In a way, I’m kicking myself for not publishing a paperback version at the same time as the ebook. Frankly, I didn’t imagine that the ebook would be as popular as it is. When I did a quick search of what’s involved, it seemed like an easy decision because of the print-on-demand availability. The hardest part was making decisions.
Back Cover Book Blurb
What goes on the back of the book? I researched what other cozy mystery authors did, and many of them just described their story. Then I looked to blogs for other ideas of what could go on the back cover, such as in this post. I considered these possibilities:
- Book tagline
- Book description
- Intended audience
- Reader review quotes
- Editorial review quote
- Artwork from the cover
- Author bio
- Author photo
- Book cover designer image
- Publisher image
- ISBN
That’s a lot. Experts recommend I keep my blurb under 200 words. I rehired my book-cover designer to create the spine and back cover. Here’s what I came up with:
How far will Mary go to uncover the secrets of her
close-knit community without revealing her own hidden truth?
With the will missing and an unscrupulous nephew circling, a parks director, Mary, has thirty days to find her late best friend’s will, or forfeit not only the community garden’s expansion, but her safely buried secret dream.
This fast-paced story is for you if you:
- admire a strong woman amateur sleuth
- get intrigued by a charming town’s secrets and lies
- appreciate neighborliness, gardening, and an old-fashioned diner
- love animals, even a paper-eating yellow Labrador who’s not above suspicion
“A twisty and suspenseful tale of secrets and obsession.”
“The prose is polished to perfection.”
“Enjoy this little gem at the beach or by the fire this fall.”
“★★★★ Loved it! For a novella, the story packs quite a lot in! Kristy Schnabel includes plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing …” — Editorial review, Reedsy Discovery
Kristy K. Schnabel caught the writing bug after retiring and can’t seem to stop. Will her internet searches of “how to commit murder?” get her thrown in the clink? She and her husband live in Oregon. www.KristySchnabel.com
Book designer logo
Publisher logo
ISBN block
ISBN Number
As the book designer worked on the back cover, I had other tasks to do. I researched how to claim another ISBN number on my Bowker account, which included questions I had to research, such as how much might my book weigh, do I want white or off-white paper, and do I want a gloss or matte finish. My goal was to be consistent with other books in my genre, so I looked to them.
Preparing the PDF
In concept, it’s easy to convert a Word document into a PDF, but there are readability concerns. Because the text is justified — a straight line on both the right and left margins — I needed to make sure there weren’t any lines with too much or too little space. I also kept an eye out for widows and orphans, single lines or words on a single page. In my case, I had a note left from one main character to another, and I wanted the entire note to be on one page.
Ordering the Author Proof
After the above, Amazon encourages authors to order a proof copy. By the way, they charge for it, and they add a band to the cover that says, “Not for Sale.” Amazon made me pay for shipping, which irritated me. I have yet to figure out how to link my personal and business accounts so that my Prime membership will be effective on both. So far, I’ve spent an hour on the phone with Amazon doing that and still no luck yet. (Post publication update: a writer friend tells me that we authors have to pay for shipping on author proofs. A quick search with Google’s Gemini confirms this. To that I say, “Boo!”
The Proof Arrived
It thrilled me to get the book copy! And that’s where I am in the process right now. I need to look at every page to ensure everything looks okay. I’m taking an advanced fiction writing class, so I will juggle my time.
Mistakes I Made
I made two huge mistakes that I don’t want you to make:
- I forgot to change the ISBN on the copyright page of the PDF. Argh! (I needed to do this on my formatting platform [Reedsy Studio], a detail I forgot.
- I didn’t count my pages correctly for the book cover designer. I needed to count the beginning pages (copyright, acknowledgement, epigraph, etc.) before the page numbers start. An accurate page count is necessary to determine the width of the book’s spine.
Well, all of this is a learning process. I keep telling myself that it will be easier next time! Stay tuned for when I’ll be making the print version live!
Kristy Schnabel 
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