Last month I revealed layout secrets from typesetters of best selling books. A professional book interior layout is just one ingredient in a recipe for designing a book that grabs attention and sells. Another ingredient is to create an eye-catching book cover. Here are some things to consider before designing your next cover. A book cover is like your bait. You have four ways to get consumers to bite, which are the front cover, back cover, spine, and possibly inside flaps. E-books are changing the face of book sales a bit, which makes it even more important to have a…
Your book’s more than a collection of words on pages. It’s your baby. But will other people find it as beautiful as you do? That depends. How do you dress it? In other words, what do your pages look like? Layout makes all the difference. You can have the most riveting, meaningful, Nobel prize-worthy masterpiece in the bookstore, but it will be very lonely on those shelves if no one wants to buy it. Here’s how John Q. Citizen shops for a book. He saunters into his favorite bookshop with nothing in particular in mind to purchase. He picks up…
In Part 1 of my “First Impression Last” story, I told you about my quest to find a contractor to landscape my backyard . . . and the trouble I had figuring out who’s who with the generic batch of business cards I brought home from the local home show! I finally did get in touch with the right person for the job, but it was almost like finding a needle in a haystack. It shouldn’t be that hard to figure out what your specialty or niche is with a good business card design. I was at a Chamber of Commerce…
Let me tell you about the last home show I went to. It was your typical home show with lots of booths, pretty displays, loads of freebies. But I wasn’t interested in all that. I was on a mission. I needed a landscaping contractor to take my dismal, ordinary backyard and turn it into Fantasy Island. Not too much to ask, right? I was prepared to spend all day, if necessary, talking with every last landscaping contractor there in order to find someone to make my dream come true. So I grabbed a tall mocha on the way in, took…
They’re the workhorses of any speaker marketing program. They hit the streets for you, and they’ve got muscle. Everything you want someone to know about your expertise and services — all in one place. So if you don’t have one . . . you’ve got to get one! Picture this. You take the time to get involved in various networking groups — or maybe you do some cold calling — or maybe you happen to meet someone who may have a genuine need for a person just like you. So now what? Well, there’s a simple and effective way to…
What’s the quickest way to create mood without saying a word? Color! Before they read your marketing piece, they see it – and their feeling about your business begins. So it’s a good idea to take some time to find out what colors mean – and how they can help sell for you. When you learn the psychology of colors you will be able to add a whole new layer to your marketing materials. Here’s how color use in advertising can attract a specific target market and evoke the desired response. The color scheme you choose for your ad, flyer or…
Friday, March 23, 2007 was the 13th Colorado Independent Publishers Association CIPA EVVY book awards banquet. After many years of celebrating with my clients with their EVVY award winning books, I had the opportunity as an author and publisher to enter my own book, Turn Eye Appeal into Buy Appeal. I was thrilled to receive first place in the “How To” category. Shown below is the cover of my award-winning book. This year CIPA introduced the Technical Awards to recognize associate members for their contribution in book production. These awards go to editors, graphic designers, printers and illustrators. I…
What fits on one sheet and costs pennies to make? You see them all the time. Flyers are hugely effective, because you can make so many and distribute them all over the marketplace without having to spend a fortune. But just so your flyers don’t get lost in the shuffle, I’m going to show you the second 5 of 10 techniques professional designers use to design a flyer that will generate business for you. STAY AWAY FROM ALL CAPS. They’re hard to read! Instead, use bold type for your titles and subtitles. Keep it simple. Your page layout, that is….
What is an essential marketing tool that is relatively inexpensive, you can print and hand out or distribute electronically? Flyers and brochures! I’m going to show you the first 5 of 10 techniques that savvy graphic designers use to design attractive brochures: It’s all about the headline. What’s in a headline? It’s the first thing your prospects will see, and this will decide if they keep reading or not. So pick something that will stand out, stick in their mind, and make them want more! Here’s a few magic words to start with: Easy, The Secrets To, Unlock, Finally, Insider, Time Sensitive,…
Think of any large company, and I’ll bet you can picture its logo. It seems like they must have been born with it, but they weren’t. Every logo had to start somewhere. And you can start building recognition right now that will continue for years when you create a strong visual brand. To do this, you’ll need to learn how to create a distinctive logo. A good logo will be visually captivating, and will tell people what your company does and what it stands for. And then you can carry that logo onto just about everything that leaves your office, from…