Advertising is making products or services visible to the general public through paid announcements in various media. Advertising found within books – usually inside covers and endpapers – serves to publicize other books or products which might interest readers, whether by the same author, on similar topics, or products they assume might be helpful for readers. Adverts also generate income for publishers/booksellers who rely on them, so these commercially produced books often contain advertisements.
Book adverts serve two main functions. First, they aim to promote other books published or sold by the same publisher, bookseller, or company that has paid to advertise their product(s). Adverts may also be used to publicize special offers and events.
Adverts can usually be found in books produced for commercial sale, including novels, textbooks, and non-fiction works. While advertisements may occasionally appear in academic books and journals produced by universities and research institutions, their presence can sometimes be rarer.
Two primary forms of book advertisements are paid for by publishers or booksellers and by companies seeking to market their products. Publisher-inserted adverts usually appear inside book covers and endpapers and may refer to similar works by the same author, similar subjects, or products the publisher or bookseller thinks might benefit readers. Company adverts usually appear on back covers and promote products like books, DVDs, or computer games they believe might appeal to readers.