First things first:
- It’s worth investing time in preparing your text for publication.
- Make sure your layout is appealing, your title and blurb are optimized for search engines, and your text is error-free.
Have you poured time and effort into writing your term paper or thesis and feel that other students could benefit from your insights? Then GRIN is the perfect platform for you! We specialize in all kinds of academic texts written during, after, or even before your studies—texts that might otherwise remain forgotten as a file on your laptop. By uploading your text to GRIN, you make it part of our extensive knowledge base, offering inspiration to other students. To help your work stand out, we’ve compiled five essential tips for you.
The Title: Memorable and Targeted
The title of the paper you submitted to your examiners doesn’t necessarily have to be the same as the title of your publication. Once you decide to upload your text to GRIN, it will be aimed at a much broader audience. For a successful publication, your goal should be to craft a compelling title that sparks curiosity while succinctly hinting at your topic. Let’s be honest: Are you drawn to overly long titles packed with complex academic jargon?
Make sure your title is optimized both for potential readers and for search engines like Google—in that order. Start by asking yourself: What would I search for if I wanted to find my text online? Those keywords should appear in your main title. From there, focus on condensing your topic, research question, or thesis into a few clear words, avoiding academic filler terms. Below, we’ve outlined the key points to consider when choosing a strong title. We have summarized the most important points for you below when choosing a good title.
Criteria for a Strong Title:
- Length: Aim for about 12 words or 57 characters—try to fit your title on one line. A two-part title (e.g., separated by a period) is perfectly acceptable.
- Attention-Grabbing: The title should spark curiosity and include the most important keywords from your text. The main keyword should appear as early as possible and preferably in its base form, without declension or conjugation.
- Simplicity: Avoid technical jargon if your topic can be explained in simpler terms. Your title should be self-explanatory and convey a clear connection to the content.
- Spelling: Are there any spelling errors in the title? This is crucial, as nothing looks more unprofessional in academic texts than an incorrect title.
- Subtitles: To ensure your title performs well in search engines, avoid phrases like “An Analysis of…” or filler words that don’t add value. If the research method is central—for example, if you want to highlight that the work is a literature review—you can include it in the subtitle.
- Abbreviations: Use only well-known and widely accepted abbreviations, such as “EU” or “EEG.”
Example:
The title “The Smartphone as an Individual Medium for Adolescents in Pedagogy and School” is suboptimal, as it includes terms like “individual medium” and “adolescents,” which few people would search for. Better alternatives might be: “Smartphones in Schools: Benefits and Risks in the Classroom” or, as a question, “Should Smartphone Use Be Allowed in Schools?”
The Blurb: Clear and Concise
The blurb or summary is one of the most crucial parts of your text—it determines whether readers feel intrigued and decide to purchase your work. Take the time to summarize your text’s content clearly and succinctly without giving too much away—after all, you want your title to sell.
GRIN distributes the summary as the book description to online shops, where it appears alongside the cover and title. It’s one of the first things potential readers will see, so avoid being overly vague in your topic description. Your readers need to know if your text is what they’re looking for. Short, clear sentences work much better than long, convoluted ones.
The most important information—your objectives or research questions—should appear right at the beginning. Since the attention span of online users is steadily decreasing, many readers may lose interest if you only get to the main point by the third paragraph. For more detailed guidance, check out “How to Write a Great Blurb: 5 Tips.” We’ve also summarized the key criteria below for your convenience.
Criteria for a Strong Blurb:
- Length: Aim for a maximum of 1,500 characters (including spaces). Your blurb shouldn’t be much longer than this.
- Clarity: The summary is a key factor in purchase decisions, so the objectives of your work should be clear and easy to understand. However, avoid spoilers—you don’t want to reveal your conclusions up front!
- Simplicity: As with the title, avoid technical jargon whenever possible. Use short, straightforward sentences to ensure your blurb is easy to read.
- Keywords: Include the most important keywords in your blurb so your text is easier to find in search engines like Google. Place the main keyword within the first three sentences, if possible.
- Spelling: Are there any spelling mistakes in the blurb? This is just as much a dealbreaker as it is for the title. Readers may assume your entire work is riddled with errors if your blurb lacks attention to detail.
- Target Audience: Who is your work specifically aimed at? Provide clear hints to help readers determine whether your text is what they’re looking for.
Spelling and Grammar: Two Pairs of Eyes Are Better Than One!
Proofreading is an absolute priority for any text intended for publication. Even a well-researched paper will be perceived as unprofessional if it contains spelling or grammar errors. Ideally, you should have had your work proofread at least once before submission and grading. However, to ensure that all typos and tricky punctuation errors are caught, have someone with a strong command of spelling and grammar review your text once more before publishing it on GRIN. For more tips on what to look for when proofreading, check out our guide: Proofreading Academic Papers—Who, When, and How?
Layout: Appealing and Easy to Read
When publishing your text on GRIN, you have full control over its internal appearance. You can upload your file in Word, OpenOffice, RTF, or PDF format. While you’re generally free to choose the layout, font, font size, tables, and images, we do have a few recommendations.
Your main goal should always be to create an attractive design that offers a comfortable reading experience. This includes using proper line spacing and font sizes. Ensure that the left and right margins are equal, with a minimum of 1.5 cm. For page numbers, we recommend centering them.
When choosing a font, we advise you to choose one that is as serious as possible, such as Times New Roman, Arial or Garamond. We reduce your print template from DIN A4 to DIN A5, so the font size should not be less than 12 points . It is best to set your text in justification, this increases readability. For tables, you should make sure that the font does not fall below 10 points – it is better to always use a larger font and work with line breaks within the table. You can find all of RIN’s formatting instructions here: https://www.grin.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GRIN_layout-requirements.pdf
Need help with formatting? Check out our magazine articles for tips on using Microsoft Word!
Marketing: Targeted and Modern
Publishing on GRIN is quick and straightforward. We assign your text its own ISBN, offer it as an eBook and paperback, and handle distribution through all major online shops worldwide, as well as local bookstores. However, the free standard publication does not include specific marketing measures for your text, as we are unable to provide this service due to the large number of titles we publish.
This is where you come in—drawing potential readers’ attention to your book is your responsibility. In our interview, author Kira Glückert shares her experiences with self-publishing. She talks about the challenges of publication and offers valuable tips for your GRIN release.
In general, the following applies: You know your topic best of all and can therefore do targeted marketing. Lots of links and good reviews are particularly effective at boosting your sales, but you should stay authentic in everything you do. Marketing today no longer means advertising the product as often and loudly as possible. Your readers are looking for communication, so don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation with them and respond to their comments in a timely manner when promoting your book on social media or on your own blog. We explain how not to do it below in our 3 don’ts of self-marketing:
- “Hot air”: The task of advertising and marketing measures is to draw attention to the respective products and to promote them. However, this does not include spreading false facts, information or exaggerations about the actual content. False promises disappoint readers.
- Overkill: It can be tempting to implement all your marketing strategies at once. However, overwhelming potential buyers can be irritating and counterproductive. Everything should be done in moderation to spark interest without driving people away.
- Breaking (Unwritten) Rules: It never helps to criticize, insult, or copy others. Stick to the basic principles of mutual respect and always maintain a professional and courteous tone with everyone involved.
Would you like more support?
n addition to our free services, GRIN offers premium services tailored to your needs. You can design a custom cover, order professional layout services, or even book proofreading. We also provide marketing packages to help your text gain the visibility it deserves.
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