So what makes a great eBook cover or digital product box?

- It must look professional. A quick trip through web sites selling digital products will reveal tons of different designs, and you'll quickly see which ones work and which don't.

- It must be eye-catching. Make it something people would pick up in an offline store. This helps if you want to use image to promote your product on other web sites.

- The cover or box must be suitable for product's contents. For example, if your product is an eBook on gardening tips, use a gardening image. Check out covers of books on your topic, or boxes of software, sold in offline stores to get some ideas.

- Keep writing on cover or box to a minimum. Ideally, you'll want to include just product's name or title, sub-title if applicable, and author if applicable (and only if they are well known in their field). And remember that final image will be small, so only include written content that's absolutely essential. - Don't go overboard with colors. No -- bright green and pink DON'T go together! Try this handy free tool for seeing which web colors go well together: http://www.colormatch.dk

- Stick to clear, legible fonts. Use fonts like Arial or Verdana. Avoid "script" or unusual fonts that are hard to read. And only use one font!

- Give it a 3D appearance with title repeated on spine, and a shadow. This makes it more tangible in eyes of customer.

If you have some design experience, you can take a shot at creating your cover or package yourself using imaging software like Photoshop or PhotoImpact.

A word of caution, though... if your design skills are not good, go to a professional or use custom software. Bad design and poor-quality images are worse than no images at all, and you could actually end up losing sales!

Try finding a designer through Elance, or use one of many eBook cover design services or software providers available on Internet.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Images in your sales copy really can make a difference to your sales, but only if you use them sparingly and strategically.

Well-positioned pictures of yourself -- and of your satisfied customers -- make customer feel like they are buying from a real person with real customers -- not just some anonymous web site.

And eye-catching product shots do a great job of supporting your salescopy. Your customers won't judge your eBook or other products on their "covers" or "packaging" alone, but product images can provide credibility and make your products more desirable and tangible in eyes of your customers.

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** Attn Ezine editors / Site owners / everyone ** Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site so long as you leave all links in place, do not modify content and include our resource box as listed above.

Finally, ultimate part of your Homebased Business Tax Plan: Do you have a personal income tax preparer. And no, H&R Block simply does not qualify here (sorry, H&R, this is my opinion, based upon a lifetime of stories and experience.). If you do, you’re home free, and if not….

Perhaps most complicated part, now run through your mind all people you know. There’s a very good chance that you actually know a “Tax Accountant.” Wouldn’t that be nice? But if you don’t, you are going to need to find one --- or spend time to become one yourself.

You can try yellow pages or white pages, but I’d suggest you contact everyone you know and take it from there. Surely at least one of your many friends or acquaintances will use services of a private tax person. Success --- or --- success. If you find one, well and good, and if you don’t then you begin your networking career by networking to find a tax man. Once you have him or her, you are now ready for all slings, arrows and pitfalls Internal Revenue can send your way.

Just work your Homebased business, begin making money hand over fist and you’re laughing all way to bank.