View Our Book Catalog

2024 Book Catalog

BOOKSTORE Journey Institute Press

Journey Institute Press offers all of our books directly from our printer often at a reduced price to help offset basic shipping costs. Please consider purchasing our author’s books via the links below to help support local authors directly.

Click on an author’s name below to learn more about their books.

Books by Lynann Butler

Oh God of Second Chances, Here I Am Again HARDCOVER

Belz, Christy
$25.50

Buy Now

Oh God of Second Chances, Here I Am Again PAPERBACK

Belz, Christy,
$18.00

Buy Now

Walking With Tigers: One Refugee’s Amazing Story….

Butler, Lynann
$17.50

Buy Now

Books by Ashley Cornelius

Wasn’t Expecting This: Essays on life and family ( ….

Ciment, Adina
$25.00

Buy Now

Translations from the Soul

Cornelius, Ashley
$27.00

Buy Now

Books by Andrea Gelfuso

ACT, ONE HARDCOVER

Cervantes Dunn, CC
$21.97

Buy Now

ACT ONE – PAPERBACK

Cervantes Dunn, CC
$13.00

Buy Now

My Modena: A Year of Fear, Laughter, and… HARDCOVER

Susan Valentine Gelfuso Goetz, Andrea,
$24.00

Buy Now

My Modena: A Year of Fear, Laughter, and… PAPERBACK

Susan Valentine Gelfuso Goetz, Andrea,
$14.50

Buy Now

Books by Andrea Gelfuso & Lindy Lou Losh

Books by Mary Grant

Zuri the Zebra and the Seasons of Giving HARDCOVER

Gelfuso, Andrea and Losh, Lindy Lou
$19.95

Buy Now

Zuri the Zebra and the Seasons of Giving PAPERBACK

Gelfuso, Andrea and Losh, Lindy Lou
$13.95

Buy Now

UNLEASH YOUR INNER GODDESS HARDCOVER

Grant, Mary
$21.99

Buy Now

UNLEASH YOUR INNER GODDESS PAPERBACK

Grant, Mary
$15.00

Buy Now

Books by Laura L. Holloway

The Limited Edition Bicentennial…. HARDCOVER

Grant, Michael Jai
$31.50

Buy Now

The Limited Edition Bicentennial…. PAPERBACK

Grant, Michael Jai
$18.95

Buy Now

Dancing With Demons: A Love… HARDCOVER

Holloway, Laura L
$24.95

Buy Now

Books by Dafna Michaelson Jenet

Bedtime Stories For Grown Ups Vol. 1 HARDCOVER

Hill, Peggy
$24.97

Buy Now

Bedtime Stories for Grown Ups Vol 1 PAPERBACK

Hill, Peggy
$15.35

Buy Now

It takes a little crazy to make a difference (Dafna’s Version) HARDCOVER

Michaelson Jenet, Dafna
$23.00

Buy Now

Books by Dave Krepcho

Trouble Comes In Threes HARDCOVER

Jenet, Michael
$23.00

Buy Now

Trouble Comes In Threes PAPERBACK

Jenet, Michael
$14.50

Buy Now

Empty Plates: The Evolution of Hunger Relief, Unti ….

Krepcho, Dave and Strom, Claire
$25.00

Buy Now

A Trio of Trouble HARDCOVER

Jenet, Michael
$23.00

Buy Now

MOTIVESTIONS: The Missing Key to Living Your Best ….

Jenet, Michael
$21.57

Buy Now

Books by Kirk Montgomery

The Heart of Teaching HARDCOVER

Lee, Lisa
$24.00

Buy Now

The Heart of Teaching PAPERBACK

Lee, Lisa
$14.00

Buy Now

Joey’s Journey: Who Rescued Who

Montgomery, Kirk
$22.99

Buy Now

Books by Kelly Price & Gavi Michaelson

Around the World in 80 Years: A lifetime of extrao ….

Peterson, Pat
$28.50

Buy Now

Kaci the Pirate: Scourge of the Seas PAPERBACK

Price, Kelly and Michaelson, Gavi
$13.97

Buy Now

Kaci the Pirate: Scourge of the Seas PAPERBACK

Price, Kelly and Michaelson, Gavi
$13.97

Buy Now

Books by Rachel Smith

Leader Relativity: Finally a Starting Point…. HARDCOVER

Reichert, Joe
$24.50

Buy Now

Leader Relativity: Finally a Starting Point for Ne…. PAPERBACK

Reichert, Joe
$15.00

Buy Now

SPEAK THE F*CK UP HARDCOVER

Smith, Rachel
$26.50

Buy Now

SPEAK THE F*CK UP PAPERBACK

Smith, Rachel
$17.50

Buy Now

Here are the various imprints published by Journey Institute Press

Storytellers Publishing General Non-Fiction

Wordbinders Publishing General Fiction

Curious Adventures Publishing Childrens

Guide Point North Publishing Self-Help

Mind Flash Publishing Education

Journey Ink Publishing Business

View Our Book Catalog

2024 Book Catalog

The back cover copy you write for your book is among the most important marketing messages you’ll craft. It’s the essence of your book’s most exciting features, distilled into a few hundred words. It typically serves as the foundation for your online book descriptions, as well as any press releases or pitches you make to the media. It will get re-used and re-fashioned for dozens of purposes. Whatever labor you expend on perfecting it will reward you in the long run.

