When looking for a new book to read, most people don’t search past the book description or blurb. This is true for me as well. I don’t have the time nor the desire to read a large review or read the first few chapters only to find out that I don’t want to read any further. If that is the case I feel like my time has been wasted, and I wind up upset with the author for wasting it. I might not ever give them a second chance to make it up to me.
With this being said it is very important to write a condensed and engaging description for your book to encourage people to want to dig deeper.
So how do you write a description that will make your book unable to pass up?
Keep your book description between 100 and 200 words. As I’ve said a reader’s time is valuable, don’t make them work to decide if they want to read the book.
Stay focused on the story. Your book description should stay true to the story and it should be a brief outline of the story and where the tale will lead the reader.
Less is more. In your description all you need is the who, what, when, where, why and how. That’s all just the facts, people appreciate when you get to the point and don’t make it feel like they are pulling teeth to get the answers they want. With this being said you also don’t want to give up all your secrets because then there is no reason to read the book.
A question that is used as a “grabber” is acceptable but be careful you aren’t opening yourself up to an “I don’t care”.
It isn’t easy to describe a work of art in two paragraphs but look at it as a little taste of the bigger adventure that will await the reader if they decide to give your book a chance.
