An attention-grabbing book description compels readers to buy your book. But how do you write one? Well, luckily there’s a formula for that! Below, I’ll cover what you need to include (or not include), how it should be structured and how the words you chose can make a difference between a reader putting your book back on the shelf, or purchasing it.
Do Book Descriptions Really Matter? Can’t I Just Summarize the Plot?
Did you know readers decide if they want to read your book or not within a few seconds? Yes, a few seconds! Once the cover pulls them in, the next thing they do is flip the book over to read the back. This is why you want an attention-grabbing book description. It needs to grip them right away.
This is not the place to summarize the plot. It’s not the place to add unnecessary details. This is where you capture the essence of your book in a concise, easily-scannable chunk of text that conveys what the reader will experience when reading your book. This will involve plot, themes, and ideas within your book. And, you have to do this in less than 200 words.
Does this sound vague or complicated? It’s really not if you follow a formula and a few tested tactics.
1-An Attention-Grabbing Book Description Needs a Hook
The first line is the most important. In the industry, we call this a hook. Your hook needs to stop them in their tracks and compel them to continue reading.
The Hook:
- Grabs the readers attention.
- Can be in the form of a question, or a bold or intriguing statement.
- The point is to trigger an emotional response.
Please note, that in order to successfully pull this off, you have to know your audience! If you don’t know your audience, how will you know how to speak to them? You’ll also need to understand your genre and its conventions to write an attention-grabbing book description that will leave your readers wanting more. I highly recommend taking a look at your comparable titles first, to see how their book descriptions look so you can get an idea for where to start.
What’s a comparable title? You can read about comparable titles here.
Here are some examples of hooks I’ve written to give you an idea of what this looks like:
- For a middle-grade novel: A Story of Resilience, Love, and Redemption
- A woman’s memoir about the CIA: Ever wonder what it’s like to be in the CIA?
- A Business book: Do you know you can be more productive but just can’t figure out how?
Notice how you might use different style hooks for different genres and audiences? Keep this in mind when you write your hook.
2-The Body of the Book Description: Add the Compelling Details, But Not Too Many!
Remember, an attention-grabbing book description won’t be a simple summary of the plot, or details about the characters. It may seem like the more details you give, the more interesting it will be. But book descriptions are meant to entice the reader, not list information.
The body of your book description should introduce the main character, the themes, the stakes and the setting. When you add these elements, you are essentially giving an overview of the plot and the story arch but you need to do it creatively. What does this mean?
I’ll use the following example from the middle-grade novel, Talking to Dolphins and contrast it with just a summary of details so you can spot the difference between a book description and a plot summary.
The Difference Between a Plot Summary and an Attention-Grabbing Book Description: Showing VS Telling
A plot summary of the middle-grade novel, Talking to Dolphins might read like this:
In ancient Polynesia a young boy named Makai defies his father and makes a mistake, which gets him and his family in trouble. The High Kahuna decides that Makai and his family have to go live on an Island by themselves. This island is a scary and cursed place, and Makai and his family go through many hardships and learn many lessons while there. All the while, he is hoping to be welcomed back to the village and to get a chance to prove himself. Eventually, he does this and he regains his status among his people.
Here is the book description:
THE HOOK: A Story of Resilience, Love, and Redemption
THE BODY: Makai, a young boy in ancient Polynesia, makes a rash decision that sets into motion a chain of events that will change his, and his family’s lives forever. Decreed by their village High Kahuna to be cursed by the gods, he is banished from his home island, along with his mother and grandfather. Now they must fight to survive in a hostile and desolate place to bring honor back to their family.
THE PROMISE: Despite all the misfortune placed on him, Makai still believes he is destined to be a legendary warrior and hero. But will he overcome the many adversities and rise to the occasion? Will he restore his family’s honor and his father’s legacy?
Did you notice the emotional language used in the book description compared to the plot summary? The plot is still there, but it’s more than a linear summary. Of course, different genres will require a slightly different approach, but you get the idea.
The body of the description:
- Introduces the main character.
- Includes the inciting event.
- Shows the stakes.
- Touches on the impact on the protagonist.
- It tells the reader that they’ll be experiencing a journey and/ or growth.
- The word usage evokes emotions and a sense of urgency ( or other tonal indicators).
3-An Attention-Grabbing Book Description Finishes with a Promise
Notice those last lines of the above text? Below, I’ll go over the importance of open-ended declarations, and questions asked directly to the reader as a way to make them want to know more. This is kind of like your second hook, or dangling a carrot. It’s the promise of a reward.
Just as with the hook draws the reader in, an attention-grabbing book description needs to end with a bang.
The Promise:
- What will the reader get out of it?
- Or what does the reader not know, that reading the book will tell them?
- It shows the reader that they need to know more, or it tells them, though not explicitly, what to expect.
Let’s look at the conclusion again:
“Despite all the misfortune placed on him, Makai still believes he is destined to be a legendary warrior and hero. But will he overcome the many adversities and rise to the occasion? Will he restore his family’s honor and his father’s legacy?”
This conclusion from Talking to Dolphins is speaking to the curiosity of the reader. They know the stakes and they are now invested in discovering the outcome. It also implies that yes, Makai will achieve those things, because the questions are positive in their tone. But how will he do it? The reader then wants to find out.
A Successful Book Description is Simply a Formula
Essentially, an attention-grabbing book description is a pretty simple formula. Know your audience and speak to them in their language. Be familiar with genre conventions to convey the proper tone, and use emotional, and powerful descriptive language instead of generic statements. Hit the major plot points, themes, and ideas rather than drafting a summary of events.
Remember, a standard book description is only about 150 words but can be up to 300 max. This will depend on how much space you have, the genre, and other factors.
Then, just follow the three part structure to create an attention-grabbing book description:
1.The hook. This should be one or two sentences that draw the reader in. Ask a question, or make a powerful declaration.
2. The body. This is where you add the details, but not too many. Remember, it’s not a plot summary. Hit on all the main themes, ideas and plot points and use emotional and powerful adjectives here. Show there are stakes.
3. The Conclusion. This is the promise, the second hook, or where you dangle a carrot for the reader. It can be a question or a cliffhanger. It should be only a few sentences but the purpose is to leave the reader wanting more.
You can read more details about book descriptions HERE. Want more guidance and tips on all things author marketing? Subscribe to Monkey C Media’s weekly blog to get them delivered straight to your inbox.
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