How
to Write a Great Book Description
It’s
a challenge. We know it is, but we want to make it easier for you. This is the
marketing part of writing. This is not a two paragraph synopsis of your book.
It’s not a two sentence blurb. It’s not a tag line, although sometimes using
the first sentence of your book description can be used as a tag line.
As
an Indie author, you need to do these things yourself.
Your
book description is an advertisement and you have to look at it that way. It’s
the second thing a reader sees when searching on a website. You’ve grabbed them
with an awesome book cover, now you need to entice the reader to purchase your
book. It determines the genre, sub-genre (marketing), and uses colorful
descriptions, back-cover copy, to help make it click worthy.
First,
use adjectives and adverbs. Think about how the movies promote their stories.
Listen to the way the commercials are done on television, radio, and the
internet.
Ever
wonder how the book descriptions on Amazon are bold or have colors?
As
an example, I’m going to use Mary Burton’s Never Look Back. I’m going to break
it down for you.
Expect the
unexpected in this gritty, tense, and page-turning thriller from New
York Times bestselling author Mary Burton.
After multiple women go missing, Agent Melina Shepard of
the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation makes the impulsive decision to go
undercover as a prostitute. While working the street, she narrowly avoids
becoming a serial killer’s latest victim; as much as it pains her to admit, she
needs backup.
Enter lone wolf FBI agent Jerrod Ramsey. Stonewalled by a
lack of leads, he and Melina investigate a scene where a little girl has been
found abandoned in a crashed vehicle. They open the trunk to reveal a horror
show and quickly realize they’re dealing with two serial killers with very
different MOs. The whole situation brings back memories for Melina—why does
this particular case feel so connected to her painful past?
Before time runs out, Melina must catch not one but two
serial killers, both ready to claim another victim—and both with their sights
set on her.
The following commands are used on most
websites in the html building section, or on Amazon in the KDP section when
entering your book description.
First paragraph: Tell the reader what to
expect, and what they want to read. And, in bold print so it stands out. The
strong command makes it bold. The <BR> command (html) gives you a space
in between paragraphs.
<strong> Expect
the unexpected in this gritty, tense, and page-turning thriller from New York Times bestselling
author Mary Burton. </strong><BR>
The body of the description doesn’t tell the story, it isn’t a
synopsis. It hints at the plot line and daggles intrigue for the reader. The
question in the body of the description engages the reader: —why
does this particular case feel so connected to her painful past?
After multiple women go
missing, Agent Melina Shepard of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation makes
the impulsive decision to go undercover as a prostitute. While working the
street, she narrowly avoids becoming a serial killer’s latest victim; as much
as it pains her to admit, she needs backup.
Enter lone wolf FBI agent
Jerrod Ramsey. Stonewalled by a lack of leads, he and Melina investigate a
scene where a little girl has been found abandoned in a crashed vehicle. They
open the trunk to reveal a horror show and quickly realize they’re dealing with
two serial killers with very different MOs. The whole situation brings back
memories for Melina—why does this particular case feel so connected to her
painful past?
Before time
runs out, Melina must catch not one but two serial killers, both ready to claim
another victim—and both with their sights set on her.
If you want a space between paragraphs put
the html command <BR> at the end of the paragraph. The last paragraph leaves the reader wanting
more…the cliff hanger catches the readers interest. It’s an excellent way to
get the reader to want more. Regardless of whether the book has cliffhangers or
not, you want to entice the reader to click on the buy button. The best way to
do that is to instill curiosity.
And it never hurts to add a call-to-action.
<strong> Grab your copy today.</strong>
This book’s for you. My whole point of writing it is to help all authors. I’ve had many established authors, aspiring authors, and WIP authors ask me a multitude of questions and I was more than happy to help. (WIP-work in progress) I took the most commonly asked questions and solutions and put them in a nifty, absolutely priceless book.
What you’ll find in Be More Successful with Marketing and AdvertiZING:
Social Media Marketing and AdvertiZING for Books or Any Business
Becoming a Bestseller
Saying NO and Being the Bad Guy
How to Write Incredible Click Enticing Promotions
Promoting Your Book With or Without a Publisher
How Much is That Advertisement in the Window?
Self-publishing Doesn’t Have to be a Disaster
How to Make Your Website Awesome
Taking the Plunge into Publishing Audio Books
How to Make More Sales at Book Signings
The Uniform of Success
Purchase Be More Successful with Marketing and AdvertiZING at your favorite bookstore or on Amazon.
E-Book $4.99
Paperback $9.99
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
You can find me:
PamelaAckerson.net
Twitter.com/PamAckerson
Facebook.com/pam.ackerson.7
Amazon.com/Pamela-Ackerson/e/B00QY1ARI4
Wondering what my qualifications are? Don't want to get any advice from someone who doesn't know what they're talking about? I understand! There are too many people out there giving bad advice.
The first thing I'm going to tell you is that the book industry is constantly changing and even the "experts" have to keep their ears to the ground to stay in the game!
Okay, so...Here goes.
I'm President of Marketing and Advertising for AdC Magazine. Affaire de Coeur Book Review Magazine has been in business since 1980. No small potatoes there! We've managed to survive all the ups and downs in the industry. www.adcmagazine.com
I've been a published author since 1972. Yup, you read that right. My 10th grade high school teacher entered my sci-fi short story in the Science Fiction Reader's Digest Contest and I took first place. I continued to write and publish short stories for several years after that.
A short break--which felt like forever--in 1996 I finished my first novel. I was picked up by a publisher two years later and I haven't stopped since.
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