Here are the key principles that publishers and authors alike use to create what should become a masterpiece of your book marketing and an essential piece of your book metadata.

Back Cover Copy for Nonfiction (Non-Narratives)

The most important question you must answer in your back cover copy is: Why and how will the reader benefit from this book? If you know your audience well, then you know the problems they face; your back cover copy should tell how your book addresses these problems head on and helps readers overcome a challenge or succeed.

Two of the most common mistakes that nonfiction authors make in crafting their back cover is:

Focusing too much on a description of the book’s content, rather than how the content will help, inform, or entertain the reader
Focusing too much on the author’s background, rather than how the author’s credentials or experience helps them expertly address the subject matter

Rather than crafting copy that’s a long, solid block of text, you can help ensure the copy is read by including (in this order):

A headline at the top of the cover that succinctly sums up the key benefit or selling point of the book—or consider a convincing quote (blurb) from a recognizable authority who recommends the book
About a 100-200 word summary that expands upon the headline and demonstrates the value of the book
A bullet list of features and benefits the book provides to readers
A final sentence or two to close the message, with a mention of the author’s credentials if not earlier described
(optional) Praise (blurbs) for the book from recognizable authorities
(optional) A brief author bio and author photo at the bottom of the cover

A professional designer can work wonders in arranging this information in a way that helps it get read, especially if you have a range of elements you’re trying to assemble (description, blurbs, bio, photo, awards, and so on).

Back Cover Copy for Fiction (and Nonfiction Narratives)

It’s not uncommon for traditional publishers to put nothing but blurbs or book reviews on a novel’s back cover, especially if it’s by an author who is already well-known. But that’s rarely the best strategy for authors who don’t already have an established audience. Potential readers will want to know what the story is about before committing, and the hook you provide may determine whether they start reading the first page or chapter. (The same is true of memoir and other true-to-life stories.)

The hook for the back cover isn’t so different from the hook you’d put in a query letter to a literary agent. The hook needs to convey:

Who is the main character(s)?
What do they most deeply desire?
What stands in the way?
What is the setting or context for the story?

If you can’t identify what the main character deeply desires, then ask: What challenge do they face? What sets their story in motion?

Ultimately, what you’re trying to get across is an intriguing story premise. For example, My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult tells the story of 13-year-old Anna, who was born as a “savior sister” specifically so she can save her older sister’s life. When Anna turns 13, she is told that she will have to donate one of her kidneys, and she sues her parents for medical emancipation.

That length of description is all you need to sell the story to potential readers. To improve your own story description, read the book marketing copy for dozens (even hundreds) of books in your genre, and pay attention to length, point of view or voice, as well as how much of the story is described. For example, it’s very popular for contemporary romance novel descriptions to be written from the point-of-view of the heroine. Here’s how the book marketing copy for Baller by Vi Keeland starts:

The first time I met Brody Easton was in the men’s locker room.
It was my first interview as a professional sportscaster.
The famed quarterback decided to bare all.
And by all, I don’t mean he told me any of his secrets.
No. The arrogant ass decided to drop his towel, just as I asked the first question. On camera.

In those 60 words, we know who the main character is, a good idea of what she desires (or will desire!), and what her challenge will be. We also know the setting or context.

No matter what category or genre your book falls into, you have to pack a lot of punch into a couple hundred words, sometimes less. Don’t just write one version and consider it done. Write multiple versions, test and gather feedback, and improve it until you feel it’s the best possible sales piece for your book.

View Our Book Catalog

BOOKSTORE Journey Institute Press

Journey Institute Press offers all of our books directly from our printer often at a reduced price to help offset basic shipping costs. Please consider purchasing our author’s books via the links below to help support local authors directly.

Books by Christy Belz

Books by Lynann Butler

Books by Adina Ciment

Books by Ashley Cornelius

Books by C.C. Cervantes Dunn

Books by Andrea Gelfuso

Books by Andrea Gelfuso & Lindy Lou Losh

Books by Mary Grant

Books by Michael Jai Grant

Books by Laura L. Holloway

Books by Peggy Hill

Books by Dafna Michaelson Jenet

Books by Michael Jenet

Books by Dave Krepcho

Books by Lisa Lee

Books by Kirk Montgomery

Books by Pat Peterson

Books by Kelly Price & Gavi Michaelson

Books by Joe Reichert

Books by Rachel Smith

Storytellers Publishing General Non-Fiction

Wordbinders Publishing General Fiction

Curious Adventures Publishing Childrens

Guide Point North Publishing Self-Help

Mind Flash Publishing Education

Journey Ink Publishing Business

View Our Book Catalog

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 23, 2021

Back Cover Copy for Nonfiction (Non-Narratives)

Back Cover Copy for Fiction (and Nonfiction Narratives)