So, you’ve finalised your cover design and are excited to share it with your online followers. There are a few things to consider first when organising a cover reveal. Here are our tips for how to share your cover to the greatest effect:
Why is it a good idea?
Revealing a cover early is a great way of piquing your readers’ or followers’ interest before the book’s publication. It can get people talking about the book in advance, and is a chance for you to start publicity early, before the book is published.
Use a cover reveal to kickstart your marketing and get the book in front of potential readers. This can give readers a first impression of the book and can also be a way of announcing that pre-orders are set up.
A cover reveal provides a valuable opportunity to interact with your followers, and build anticipation for the book’s publication in a planned way. And it can be very easy to do!
When is the best time to start?
Depending on your marketing strategy, try and plan the reveal as early as you can, before publication. However, you must ensure the final design has been approved and won’t change before sharing it. It can confuse readers if you release an initial proof and then make amendments so the printed book is different. Build up to the reveal in a structured way.
Think about when your reveal will have the greatest impact: is there a particular day, i.e. a personal celebration or national holiday that coincides in some way with your book?
For instance, if you’ve written a historical novel set during the American War of Independence, a significant anniversary of the conflict could be an appropriate date to share interesting historical facts and reveal your book cover.
Or, join the conversation in National Share-a-Story month in May (UK).
Where and how should I do it?
1. On social media
Decide whether you want to focus on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn or another platform. General opinion is that sticking to one platform for the reveal itself is best. You could choose the platform where you have the most followers, or the one you’re focusing on expanding.
One way to strategise your reveal is to spread it across a few social media posts - for instance, four over a period of a couple of weeks. On post one, write a teaser post saying you’ve seen the cover and are very excited to share it. In the second post, talk about what your initial ideas were for the cover, or what affect you wanted the design to have on its audience. Then in post three, hint to the specifics i.e. the colour choices, images, perhaps reveal the blurb. This all leads up to post four, the reveal itself.
2. On your newsletter, mailing list or website
Showing the cover on your website or sending it out to your mailing list means it will be directly noticeable to site visitors or in subscribers’ inboxes. Social media posts are generally best when short, but you can expand or elaborate a bit more on the design process in one newsletter or blog post.
3. Partner with a publication or influencer
If you are cultivating, or already have, contacts with relevant blogs, reviewers, or social media influencers, consider reaching out to them to see if they would share your cover on their platform. This can have a mutually beneficial effect by providing them with content, and expanding their reach as well as helping to get your cover in front of your target audience (for instance, a blog that reviews books of the same genre as yours). It’s good practise when partnering with someone for a reveal to give them a 24-hour exclusive on sharing artwork.
Things to remember:
• Make sure you have a high-resolution cover image to share of the approved final cover. Your publishing assistant can provide you with a web-ready file.
• Include links to the pre-order, if available, your website or information about the designer or illustrator.
• Discuss the timing of your reveal with your publishing assistant, to make sure all the pre-orders or links, if applicable, are ready to go, and so that SilverWood can support your promotion by liking and sharing posts across our accounts.
• Don’t forget to respond to any comments with excitement and enthusiasm, and interact with your current or perhaps new fans!
Want to know more?
If you would like to know more about publishing your book, please drop a line to publishing director Helen Hart here
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