1)What kind of book titles work best?

Clear and descriptive beats clever and poetic. A good title signals subject, tone and target reader at a glance. Avoid puns or long phrases that obscure meaning. Search engines, catalogues and booksellers rely on keywords, so keep your title direct and searchable.

2)Should I give my book a subtitle?

Often yes, especially for non-fiction. A subtitle lets you explain the promise or focus of the book, which improves discoverability. Keep it concise and factual—think of it as the line that would appear under your book title in an online search result.

3)Can I design my own book cover?

You can and many authors do. But be careful: there is a big difference between designing the cover concept and preparing the cover for print. If you are designing your cover yourself, we suggest you ask a professional to check that it is print-ready (bleed, spine width, barcode area, margins, colour profiles) and advise you about print options (cloth covers, dust jackets, printed paper covers).

DIY covers often look slightly “off” even if you can’t say why. Remember, your book cover is an advert for your book. Most browsing buyers will purchase a book depending on the cover, the back-cover blurb, and the introduction text—in that order.

4)What do book designers do — and how do I brief them?

Designers translate your vision of the manuscript into final form. They will develop visual concepts and layout ideas, set typography, help with selecting imagery, and deliver press-ready artwork with correct spine, bleed and barcode. As the customer you make the final decisions, but a good book designer has lots of experience and you should be guided by them with regard to font choice, line length, margins and visual impact.

To brief well, share a one-sentence summary of the book along with audience, title and subtitle, must-have elements, specs (book size, paper, colour palette) and deadlines. A book designer should be able to offer two or three options for your approval. It is important to get the basic layout design agreed before the designer completes the book—it can be costly to change your mind later.

5)Why is book genre important?

Genre is how readers, retailers and recommendation systems find books. It sets expectations for tone, cover style, length and pricing. Choose the primary genre your target reader actually searches for, then add secondary categories where relevant.

The book genre also declares which shelf the book belongs to—booksellers will only place the book in one category. Once you are clear about the genre, check out the Thema codes which are used to declare the genre as part of the book's metadata.

6)What are Thema codes?

Thema codes are international subject classifications used by publishers, booksellers and distributors to describe a book’s genre and subject matter. They are part of the book’s metadata and determine how it is listed and found by retailers and libraries.

See the official Thema Subject Categories.