You came up with the perfect title for your non fiction book. Before you start patting yourself on the back, stop. Your job isn’t done yet. Now you need to come up with the perfect product description… you know, that blurb on the back cover or inside flap of the book. Why? Because without it that book will never leave the shelf. That product description is the most important part of your non fiction marketing.
Watch people in a bookstore
Have you ever watched people in a book store? They look over the titles on the shelf, considering each. If that title was well crafted and catches their eye they will pull that book from the shelf. That book will get flipped over so they can read the back, or opened to read the inside flap. What ends up there better be compelling, or that book gets put back on the shelf. That back or inside flap write up is your product description and it better be persuasive.
Your book title is the first important part of marketing your book. Face it, without that grabbing the reader it doesn’t matter what the product description may be. However, your book will quickly hit that shelf again if the product description doesn’t keep that initial interest. So your writing isn’t done yet. You need to come up with about 100-150 word description that will grab them by the shirt collar and make them keep your book in their hands.
Not sure what to write or how they should look?
Try this. Go into a bookstore and look through the books. Find a shelf of books that may or may not grab your attention and start looking at all of them. Look particularly at the ones that have descriptions that make you want to buy them. What it is about them that captured your attention? How are they worded?
Work on writing your own
Use descriptive words that evoke positive feelings in those people who read your genre. And don’t forget hyperbole! Making your content sound exciting to anyone, but especially those who are looking for a book in your genre. So now GO, work on your description!
Remember, you don’t get points for your book being looked at in the bookstore, it only counts if they BUY it!
My favorite free resource for writing amazing descriptions that help sell books!
You know, it’s funny… as authors we know how to write books in our respective genres, but when it comes to writing the most important part of our book (the sales copy) we lack the ability to really knock it out of the park and hook the reader enough to buy our books.
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