Sunday, April 27, 2014

Make your Sell Sheets Sell


Templates for sell sheets on the Web make it appear that there are defined rules for sell sheets. I think there is only one rule: Sell sheets should appeal to buyers and make them want to buy your book.

WHAT MAKES A SELL SHEET APPEALING TO BUYERS?
Most book buyers don’t read anything that looks dense or difficult.
  • ·      Use size 12 or 14 print.
  • ·      Leave plenty of white space.
  • ·      Keep paragraphs short.
  • ·      Try using a two-column format.
  • ·      Limit the sell sheet to one-page.
Use color. The choice of color depends on the genre of the book and the cover, which is the main artwork on most sell sheets. For example, pastels and purple are often used to sell romances.

Design features are important but shouldn’t overpower. For example, a narrow (one-half inch) border of black and white zebra stripes around the edge of a sell sheet for a children’s book might be effective, but a wider border would detract from the cover and the blurb. Generally I like design features (such as a colored box) that draw attention to the book’s blurb.

Consider making two versions of your sell sheet. Book retailers and distributors often cringe when they see the word Amazon. Information on how to obtain the books from Amazon is essential when you’re talking to most readers at book fairs and talks

WHAT SHOULD YOU INCLUDE ON A SELL SHEET?
  • ·      Title of the book, boldly at top of page
  • ·      Author’s info: name, website, blog, and other ways to contact. Some think a photo of the author and a short (one or two    sentences) bio are appealing.
  • ·      Blurb, only three to four sentences.
  • ·      Cover of the book, large enough that you can read the print
  • ·      Reviewers’ comments or awards
  • ·      Publisher’s info: name, date of publication, ways to contact
  • ·      Book info: genre, ISBN number, format, number of pages

What do you think makes a sell sheet effective? Let me know.

Thanks

 JL Greger, author of medical thrillers and mysteries - Ignore the Pain, Coming Flu, Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight

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