This can prove difficult for authors, because you want to include everything and you can’t. You want them to buy the cow, so don’t give away the milk. (Hmmm, perhaps you should invest in a farmer’s hat as well…)
So agricultural enthusiasts, let’s get down to it. What are we going to include in our descriptions to get our ebooks to moooove off the shelves (figuratively speaking, of course)?
For starters, brainstorm and break it down to the basic W’s: who, what,where, when and why. The description is not the place for subplots or extraneous details. Focus on the bare bones. Less is more in this scenario, because you want to give them a taste; tease their literary palates. If you pique their interest, they’ll read your book to find out how.
Once you’ve whittled your way down to the crux of the story, get a little vaguer to increase intrigue. You’re almost flirting with your prospective buyer. Your description needs to bat its eyes with come hither lashes. Moo cow, cryptic cow, Lure. Them. In!
Again, this can be troublesome for some writers, so I am armed with a suggestion – talk it out. I know, I know – this is a reoccurring theme in many of my articles. But when you get right down to it, writing is basically talking on paper. Sometimes, when it’s just you and a blank screen, you get stuck inside your own head and then caught up in trying to “sound smart”. So, grab a friend and a stop watch. You have 30 seconds to tell him/her what your book is about. Ready? Go! …ENT, time’s up! How’d you do? Great! Because, this time you have 20 seconds… Okay, now you have 15.
With 15 seconds on the clock, you should be officially “funneled” and now you have a jumping off point to put the metaphoric pen to paper. From here, the folks at CreateSpace have a great checklist to help guide your description writing. I will briefly paraphrase their five main points:
1) Stick to the main plot
2) Keep it under 150 words
3) Use third person, present tense
4) Use emotional power words
5) Write it as the publisher
For the comprehensive article, check out this link as you continue to Write On…
Now you are ready to write a great description on your ebook. Don`t waste more time, go to Widbook and practice it while you get noticed.
This post was originally featured at the Widbook blog and written by Mary Ann Lombardo. Widbook is a global community for people who love to share stories. Writers can publish their work in an ebook format and readers meet content and everyone get connected!
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