publication and distribution to anticipate those times. Pushing up or delaying printing might seem counterintuitive, but matching the release of a historical book around the event it commemorates makes sense for marketing purposes, so don’t miss out on an important printing schedule that will have a natural marketing push built-in. In addition, seasonal books are best printed and distributed a few months before their seasonal connection to allow retailers to stock and market them along with other seasonal books.
Reprint Strategically. Most self-publishers like Dazzle Printing use digital printing services, which means that authors who need to change, update, or fix errors in their original manuscripts can do so between printings. With smaller print minimums, digital printing allows self-publishing authors to reprint their books strategically to improve the next copies or even print different size runs to accommodate sales or storage requirements.
5. Use Feedback
One of the biggest benefits of self-publishing is that authors can adjust their book manuscripts even after their book has been initially printed. Engage Beta readers before you print or encourage authentic reviews from early readers of your book, and then consider making changes to your book before you reprint it, when necessary. Eagle-eyed readers can catch errors, missteps, or omissions in your book and help you to refine your work so future readers can benefit.
6. Develop a Strong Marketing Plan
Authors can ensure their books stand out by developing a concrete plan to bring the book to market.
Harness Social Media. Use social media platforms like Instagram, Tik Tok’s BookTok and YouTube to engage with readers, demonstrate your expertise in your field, and give readers a peek at your upcoming book. Plan out your postings to build excitement and provide a cohesive marketing plan that will create a buzz about your book.
Create an Author Website. Even authors with a single book should create a professional website to introduce themselves to their audience. The site gives readers a glimpse into the writer, their process, and peeks into the book the author has written as well as any upcoming works. Using social media platforms to direct fans to the site will help spread the word about your work, and the site can also serve as a retail outlet to purchase your book.
Engage with Readers. Schedule times to be online to interact with potential readers. Seek out or plan discussions with fans, connect with other authors or genre enthusiasts, and respond promptly to social media to build your fan base and help bring attention to your book.
7. Create Smart Distribution Channels
The final strategy to make books stand out from others is try to develop strong channels of distribution for your book.
Online Platforms. Selling your book at in-person retailers as well as through online booksellers and on your author’s website can increase the availability of your book and help it stand out from those only sold on one platform.
Multiple Formats. Once the initial printing of your book is complete, consider making your book available in other formats to increase its availability to reach more readers. Digital formatting or switching from hardback to paperback can reach a whole new audience and help you make your book stand out from the rest.
Print Your Book Now
Turning your book idea into an amazing, printed book takes some planning and effort, but working with a talented printer like Dazzle Printing can make the process seamless. From working with cover design experts to benefitting from the latest digital printing process to accessing top-quality materials, your finished book will look great so know that your book will stand out and catch the eye of your next reader right away.
