Book adverts

Status
Not open for further replies.

Baryonyx

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 6, 2010
Messages
725
Reaction score
124
I'm currently working on designing an advert for True Hero? (released on July 1st) that is going to appear in a magazine/show guide that will be available at a comic convention.

Anyway I've got the parametres but I was wondering how the good folks on this forum think a book ad would look.

Whether it should be a large image of the cover along with the release date or a smaller image of the cover with the blurb of the book, release date & website below?

I don't wanna get it wrong! :)

Thanks :)
 

Kindness

Back From My Self-Imposed Exile
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 20, 2010
Messages
454
Reaction score
34
Location
London
Website
www.boyvsworld.blogspot.com
Man, I see book ads on billboards in Central London all the time, but for some reason they're pretty hard to find online. They look sort of like this though:

BookAdSmall.jpg


There's always an image of the book, and some kind of image or design on the back that sets the tone (blood spatters, a moonlit clearing, etc). Then there's a bit of text talking about the book. It's normally only a few lines long (I'm assuming this is because commuters are in a hurry). There also tends to be a bunch of quotes from positive reviews.

That's what I normally see, anyway. I'm not a marketing expert, though :) I suppose you could adapt this into something smaller for [said magazine].
 
Last edited:

Baryonyx

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 6, 2010
Messages
725
Reaction score
124
Thanks!

That example is great, although that looks really difficult for me with my limited design/computer knowledge to pull off :(

I'll give it a shot at making something similar to that though.
 

CarrieAnn

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 11, 2011
Messages
980
Reaction score
22
I hope you'll show us, when you get it done. Let me know if you need any help. :)
 

dangerousbill

Retired Illuminatus
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
Messages
4,810
Reaction score
413
Location
The sovereign state of Baja Arizona
I'm currently working on designing an advert for True Hero? (released on July 1st) that is going to appear in a magazine/show guide that will be available at a comic convention.

If you want to make sure your money is well spent, check with people who advertised in previous years. When publishing my wife's local history book years ago, I put an advertisement in the Baker and Taylor catalog. On another occasion, I took out an ad to publicize a signing for the book.

Both ads were total (I mean complete) failures. There were about five sales through Baker and Taylor, and only three people showed up for the signing. This, from a printing of 3000 that eventually sold out.

My conclusion: print ads are a total waste of money. People look right through them.
 

Wordwrestler

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Aug 6, 2009
Messages
946
Reaction score
157
I've been prompted to look for books based on radio ads many times. I don't think I have with print ads, though. But that could be because I'm not as exposed to them.

Based on my own experience as a reader, I have to believe ads are effective to some degree. So many times I've heard an ad for a book/ author writing on a topic or in a genre I love, and I'd never heard of them before that.

The frustrating thing about radio ads can be hearing the name or title wrong, or going through various spellings of the author's unusual name in order to find their books.
 

Erika_Lindsen

Writing, writing, writing
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 21, 2011
Messages
206
Reaction score
12
Location
I'm lost
Website
www.erikabooks.webs.com
I have to agree to some degree with bill. But I think it's all in the design. The one shown above, honestly, I would skip over. For me, it's too bland. If you have some sort of pop to it, I would check it out. Make it fabulous!
 

gothicangel

Toughen up.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 29, 2008
Messages
7,907
Reaction score
692
Location
North of the Wall
If you want to make sure your money is well spent, check with people who advertised in previous years. When publishing my wife's local history book years ago, I put an advertisement in the Baker and Taylor catalog. On another occasion, I took out an ad to publicize a signing for the book.

Both ads were total (I mean complete) failures. There were about five sales through Baker and Taylor, and only three people showed up for the signing. This, from a printing of 3000 that eventually sold out.

My conclusion: print ads are a total waste of money. People look right through them.

Yes, this exactly why big publishers rarely place advertisements in magazines or newspapers. I rarely buy a title off the back of an advert, I do buy them after watching/reading an author interview or recommendation [perfect example: I am currently reading I, Claudius after a recommendation in the Historicals sub-forum.]

Even in the digital age, word of mouth is still publisher's best friend.
 

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman
Super Moderator
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 12, 2005
Messages
22,454
Reaction score
4,960
Location
In chaos
Ads tend not to work on their own. For them to be truly effective at finding readers, they have to be part of a big promotional push involving interviews, media appearances and so on.

Having said that, the book trade usually uses ads in the trade press to get bookshop buyers to stock their titles. They are reasonably effective when used in this way, but only if there's a good distributor involved and a strong (and often expensive) marketing plan already in place.
 

Baryonyx

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 6, 2010
Messages
725
Reaction score
124
Thanks for the advice :)

Hmm, mixed thoughts on whether print ads are successful.

I'm pretty eager to promote True Hero? as much as possible, figured an advert could help so it's a bit surprising that printed ads don't really make much of a difference.

Plus I've been trying for the past hour to design something and keep failing. I'm awful at this sort of thing. Design isn't my strong suit. :p :p :p I guess I'll see how it goes, if I get my design nailed by tomorrow (the deadline. I know I left it late but the idea only occured to me yesterday) I'll give it a try.

So I don't clutter up the board with posts, anyone got any other book promotion ideas they'd be willing to share?

I'm going to organise some blog interviews, send copies to reviewers (Once I've got an review copy available) and I've sent promotional bookmarks out to various comic book stores to hand out to customers (since superhero fiction I think would appeal to the same sort of crowd who buy comics, I hope)

My publisher is also doing some promotion too but I really don't feel right leaving it all to the publisher and not trying to promote the novel myself. Anyone got any more ideas??? :)
 

JulieB

I grow my own catnip
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 17, 2006
Messages
2,403
Reaction score
213
Location
Deep in the heart o' Texas
An ad in a con program book is a good thing, particularly if you'll be on programming at the convention or if your book is available in the dealer room.

If your publisher is already doing promotion, ask them if they might have something ready that would fit the format. They shouldn't mind providing you with promotional materials, particularly if you're paying for the ad. If they don't have anything that fits in the format, you can at least use their materials as a guide so your ad will fit in with the overall marketing strategy.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.