Lesson II: The Basic Description
Types of descriptions change depending on genre and current styles, but there is a generic format that most of them follow. I call it “The Three Act Book Description,” though it’s really only one-and-a-half acts. But it is based on the Three Act Story Structure. Mastering this form will handle most of your book description needs, and also gives you a baseline to start from when you need to write odder or more complex descriptions.
Readings:
- Read the Three Act Story Structure article to understand the form you will be using.
- Read the Three Act Description Structure article for use in a book description.
You will note that this description structure works with nearly every genre except nonfiction instructionals. Most stories, whether they actually use the structure or not, can at least be described this way. When writing descriptions for books, you should always write several, and at least one of them should definitely be in this format.
Formatting
In general, the description is formatted like a normal piece of web text. The exception is that the opening blurb and the closing line are usually in bold type. They are usually singletons (one line or short paragraph), but when the closing line is split into more than one section, it’s most often the close of the description first and then the sales pitch. When there’s more than one bolded line on top, it’s usually a review and then the tag line or vice versa.
Always pay attention to how the description looks in the preview box, because that is the accurate one, not the one you type into. If you know HTML, editing it in HTML helps with accuracy in the previews. If not, hit return as many times as you need to (usually no more than twice) until you have the space you need between sections.
The Opening Blurb
The opening line to your description is just like the opening line to your book in function, if not in form. It is going to be more general than your opening line, but it serves the same purpose: to make the reader keep reading. And no matter the genre, this is a one time, hit ’em hard line. This isn’t the time for exposition or long set ups; you need a hook. It’s often a version of the line you use in your advertising. Look at this example from an urban fantasy with 1,100 reviews (Usually a sign it is doing very well). The ad was:
Wanted: Tomb Raider — No experience necessary.
Fun. Intriguing. Combined with the subtitle “An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure” you feel like you know exactly what you’re getting with this book. If a person likes that kind of book, they’re already mostly to a sale already. The job of the description at that point is not to screw it up.
The opening blurb to the description was:
Wanted: Tomb Raider – No experience necessary. Requires Life Insurance. Will be working with deadly magical artifacts and killers.
Personally, I think the extras softened the pitch more than refined it, but the book is doing well, so clearly it hasn’t hurt it. But that is the general idea: the same kind of quick hitter you would put in an ad works well here, but you have a little more room if you want to use it.
The Closing Line
This is your last chance to affect the potential buyer directly. It’s a subtle art; you need to remind them to buy the book while not appearing too pushy. It’s a good place to use the old advertising concept of “priming words.”
Priming words point people in a certain direction, but do it in a subtle way, and one that makes them feel good. Things like “Experience the adventure” rather than “Buy this book.” That’s a rather unsubtle one, but doesn’t experiencing an adventure sound more amazing than buying a book? Also, “buy this book” is a direct order, and people often react poorly to those.
The priming word theory is good to remember throughout the description, not just in the sales pitch, as it is all leading there. You want the viewer ready and accepting for when the time comes to buy.
Adjustments
As noted in the readings, there will be adjustments to be made in format and style from genre to genre. Part of your market research will be studying the descriptions and book pages of the bestselling books and seeing what you want to adjust in your pitch.
Common Problems
1. Too Many Characters
Authors of big, complex books can have trouble with this form as they feel like they have to include all the viewpoint characters. Any more than two and you should reconsider. Remember, the intention of the description is not to tell people what the book is about, introduce them to the characters, and show them a little of the plot; it is to get them to buy the book. Trim your description down to one or two characters, even if it cuts out what you think of as an important plot line.
2. Avoiding Spoilers Too Hard
In an effort to avoid revealing too much, many authors reveal too little. You need to entice the reader with something. Don’t be afraid to hint at least one big twist to make people interested.
3. Typos/Misspellings/Formatting Errors
Go over your description with the proverbial fine-toothed comb. Looking unprofessional here is a sure way to lose the sale.
Assignments:
- Write a three-act description for your book. Don’t bother researching the bestsellers at this point, as they may all be a different structure (It’s unlikely, but it happens.) Did you give away too much of the plot? Did you not give away enough (it’s not intriguing enough)? Did you include enough characters to make sense? Or too many and it got cluttered? Does your opening blurb pack a punch? Did you use priming words in the closing line?
- Post the description on the forum and ask for comments. Are people intrigued or bored? Pay special attention to comments from people who actually read in your genre. It takes a very special kind of person to give useful critique here if they don’t read in the genre.
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