I created a new ad for displaying on Facebook today. Of course, I used the cover of A Tale of Hell and Other Works of Horror. I wanted to emphasize that it is out there waiting to be purchased, so in the biggest letters and in the most contrast to the background and to show the format that is most widespread based on my research, I put “Paperback Available Now”. I did not put it in all caps as some people might see that as (metaphorically) shouting at them and make them uncomfortable (ironic when you consider the subject matter of the book).
I then mentioned “print on demand” to suggest they probably won’t find it on shelves but can order it. I then listed the biggest chains where someone can find it.
Finally, I put “also available on Amazon Kindle at the end, because I am not emphasizing that as much as the print version or where it can be found.
To keep the text from seeming jumbled and to keep it varied, I put the most important points of my message in white, which has the highest contrast to a black background. Then I chose yellow, which will be a bit more subdued but still quite prominent for the rest. I chose black for the background because that seems to be the color most associated with death, evil, and all the other things a horror novel might encompass. Also, in my opinion, it makes the other colors pop out and it blends with some of the colors in the cover shot.
Of course I can use this in a lot of places besides Facebook.
Let me know what you think.
Phil Slattery, Writer, Publisher 