Shoe-leather selling is not everyone's cup of tea. I bought a copy of the Ross's book and read it during a November 1997 vacation in Arizona. After our return, I was convinced that the self-publishing route would work for us. For one thing, we already had a business in the home which would provide a legal and economic platform to operate from, and I had the time and interest to devote to the business side of the adventure. Spying on the competition Much of our information was gleaned by watching people in bookstores.
People first pick up a book on the basis of the cover.
Books with covers featuring persons, especially faces, are more likely to be picked up than those that do not. Artsy covers without faces and printed in dull or noncontrasting colors are generally ignored. Even covers done in four colors can be made dull. Worse, even a well-designed cover may look so much like other books that it disappears into the welter of competing covers. The title on the spine must be in large contrasting letters readable from a ten-foot distance.