Is your book a word-of-mouth worthy PURPLE COW?

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Is your book a word-of-mouth worthy PURPLE COW?

July 28, 2011 by Laura Orsini

Is your book a word-of-mouth worthy PURPLE COW?

(Please click on image to enlarge.)

OK, I’ll admit this one sounds obvious … but every single time I’ve thought something was so obvious it didn’t bear a comment, it turned out there was need of a reminder. Seriously – even if you’re self-publishing an e-book, make the best book you can. This is a little detail known as “being remarkable.” Seth Godin reminds us in Purple Cow how little it takes to be remarkable. That’s what I’m suggesting here – sparkle as an SBM* by standing out from the crowd and delivering a truly kick-ass product.

Here’s the caveat: It’s make the best book YOU can … not necessarily the best book in the world. Remember our recent mantra for perfectionists: DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT.

Here are the components that go into a quality self-published book:

A good topic and strong writing
Professional editing
Professional graphics and illustrations, when appropriate
Professional front and back cover design
Professional layout and page design
Professional typesetting
A logo for your publishing company (that does not in any way reference your name)
ISBN and barcode
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number – if you intend to sell to libraries)
Copyright
Publishing date
Table of contents
Header/footer with page numbers
A well-thought-out index, if necessary
A glossary of terms, if appropriate
A bibliography of referenced sources, if appropriate
An appendix of ancillary materials, if appropriate
Blurbs for your cover (and inside front pages) from experts and people well-esteemed in your subject matter

If you have anything to add to this list, please do so in the COMMENTS section.

Anyone can write and publish a book, but it takes time, effort, money, and commitment to publish a remarkable book. There are just no two ways around it: the better your book, the easier it will be to market. This is not a guarantee that it will sell, but it will leave you towering above all the other books out there in an ever-more-crowded market.

See you Monday!

MARCIE

*Savvy Book Marketer

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Visit Write | Market | Design to download your Marketing Skills Evaluation. This will help you determine how close you are to SBM status, and where you may need a little extra boost.

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We welcome and encourage your thoughtful, courteous comments below.

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Monday, July 25 – Marketing a book is different than marketing a smartphone or a pair of shoes

Thursday, July 21 – Book marketing is like brushing your teeth – you have to do it every day