Today I am beginning a two-part series for the many authors who are reading my blog.
Every author knows the importance of a well-designed book cover can never be overstated. However, moments after being engaged by your cover, readers are going to flip your book over to read the back cover.
If your cover is good enough to grab readers, your back cover copy needs to convince them to buy. For authors who self publish this can be a challenge because writing promotional copy may not be their area of expertise. Plus, for many authors it’s never easy to “brag” about themselves and their own work.
Over my next two posts I am going to bring you seven essential secrets that provide you with a success formula for creating back cover copy that motivates your crowd to take action.
In this post I share with you my first three techniques. As you read them, keep in mind they can also be applied to other promotional materials for your book, such as web site pages and Amazon book descriptions.
1. Start with a headline that makes or implies a promise
Headlines have two simple goals: capture the attention of readers and drive them into your body copy. You don’t need zippy, clever, sexy headlines to do this. In fact, simple headlines are usually the most enticing. Start your headline with an action word and then state or imply a promise of what readers can expect to gain from your book. Here are a few examples.
Learn Newly Uncovered Secrets about JFK’s Murder
Discover How to Think and Grow Wealthy
Find Out What Drives Serial Killers to Act
Thought-provoking questions are also a great way to grab readers.
Are you dying to know who wanted Marilyn Monroe dead?
2. Make your copy “at-a-glance” friendly
If your headline draws readers in, don’t lose them by using large blocks of text to fill out your back cover. Instead, make it “at-a-glance” friendly by employing a liberal use of headlines, subheads, short paragraphs and bullet points. This common sales writing technique creates a lot of open space around your copy, which visually makes it look fast and easy to read.
3. Chose exactly the right voice
Create a definite, confident voice for your back cover. Depending on your topic, your writing should emanate authority, compassion, wisdom, insight, humor, suspense, intrigue, mystery, etc. Choose a voice for your back cover that matches your book and fuel it with emotion.
Stay tuned, and in a few days I’ll be back with my final four secrets in Part 2 of this post.