We start from the technical part: the cover is divided into five parts:

the first: the main front

the second: the adjacent flap

The third: the opposite flap

fourth: the back of the book, to the left of which there is the third

the back: from the first to the fourth, where there is written across the title.

The fins

The first point of discussion are the fins. They have the function to enter the additional information, which we do not want to put in the foreground, but we still want to highlight. The best way is to put them not in the book, not on the cover and on the back, but between one and the other: on the fins.

Typically the information that you enter is the synopsis, the second, and the author's biography, on the third. A choice of the author, you can place of the reviews posted on the newspapers or phrases selected by the book. It is a space which is a shame not to use; our advice, then, is to fill them and not let them never empty. If you have to leave empty, that might as well eliminate it.

It is not a provocation, but it is a serious advice, as the fins have a significant cost in the press; their price ranges from 30 cents to one euro, depending on the printing presses. Few are those that include it directly in the budget, depending on whether you choose to implement them or not.

They have the size cha varies from half to a third of the page, so it can also serve as a bookmark, although it is inconvenient because once you open the book, the flaps tend to follow the cover and leave to escape the pages.

To realize the lugs, the cover should be soft, or of a cardboard of the pages most often, but still pliable. If they claim a cardboard cover, or rigid, the fins must be made by affixing an additional cover, technically a jacket, much less thick than the first, which has the role to wrap the book and avoid to spoil and, at the same time, to create the fins.

The dustjacket

It is a useful invention, if the intent is to protect the cover from scratches. It is made with a medium-weight paper, between 150 to 200 grams.

As was explained before, it has the function of creating the fins in the presence of a cardboard cover, but may very well be also placed on a book in soft cover. Nothing prohibits the sale with a double cover book. It can be seen as a sign of elegance.

Softcover

It is ideal when the publishing project provides a low investment on the book, as in the case of self-publishing, then a price accessible to the public. The difference between a hardback is a soft can exceed two Euros, money that should be in addition to the retail price.

Cardboard cover

The moment you decide to carry out an ambitious project, such as a photo book, the cardboard cover is almost essential. It gives a touch of prestige that the soft does not give.