Book subject categories are an integral part of marketing your book. You can help bookstores and libraries to decide where to place your book on their shelves by including the categories at the top of the back cover or near the bar code.
This short excerpt from Book Design Made Simple explains where to place book subject categories on your book cover, and how to locate official, accurate book subject categories for your book.
Where to place book subject categories
If you want to let bookstores know where to shelve your book, create a new text frame on the Text layer, type your category, and create a new paragraph style for it. Put it at the top left of your back cover or at the top left corner of your barcode box (notice the one above, and see below).
Where to find book subject categories
To find the proper book subject categories for your book, go to the website of the Book Industry Study Group, which publishes the BISAC codes. They have a simple two-step process that’ll help you choose one or more appropriate categories.
If you don’t have a barcode yet, read our advice about obtaining your book cover barcode.
Read more: How to price your book »
And more: Your field trip to the bookstore »
The excerpt above is from Book Design Made Simple, Second Edition, chapter 64, Designing your back cover, page 430. Copyright © 2017 Fiona Raven and Glenna Collett.
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