Book posters are created to generate hype the same way as a movie poster. For example, if you go to the movies and are not sure what you want to see, most likely your decision will be made by the movie poster pasted on the wall throughout the ticket office. In the book "How to Market Book," Alison Baverstock writes, "These are produced by publishers and distributed to bookstores to attract customers' attention to major books, series or imprints at the place where they are available for purchase."
Book sales are largely based on name recognition. Before the movie deals, Stephen King suffered from low sales and rejections from publishers and magazines. Consumers stick to what has already proven to be worth the consumer's time. In "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books," Harold D. Underdown says that publishers don't opt to produce freebies like posters to give away to consumers, because it doesn't generate enough sales. But they will do it to generate name recognition.
When attending a boosktore signing, authors decorate the walls behind them with posters. Full color posters that are 11 x 18 are standard. Trade shows like the Book Expo and various city book fairs are also ideal for book posters. Enlarged book covers can be used as marketing posters. Writers and publishers rent books at the events and display or hand out their promotional materials.
Virtually any print shop can print and laminate a book poster. They may also sell easel to hold the poster. The more established shops will allow you to upload your files online and they will take care of the rest. With the advances in digital printing, poster prints can cost as little as $7 to well over $50 depending on the size and finish.
Design the poster to attract the eye. When designing a poster, a prototype should be printed and tested to anticipate response from a larger audience. Alison Baverstock says that "eight words on a poster site is usually plenty," and the target audience should immediately understand that it is a book that they may want to read.