Hook Readers Instantly: The Power of a Well-Written Book Description

Authors only have a brief moment to hook potential readers and entice them to make a purchase. In general, readers’ eyes are first caught by a stunning book cover design as they scroll through online bookstores…and then they click on the all-important description. If your book listing doesn’t feature a well-written book description, you could be missing out on sales.

Read on to find out why your book description holds so much power and to learn the individual elements you’ll need to include in the description to propel your title to the best-seller list.

Why your book description matters

Your book description is one of the most powerful tools in your book marketing tool kit. Think of it as a small taste that whets your readers’ appetites for your entire book. The description needs to hook readers on an emotional level so they become personally invested in your story and become eager to buy and dive into your book.

The description is also one of the first things shoppers will learn about you and your publication. It’s an opportunity to introduce yourself and your story—so you’ll need to put your best foot forward. When a well-written book description works in tandem with other marketing tools like your custom cover design and enticing back cover text, you’re setting yourself up for greater visibility and higher book sales.

Elements of a well-written book description

Crafting a well-written book description isn’t as simple as just throwing together a synopsis of your manuscript. There are several elements you’ll need to master for your description to lead to a sale. It’ll likely take some time and a few drafts before you write a description that will truly hook your readers, but since your book description is such an important part of your book marketing campaign, it’s well worth the effort.

Language that speaks directly to your audience

You wrote a great book that will resonate with your readers, and your book description needs to do the same. Use powerful words and phrases that will resonate with your genre’s readers, and make sure the description matches the overall tone and voice of your full book.

Your description is a small taste of what the readers will find when they purchase your title, and you can set them up for an enjoyable reading experience starting with the description.

A glimpse into your story and message

After they read the description, readers should have a general idea of what your book is about—but try not to give away too much in this summary. A well-written book description leaves the reader wanting more so they purchase your masterpiece, and although you’ll need to provide the book’s gist in this write-up, you shouldn’t include a lot of foreshadowing or resolutions.

For example, the most successful business authors and authorpreneurs often include a little background information on themselves and their careers in their book descriptions and then hint at the innovations and subject matter expertise their full books include—but the reader has to buy their title to learn the full message. Similarly, fiction writers build suspense with a brief description of their story’s main conflict in hopes of enticing readers to buy the book and find out what happens.

In other words, include just enough in your book description to leave your readers wanting more.

Ideal length

You might want to gush about your manuscript, but a well-written book description requires you to rein it in a bit. While some online retailers will allow you to type in up to 4,000 characters (which averages out to around 700 to 800 words), less is often more when it comes to your description.

There’s no true industry standard on the ideal length, but many authors stick with a couple of paragraphs so their potential readers can quickly and easily get a feel for the book. Try to stick to between 250 and 500 words, and make each and every syllable in your book description count.

Interesting, eye-catching structure

Even the most eager and avid readers can be deterred when they click on a book description and see a massive block of text. For a well-written book description to act as a reader magnet, it might need an intriguing structure. Here are some ideas:

• Write short and easy-to-read sentences.
• Keep paragraphs to three or four sentences each.
• If your online retailer allows, include words that are bolded, italicized, or underlined to draw attention to them.
• Add in a bulleted list, which works especially well if you’ve published a nonfiction or business book and have a few main points to mention.

The right structure for your book description will be driven by your story and genre. However, in many cases, an interesting structure in this write-up means the reader can expect an interesting overall book.

Search-friendly keywords

Online book retailers usually let authors pick which keywords they want to be associated with their books. These are the words and phrases your potential readers type in when they’re looking for their next favorite book—and you can use them to your advantage to boost your title’s visibility.

Knowing how to choose the right keywords for your book description, though, involves some work. You’ll need to perform some research on what your target audience is searching for when they shop for books and make sure the biggest keywords directly relate to your topic. Although each online retailer will be a little different, most allow you to choose five to seven keywords with up to 40 to 50 characters each, which allows you some flexibility in choosing the right phrases.

Elite Authors is here to craft a well-written book description that will instantly hook your readers!

You worked hard on your book, and both you and your title deserve enhanced visibility and increased sales. Now that you’ve accomplished every aspiring author’s dream of publishing your masterpiece, let our talented creative experts craft an enthralling book description that will instantly hook your readers and leave them wanting more.

A great book deserves to be discovered—and it starts with a description that captures attention and sparks curiosity. We’ll follow up with a quick, friendly message to learn about your book and show how we can help craft a compelling, sales-driven description your audience won’t skip.