How to write a nonfiction book cover blurb that sells. A book report gives a summary of the reading and may include some evaluation or assessment of the writing. Its why some copywriters are known to spend 50% of their time on just the headline. Something, ironically, every author i know hates writing. As you can see from these examples, a great tagline doesnt need to summarize the whole novel. To give you complete mastery over this step, weve turned to our top designers for their sharp insight. Now, i dont mean relationships in a nasty, sleeping your way to a good book blurb sense.
You mightve written brilliant marketing copy for it. You back cover is your space to convince the browsing reader to buy your book. Front cover copy for book covers this section is designed to help you use copy effectively on your book covers. Punctuation or grammar goofs in this highly visible spot broadcast the message that your book was not professionally written. Your headline can be a short phrase or a whole sentence. The singleobjectonwhitebackground cover has become such a recognizable formula that there is now a malcolm gladwell book generator. So it includes anything on your back cover, anything on your amazon product page, the words that go in any advertisements you use facebook, bookbub, amazon ads, etc. Itll be easy to use, or fast to use, or itll keep your reader uptodate. Dont just repeat your book s title on the back cover. Book cover design samples creativindie book cover design. With canvas drag and drop feature, you can customize your design for any occasion in just a few clicks. In this example, the backcover copy ends with another appeal to the readers need, and with the personal and inviting statement, this book is for you. But once that reader picks up your book and flips to your back cover, this is your chance to sell your book.
Front and back cover copy for book covers cover design. Back cover blurbs for books tips for wrting blurbs that. After youve written your back cover copy, it should have a beat and pulse to it that you can snap your fingers to as you read it. The space on the back cover of a book for blurbs, which are brief promotional paragraphs, is one of the more valuable spots for book promotion. Youve got one page to motivate people to read your entire book. How to write the best back cover copy new shelves books. About a 100200 word summary that expands upon the headline and demonstrates the value of the book. Just like a great book title, a headline is the hook that captures the attention of readers. Book site sends email girl power with headline who run the world.
To get started writing your books description, try these 4 easy steps for nonfiction book descriptions. For nonfiction, establishing yourself as an expert and differentiating your book from the others written about the same. Devote some quality time to the process of transforming a relatively small space into a powerful selling tool. Its the essence of your books most exciting features, distilled into a few hundred words. How to write the perfect book title ultimate guide scribe writing. Just as the packaging helps sell crackers and cereal, the cover sells the book. How to build the back of a book cover with template reedsy blog. How to write a headline that sells art online reply patrick. For nonfiction, establishing yourself as an expert and differentiating your book from the others written about the same topic will help sell your book. Explanations and back book cover examples for both fiction and nonfiction.
A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a books contents. Getting to design your own book cover is the sort of ultimately. Thats because each cover is a partnership between me and the author, and together we come up with something bold and unique. It is the job of the book back cover to convince a reader to flip open a book and read a few pages. After writing and polishing an entire book, many authors are surprised when they become stuck when trying to write blurbs. Create book covers, create book titles and subtitles, create book back cover text.
Repeating the books title at the top of the back cover. Nonfiction writers often overuse superlatives, which can come across as. The back cover copy is a brief overview of the book that entices the reader to browse and purchase the book. Make sure that you arent the focus of the back cover. Start with a headline that makes or implies a promise.
Here are some ideas on how to write a good title that sells. Heres how to write backcover that will hook new readers and sell your book. Writing a strategic, concise and easytoread back cover can be your key to making money as a selfpublished author. In addition to hooking their interest, it will stick in their minds. People often tell me the most impressive part of my book cover portfolio is that theyre all so different. How to make a cover page for a book report pen and the pad. And depending on your genre, clever and descriptive might not be the way to go. Sample book back cover a man can never truly run away from his past, jack preacher thought, as four mysterious horsemen appeared from beyond the desert threatening to throw the quiet and dusty town of cameron into disarray. Since your potential buyers already know the title and are stimulated enough to look at the back cover, hook them with an emotional question or statement to read on. Tips for writing a back cover that sells steuben press. How to write book descriptions for fiction and nonfiction with bryan cohen. If your cover, title and subtitle are clear, catchy, and compelling enough, your potential buyers next stop for more information is the back cover.
But how much detail should you include in describing your book to potential readers. Dont just repeat your books title on the back cover. It is the front covers job to convince a potential reader to flip the book over and read the back cover. How to write book descriptions for fiction and nonfiction. The occult art of the poetry book blurb rachael mead. Book cover blurb examples from good nonfiction books cover blurb from the marriage code. How to write a fiction book cover blurb that can make your.
