Sunday, January 19, 2014

Describing Your Book To a Bestseller!

As a romance author I know to reach readers it's imperative that I capture their interest with my book description.  Obviously I want my cover to give a first impression, but to really hook someone enough to press the buy button, they need to be interested enough to be curious about what's inside.

So what's going to inspire someone to pick up your book over the million other ones staring them in the face?  The description!  I'll be honest, I struggle with this concept.  I'd rather write an entire book than come up with a blurb that summarizes the heart of the story.  I've been known to scream inside when the right words refused to fill my brain.  So I started to think about what people would look for when searching for a book like mine.

I'm big on the alpha male virgin theme, if you haven't read my books, and that's the type of reader I want to pull in.  When writing my description, I want to make that known.  Example... if you love strong alpha males and innocent women, you'll be seduced by... Get the picture?  I'm hoping that a reader will look at that and say:  I like that topic and I'll spend a few more seconds here.   Most people are in a hurry so grabbing that extra moment in time sure can't hurt!

It's all in how you put it out there!  I can tell you as an avid reader myself that I'm looking for the things that pique my interest in a blurb and if you bore me I'm definitely not clicking the buy button.  I don't want to read a huge amount of hype either.  Two short paragraphs that gives me the details I need because if you don't catch me by then, I'm just not buying.  For me personally, I don't care for descriptions that I can't see when I first land on the page because of all the 'fluff', you know the people talking about how great this book is and such?  I want to read what this book is about and then you can share your victories with reviews.

Seduce me, make me so curious to know what these characters will do so I can't stand not looking inside or doing that quick click to read your story.  I'm going to give kudos to an author here that I haven't met, but was pulled into her book by a blurb instantly.  The title of the book was Bully and it was written by Penelope Douglas.  Here's the blurb:

NEW ADULT ROMANCE--Bully (Book 1 in the Fall Away Series)

My name is Tate. He doesn't call me that, though. He would never refer to me so informally, if he referred to me at all. No, he'll barely even speak to me.

But he still won't leave me alone.

We were best friends once. Then he turned on me and made it his mission to ruin my life. I've been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got more sadistic as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to stay out of his way. I even went to France for a year, just to avoid him.


But I'm done hiding from him now, and there's no way in hell I'll allow him to ruin my senior year. He might not have changed, but I have. It's time to fight back.

*This novel contains adult situations and should NOT be considered appropriate for young adults. It is only suitable for ages 18+ due to harsh language, violence, and sexual situations.

**All books in this series can be read as STAND ALONES.
Series Order Below:


This blurb told me everything I needed to know.  It made me want to go smack the Bully and also know why he felt the need to be such a jerk.  It was a perfect enticement and obviously it worked because this book currently ranks at #83 paid in the Kindle Store.  I'm not pushing this book, but I think it's a perfect example of how a description can lead to incredible sales.  I'd never heard of the author before the book, still I just had to read it and find out what the heck was going on!

The author tells me what type of book I'm about to read in the opening line, ropes me into the plot quickly, and sold me into buying from an author that was new to me.  No matter what type of book you're writing, the goal is the same.  If it's an action book, obviously write a description that shows that off to the fullest potential.  If you write mystery, seduce your reader with a question about the plot that they can't resist knowing the reveal for.

Play around with ideas until one grabs you.  Since I'm assuming you've read your book through several times, pick out the most interesting piece and try to work that into a blurb.  Good luck on seducing your readers and I hope you're soon describing your book to a bestseller list! 




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