If you’ve ever heard never to judge a book by its cover, we’re going to break that rule today. The reality is that your publication’s presentation is the first impression they will get, which will determine whether or not shoppers decide to give it a close look and how much value it will actually likely offer them.
You have to consider what kind of image you’d like to project for your book and then test out which versions of it your audience is taking to the best. In this article, we’re going to talk about how to use publishing mockups to optimize your success.
Common types of publications
There are a variety of publications that exist, which seek to attract readers’ and consumers’ attention as well as their interest. Nowadays, these can be ordered in paperback or people can read them on e-readers like Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Barnes & Noble Nook, or on their devices.
Fortunately, there are services online like a free mockup generator to rid you of the burden of having to design the initial mockup itself.
Here are the primary types of publications that exist.
- Books: These are in-depth written works available in print or digital format, covering a range of genres and topics. Their main goal is either to inform, entertain, or educate readers through storytelling factual content or thought-provoking ideas.
- Magazines: These are periodic publications. They’re often consumed in print at newsstands or through subscriptions but also on websites through digital editions or subscriptions on platforms like Issuu.
- Newspapers and news sites: These provide regular coverage of events and certain sectors. They profess to strive to inform the public though they very often have political agendas.
- Studies and whitepapers: These are designed to provide research, analysis, and expert opinions. They strive to educate and inform a professional audience. These are typically consumed in electronic form.
- Comics and graphic novels: These are visual storytelling formats that combine illustrations and text. They are usually designed for entertainment.
Varieties of mockups
Before one goes forward with mass producing large quantities of publications in physical form, it’s well worth authors’ and publishers’ while to first test out the way the market is going to react and adjust the presentation based on that. At the same time, different staff members working together can ensure they stay on the same page much better by communicating with each other in the form of live mockups they can all edit.
As opposed to the publication itself, mockups can be instantly modified and A/B testing can be initiated to refine details of the book or newspaper’s presentation. This involves changing one factor that you test on two nearly identical groups of people whose only difference is experiencing different versions of the product.
E-books
Nowadays, a lot more people are reading books on their device screens. Before people go ahead and buy though, they have to be convinced that the publication is something that they need. E-book mockups give them that preview, which often involves reading through samples of the book. Thus, designers can take advantage of testing out the text they use on the sales page and the sample images they make available.
First and foremost, however, you must direct your attention to your book’s cover and consider things like:
- the mood you’re creating
- the font and font size
- potential images or lack thereof
- other success factors
You will also need to decide which font and font size you’ll be using in the book itself.
Environment mockups
Another great reason publishers must use mockups and digital representations of their products is because the Internet affords such extensive, wide-open opportunities to market one’s works there. Social media provides all kinds of opportunities in the form of paid ads on Instagram and Facebook, influencers who could recommend your book, and search engine optimization.
In all of these cases, you will do well to present an image of your product, an image which you’ll want to be as impactful as possible. The way you can maximize its success is by using different mockups in A/B testing. These mockups meanwhile do better when they are presented in an environment in which the user can relate to it easily, so he can picture buying and owning your product or subscribing to it.
Environment mockups feature:
- A flattering presentation of your book or publication
- A physical environment portrayed in the picture to simulate an environment in which the user could be reading it, which may be an office, a bookstore, or a university campus
- An array of editing software tools that allow designing the image to become as realistic and attractive as possible
Prototypes
About 65% of books are still being purchased in paperback form. Prototypes are often deemed necessary for physical mockups. If you plan to focus primarily on paperback or paper-based publications, it will be very helpful to print out a high-fidelity model of one to check how well it looks and what other adjustments need to be made.
Successful publication mockup tips
Though you will undoubtedly be testing a range of factors in your mockups, there is a range of features that generally increase the chances of an online campaign’s success.
They are:
- High-quality, professional visuals: the quality of your visuals makes a huge impact on your audience. Your audience will look at how polished your book is and take that as an indicator of your work’s quality.
- Realistic presentation: buyers need a true sense of what they can expect. The more they can imagine it in their lives and having relevance, the more it will register with them.
- Appeal to your target audience: tailor your mockup to reflect the genre and style of the book to ensure it resonates with the intended audience. For instance, a mockup for a romance novel should have a soft romantic look while a book on business advice should be less artistic and flashy and more to the point.
- Clear branding: the mockup needs to reflect the book’s consistent branding, including its cover design, typography, as well as its signature fonts and colors. This helps build recognition, value, and trust.
- Social proof: be sure to include reader reviews, ratings, or awards on the mockup. Storytelling works incredibly well in marketing and if you take your readers through a personal journey of yours, they will be able to often relate to your emotions. It will be better if you can let past customers tell stories for you though.
- Device compatibility: show how your publication looks on different popular devices, including computers, iPhones, and tablets.
- Compelling sales pitch and CTA: you need to test out different sales strategies, such as deciding whether to build value on your sales page or go straight to the point.
- Take advantage of technology to make the product page viewing process as immersive as possible, which brings us to our next section.
Power of 3D mockups
You want to give your audience the chance to view your product from as many angles as possible and immerse them as much as you can. As image quality helps them want to buy more, allowing them to see the publication from all sorts of flattering angles will further ramp up the aesthetic value for them.
Instead of just relying on 3D, however, studies show that going a whole lot further than that will be worth your while as well. If you can manage it, produce interactive mockups, where you can for instance click on the book or an element of the book and allow the shopper to move it around or manipulate it in some way.
Other elements that will ramp up the conversion rate of your 3D mockup include:
- adding video
- augmented and virtual reality
- allowing them to zoom in and out
- allowing them to interact with minor graphic elements
