It’s one thing making sure the inside of your book is perfect but what about the outside? Most readers take a cover into consideration when choosing a book to read and many also read the back cover (or printed matter) for a synopsis of the story.

The Book Cover

For an eBook, you only have to worry about a front cover; a printed book, on the other hand, requires a front cover, a spine, and a back cover.

Front Cover

On the front cover is the title of the book, the name of the author and any tagline or subtitle. You could also include a short testimonial from a well-known author or expert. And if the book has also won any awards or has been on the USA Today or New York Times bestseller list, you could also reference that too.

Back Cover

On the back cover, you should have a few paragraphs containing sales copy, a synopsis of the story without giving too much away, to entice customers to purchase the book and read it. Here, you will also have the barcode and the ISBN number, along with a short author bio and, if you want, a small photograph.

Spine

If the spine of the book is thick enough for the text to be readable, it will have the title of the book and the author name on it.

The Physical Parts

The physical bits on a printed book are the front and back cover, the pages and the binding. You may also have a dust jacket on it. The bookbinding includes:

Book Cover/Book Boards – the outer covering

Joint – the outside of the book that creases or bends when you open the book

Hinge – the inside edge or interior part of the book joint

Head – the top of the book

Tail – the bottom of the book

Spine – the edge where all pages of the book are joined together

Fore-edge – the opposite edge to the spine

Book Block/Text Block – the internal pages of the book

Signatures – a stack of at least two sheets of paper that are folder and grouped for attaching to the spine, usually by sewing or glue

End Paper – sometimes called End Sheets – the end sheets inside the book, in between the front and rear covers and the printed pages of the book

So, now you know exactly what goes into a book and if you got this far, you know more about what makes a book than many new and aspiring authors do, and it gives you the edge when it comes to creating your book and having it look professional.

How you create that book is entirely up to you. Whether you opt to do it all yourself or you hire professionals to help you, you need to have that knowledge under your belt to make sure you get it right. Writing a book is about far more than just writing the content; it’s about creating a masterpiece, a professional book that people want to read and want to recommend to others.