The specific format for the report, including the cover or title page structure and information, varies between courses and teachers. Youll see below why this book cover headline is still fresh in my memory. Like your other jobsearch material, including your resume and cover letter, youll want to continue assessing and optimizing your headline. Konraths most recent post included 3 examples of animated book covers. The decline and fall of the book cover the new yorker. See more ideas about best book covers, books and good books.
One of them could be a killer headline for your back cover. Once youve begun conceptualizing a headline, its now time to improve it. A good tagline will snag readers attention, so they pick up the book and read its blurb or download a sample. Because if your cover is not terrific, then no one will ever know how brilliant your writing is. Often people think back cover copy will be easy to write because its short. You managed to cover all of the points i could think of and more. A great book title and subtitle get attention, deliver benefits, and transform your. If you like the book cover design samples below, get in touch i look forward to putting a face on your story. This is very popular now with headline writing on sites like upworthy and viralnova. Sometimes i employ the film texture from the front as a background.
Imagine turning that book over, or looking at the back cover copy on your website, amazon, or some other site, and seeing that zinger of a back cover headline, dont let them cut or fry your prostate. Some informative blog posts have addressed techniques for creating an effective front cover, but an often overlooked aspect of book cover design is the back of the book. A headline at the top of the cover that succinctly sums up the key benefit or selling point of the bookor consider a convincing quote blurb from a recognizable authority who recommends the book. It typically serves as the foundation for your online book descriptions, as well as any press releases or pitches you make to the media.
Your back cover blurb is what they will use to decide whether your book is interesting enough or useful enough to buy. Tips to write your about the book, about the author, marketing headline, and keywords paperback back cover copyabout the book. Back cover definition and meaning collins english dictionary. I thought i would take the 3step formula sue wrote about and see if the best sellers on amazon follow the formula in their back cover copy. Writing your back cover copy book designer linda parke. But the headline of your back cover should be short, simple, and actionoriented. The solution is simple by testing the next headline strategy.
How to write a back cover blurb for a nonfiction book. This is all great advice, not just for the back cover but also for query letters, website copy, etc. That reader is already interested, and just needs convincing. Get a more indepth look at these three elements and see examples from real amazon book pages in our post on writing an irresistible blurb for your novel. You look at the back cover of a book to find out what the book is about, right. British indie novelist carol cooper, who has also had many nonfiction books tradepublished provided balance against the naysayers i think puff quotes can be useful if they are from someone really well known, or they add to the info thats already on the book cover. Should indie authors put endorsement quotes or puffs on. Newspapers do it with headlines and arresting images, but novelists have three tools at their disposalthe book cover, title, and taglines. A boring back cover text will cause the reader to lose interest and put the book back on the shelf. If youve written a nonfiction book, you probably have a lot to say about your chosen topic. Most run several paragraphs, but some publishers want them shorter or in a special format so be sure to check with your publishers guidelines before you begin work. Below are a few examples of back cover copy for fiction.
I cant offer you tips for creating a clever title or a descriptive subtitle. Writers have a split second to catch readers attention. Its not writing the book but writing the back cover text. Grab your readers attention with a catchy headline. To find your hook look at the main conflict of your storyand how it affects your protagonist. Those other means generally entail using their relationships with other poets. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells kindlepreneur. Book cover blurb examples from good nonfiction books. The back cover copy you write for your book is among the most important marketing messages youll craft. Sophie, ive been writing back cover copy and catalog copy for a publisher for thirteen years, nearly 2,000 books, both nonfiction and fiction.
Those headlines, key positioning statements, bullet points, endorsements. Here are their best tips for you, in their own words. If your cover is good enough to grab readers, your back cover copy needs to convince. As a writer, you may love long, lyrical descriptions.
Doing so will keep the reader excited, which will sell your book. Steps to writing your own back book blurb and back cover. It goes without saying that the cover of your book is key. These cover spreads can help give you an idea of what a great back cover looks like once these tips are put in practice. For those who write the headline before the content, i believe that you can because you already know what your content will look like to some extent i see a headline like a snapshot, or like a teaser for a movie. If all of this sounds daunting, consider hiring an editor or marketing writer to help you craft your books backcover copy in the most compelling way possible. The drop cap at the beginning of the description can reflect the style used inside the book. Tell your reader what a great benefit your book will be. Create a hot headline that compels your reader to buy. An examination of some of the top selling books in the kindle store yields surprises. How to build the back of a book cover with template. How to create brilliant book titles with examples bookfox. Youve already been drawn in by the front cover, now you want to know if that book is really for you.
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