Writing The Spine

After the title, next people read the spine, or blurb about the book. The temptation on this, is to phone it in. Summarizing an entire book is hard, but necessary. Once the title has caught the eye, the description invites readers to take the journey with you.

As important as it is, once writing a book, writing the description can be a little dreaded. However if the writer doesn’t bring his best to it, the book may never be read. There are some ways to make it easier.

First, revisit the tools you used to write the book. The outline, or notes, you used to write the book can be a great help with the description. Also, the original idea that sparked the book was just a few words, but it inspired you. Use it to building a description that will inspire others.

Second, say enough to interest, but don’t give the movie away with the trailer. Lay a path towards something, but don’t advertise every twist and turn. A way to balance this, is to keep the description primarily focused on the main character, and not their quest.

Finally, keep it short. Only a few paragraphs are needed. The description, whether on a book’s spine, or an ebook’s landing page, shouldn’t be a story all its own. If you take to long with the blurb, the reader might be afraid you’ll do the same with your story.

Writing the spine, is very much like the nerve center of the book. It can pull a reader towards your book, or push them away. It may be more complicated than it seems, but it can bring both writer and reader, great rewards.