Tag: back-of-book description

Jacket copy is never going to be “perfect.” It’ll never capture everything you want readers to know about your book or your achievements as an author. So give up on trying to pack it all in and just accept the fact that this is supposed to be, much like the descriptions on a menu, a teaser. First throw your hands in the air, and then use them to karate chop all the extraneous elements into submission. What’s left over will be in fighting trim.

So you finished your book. Congratulations! That's a major accomplishment. Now it's time to put together all the stuff you'll need to help you sell your book once it's published, including...

1. A short book description

There are a handful of reasons you'll need a short, compelling book description (one or two sentences at most): as a soundbite in interviews, as a teaser on your website, as the hook in your press materials and communications with folks in the publishing industry, and maybe even as the tagline in your email signature!

2. A longer book description

Once you've hooked 'em with the soundbite, they'll want to read more.