How to write a good book description that sells your Novel

Why is your book description important? 

The book description simply answers the question: what is the book about? It’s different from the book blurb that goes on the back of your physical book. Your book description is part of your metadata, which holds your book details for stores and readers to access. And to successfully sell your book, you want to regularly optimise your metadata throughout your publishing journey. Before learning how to write a book description that sells, let’s go over what book metadata exactly is. 

What exactly is metadata?

Metadata includes your author name, title, subtitle, series information, language, categories, keywords, reviews, pricing, and description. Accurate metadata helps search engines rank your book in the right queries. It serves as an important book marketing element that helps boost your discoverability.

Along with your book cover, your book description is one of the first things a potential reader comes across. It can convince people to buy your book… Or lose them. That’s why it’s best to know how to write a book description and fine-tune it for Search.

Here are a few  tips to help craft your book description ; 

1. Check the length of your book description

 The most successful  book descriptions are between 150-200 words. The shorter the description of the book the better. But  different experts, give different answers, saying "depends on the genre." So, I recommend researching the particular genre your book is in. Check Amazon’s top-selling books in your genre and see what the norm is,.

2. Include words or phrases your target readers would search for. 

I shared how metadata helps with your discoverability in search engines. You can sprinkle certain keywords in metadata, especially your book description, to increase the likelihood of your book getting shown. For example, let’s say you wrote a manual about dream interpretation. If someone searches for “about dream symbols,” your book would pop up if you had the phrase “about dream symbols” (or similar) within your description. 

To find out which words or phrases readers are searching for, conduct your own keyword research. There are several ways to collect high-traffic keywords for your book, such as directly typing into Amazon’s search engine. Think of the words or phrases your target audience (your ideal readers) would type in. You know your content best, especially if you’re in a niche market. What are those overlapping keywords? 

3. Use easy language

Even if your book is at a higher reading level, your description should be in consumer-friendly terms. The description is an advert. The rule for ads is to use basic writing. It’s easier to sell when your language is easy to understand. To check how complex or easy your writing is, insert your text into the free Grammarly app and check its Flesch Readability Score. This score will give a number from 1 to 100. Try scoring lower than 60. 

4. Avoid time-sensitive language

For example, refrain from using words like “latest,” “recently” or “coming soon.” You don’t want an outdated book description. Less editing work for you in the future. 

5. Avoid messy HTML

A good book description is easy on the eyes. Psychologically, simplicity keeps people engaged across various mediums, especially with ads. Limit your HTML to: <i>, <li>, <b>, <p>, <br >, <ul>, <ol>, and corresponding end tags. If you can, avoid hyperlinks. 

6. Keep the book description simple 

Reading the book description should be a seamless experience. So I emphasise this further: go for a cleaner look. You know the saying: “keep it simple, stupid!” This means getting rid of superfluous words. Make every sentence and every word count. Include paragraph breaks to break up longer blocks of texts. Use shorter paragraphs overall. It’s often a short description of a book that can really grab the readers (buyers) interest. 

7. Use bullet points 

One way to clean up your description is to break up blocks of text by using bullet points or lists. Bullet points can also add  dynamism to your description. 

8. Concentrate on your first few sentences

Amazon only displays the first few lines of your book description. So in those first few sentences add the strongest or most emotional hooks you’ve got. Add any social proof to the front in the form of reviews, media coverage, awards,  grab the attention of the reader right away. 

9. Use an ending hook

Last but not least, end your book description with a hook. Normally seen with fiction books, but nonfiction book descriptions can utilize hooks as well. An ending hook is a cliffhanger that urges the reader to purchase your book to find out what happens. Think of it as your call to action.

Check-out book description examples from Amazon.