Judging a Book by its Cover

1
Judging a Book by its Cover

• How books are sold . . .

2
Quickwrite, part 1

• If I were an author, how could I convince you to
  read or buy my book?

3
Did you know . . . ?

• The spine and front cover are designed to get
  you to take a book off the shelf but
• the back cover copy is designed to convince
  you to take that bookhome.

4
Quickwrite, part 2

• If I were an author, what could I put on my
  back cover copy to convince you to read or buy my
  book?

5
Meet author Jason J-Mac McElwain

• http//www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
  article?AID/20060224/SPORTS0102/602240373/1007/SP
  ORTS
• http//multimedia.democratandchronicle.com/video/0
  60303JmacVideo.html
• http//www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
  article?AID/20070209/MULTIMEDIA05/302090009/-1/MU
  LTIMEDIA

6
Would you buy his book?Why or why not?
7
testimonial

• The use of a quotation or
• endorsement, in or out of context, that attempts
• to connect a famous or respectable person with a
• product or item (e.g., Tiger Woods, a famous
• golfer, endorsing a particular kind of cereal
• promoting the product as part of a balanced
• breakfast).

8
Whos sellingJ-Macs story?How?
9
Whos buyingthe book?Why?
10
Back cover copy browse

• How many testimonials are needed to sell a book?
• How long is the average testimonial? Why?
• What words or phrases grab your attention? How?
  Why?
• Where do testimonials come from? Whos
  speaking?
• Whos in the audience? Who would connect best to
  the messages in these testimonials?

11
extensions

• Write your own back cover copy, with
  testimonials, for a book youve read.
• Locate and talk or write about about real world
  examples of testimonials designed to sell a
  product or idea to someone like you.
• List examples and nonexamples of testimonials
  found on the back cover copy of books you own (or
  books in your classroom or school library).