C.S Richardson
V.P. Creative Director, Random House of Canada
In the publishing industry, the way your book looks is called the look. It is vital, and is just one of the many elements that the Author’s Workshop teaches our authors. Most authors, as well as many small publishing companies, will usually manufacture a book with a glossy full-color cover and a standard paper. They look only at price and don’t understand quality, creativity, uniqueness, and marketing. They produce books that do not jump out at potential readers as they peruse the bookstore. Their book has the same unexciting look as most of the others. Commonness is not a Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Bland doesn’t sell—sizzle does.
The Author’s Workshop will teach each author why the look must change depending on the subject matter and kind of book.
This is called the treatment. Authors generally don’t understand that there are hundreds of specialized treatments and thousands of combinations.
