Reviving Your Backlist Titles – Production, Part 2

Step 5 Production—Cover Design, Formatting, Uploads

Cover Design

Decide if you’re going to use stock cover art or hire a designer. I recommend hiring a professional cover artist. You’ll have many things to consider, such as:

· Placement, size, and font for your book title and author name

· Series logo

· Text color

· Type of illustrations—photographic or cartoonish? Pastels or bold colors?

· Mood and story genre

· Endorsements or Awards

See my previous posts on this topic:

Book Cover Design Process

Book Cover Design

Formatting and Uploads

Prepare an author bio, book description, and keywords. For a print edition, you’ll also need the back cover copy. Determine the price of your book.



If you need help with the book blurb, go to:

Book Blurbs: http://blurbcopy.wordpress.com/

Blurb Queen: www.theblurbqueen.com

Blurb Bitch: http://www.blurbbitch.com

Book Description Tips: http://insights.bookbub.com/how-to-improve-your-description-copy-to-sell-more-ebooks/

Set up a publisher account at the various vendors.

Amazon: https://kdp.amazon.com

Barnes & Noble: https://www.nookpress.com/

Kobo: http://writinglife.kobobooks.com

Apple/iTunes Connect: https://itunesconnect.apple.com

Createspace: http://www.Createspace.com

Google Play: http://googleplay.com

For upload to iBooks, you must own an Apple device. An option is to go through Smashwords or Draft2Digital. These sites are also useful for access to vendors beyond the big six above. You can choose selective distributor channels. Or you can hire a formatter to do the iBooks upload for you. A professional formatter can customize your document and buy links for each vendor. Here are some popular companies but there are many more. This is not an endorsement of any one in particular.

Author E.M.S. with Amy Atwell

Ebook Formatting Fairies with Marie Force

eBook Prep

Formatting4u with Judi Fennell

The Killion Group, Inc.

If you prefer to do the formatting and uploads yourself, check out Terry Odell’s blog for an instructional series on formatting for various vendors. Also join the Self-Publish listserve that is invaluable for the indie author. Send an email to selfpublish-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. If this link doesn’t work, sign into your Yahoo account and look for the selfpublish group.

You’ll want to upload to Createspace for a print edition. I advise using your own ISBN so you will be listed as publisher. Select as many extended channels as you’re allowed. Order a proof copy. Be aware this process takes a couple of weeks so allow for plenty of time when setting a pub date.

After your book is published, file for copyright. Then proceed to market your new release.

If you missed previous installments in this series, go here:

Reviving Your Backlist Titles – Revisions

Reviving Your Backlist Titles – Updating the Work

Reviving Your Backlist Titles – Manuscript Preparation

Reviving Your Backlist Titles – Legalities

Reviving Your Backlist Titles – Production, Part 1

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