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Required Reading

Who says you can't judge a book by its cover? Book jackets can make or break sales--so why not use them to inspire your advertising efforts?

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This story appears in the September 2004 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Make no mistake: Book titles are headlines, and thejackets they emblazon are one-page ads for the books. What'smore, they're some of the best ads you'll ever see. Theyhave to be. If the title doesn't pique the book browser'scuriosity, the book doesn't get noticed, picked up, flippedover (to read the summary on back), flipped through or bought.

That's how critical great jacket copy is, including thesupporting subtitle-and a lot of investment in time and money hangson those few words being read. So if you need inspiration tojump-start your own efforts, simply head for yournearest bookstore, and stroll the aisles with notepad in hand.Chances are, you will find titles- usually nonfiction-that willeither morph into headlines for your own advertising or triggerideas you wouldn't have otherwise considered.

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