Do Judge A Book By Its Cover

All books contain title and author information on the front cover, as well as a short sales pitch of a few words. The front cover may also include an illustration or photograph that relates to the content of the book. With most books the back cover contains a more detailed sales pitch known as the "blurb."

An author's bio is also included, especially for non-fiction books. The author's bio is where you list your accomplishments, honors and writing credentials. This is usually accompanied by a photograph of the author. It is important to choose the photograph carefully so that it shows something of your personality.

Finally, the ISBN and price are printed on the back cover. If you are printing a hardcover book, with a dust jacket, the front and back flaps leave additional room for sales blurb. In this case, the front flap is likely to contain additional information about the content, with plaudits from reviewers where available, while the author's bio will move to the back flap. This leaves more space for an extended blurb on the back cover.