Hi all!
This week I thought I'd write another blog post that could help authors, this time about book posters.
What is a book poster?
It is a poster designed to market your book. It usually has the book cover on the front, and where the book is available to purchase. Some choose to have a solid colour background or a picture, while other authors go for illustrations. An example of one of my book posters is below:
I went down the illustration route, as I like those best on posters. The top of the poster is dedicated towards the illustration, which initially catches the eye. Then as they look down the reader can see the book cover, tag line, and the fact that it's available on Amazon. Not all authors use book posters, but I prefer having something to tag onto the end of my blog posts and emails.
Pros.
Eye-catching.
A lot of posters can be eye-catching, which is exactly what you need when marketing your book. You want people to be drawn to it and check out your work.
You can make them yourself.
Using websites like BookBrush or Canva, you can make your own marketing material. They have a lot of templates and designs to choose from. You don't have to pay someone else to make it for you.
Useful for advertising.
If you use Facebook ads, then having a book poster as your ad could help you make more sales. It also means you don't have to worry too much about the visual aspect of the ad, as that has already been covered.
Cons.
Illustrations can be expensive.
To get the type of illustration that you want for your poster, it's going to cost money. To get a good one by a talented artist will, rightfully, cost more. If you want to use illustration, make sure you set aside a bit of your budget for the cost of this.
You can't use them in many places.
I use them at the end of my blog posts and emails, but that's about it. Most posters are too large and get cropped by social media sites. This means that they can't grab people as easily. There aren't many places that they can be used effectively.
Might not do as well as regular advertising.
Using a book poster as an ad may not work, depending on your target audience. Some prefer to see images that relate to your book. For example: weapons, backgrounds or creatures.
That's it for this week! Do you have a book poster? Do you consider it a marketing necessity? Comment your thoughts below! See you next week.
