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It’s an amazing thing when you realize that you might be able to write a stellar novel, full of excellent scenes and powerful characters, but when it comes to writing a blurb to put on Amazon and other online retailers, it feels like pulling teeth to do it well. It requires a different set of mental muscles to write a compelling book summary and on this episode we receive some help from a friend of the SPF community, Bryan Cohen. Bryan’s not only an accomplished author himself, he’s also a copywriter who specializes in this sort of thing. You’re going to be amazed at his insights and helped by the tips he has to offer. And if you apply what he teaches in this episode and see your book sales rise as a result, be sure to let us know.

Does your book description have an effective hook?

Just like a blog post or article title, your book description for online retailers needs to be compelling. In particular, the very first sentence needs to be the “hook” that urges the reader to keep reading. How do you make one sentence so powerful? Bryan is the man to tell us how. Listen to learn how to create a powerful hook, infuse it with emotion, and compel those checking out your book to push the “buy” button as a result.

Transitional statements keep the movement and energy going.

Take a moment to stroll over to Amazon and read a few of the book descriptions for some of the bestselling books in your genre. What do they have in common? It’s more likely than not that those book summaries use transitional statements to keep the energy and interest of the reader moving forward. They pose questions, arouse curiosity, and evoke sympathy for the characters through the description on the page. You can write a summary like that for your book and on this episode of The Self Publishing Formula, Bryan teaches you how.

One place where you definitely DO want to leave your reader hanging.

There’s a good deal of discussion going on in writing communities these days about whether or not cliffhanger endings are a good thing or not. While it’s debatable when it comes to the way you end your novels, there’s no question about it when it comes to your book description. A cliffhanger ending is a must. Why? Because that’s what leaves the person interested in your book with the desire to find out more. It’s taking advantage of the natural bent we humans have toward curiosity and using it to gain a new reader and customer. You can discover Bryan’s foolproof approach to writing powerful book summaries in this episode of the podcast.

Would you like to get in on a webinar to take a deep dive into creating a powerful book summary for YOUR book?

While the tips Bryan shares in this episode of the podcast are indeed powerful and many authors will find increased sales simply from applying what he shares here, you may find that you need a deeper understanding of this topic. Mark and Bryan will be hosting a live webinar covering the issue of book descriptions for Amazon and for Facebook Ads that you won’t want to miss. If you’re able to learn this form of effective writing it could impact your book sales in a positive way for years to come. Get all the details on the webinar by listening to this episode.

Outline of this great episode

  • [0:21] Mark and James introduce the episode.
  • [1:17] The value of the Facebook for Authors course and why the launch is such work.
  • [2:00] Today’s guest, copywriter Bryan Cohen.
  • [5:35] Why Bryan calls himself an adventurer.
  • [9:26] The upcoming webinar Bryan will be conducting with Mark Dawson.
  • [11:24] How writers struggle to summarize their novel into a blurb.
  • [15:00] A blurb hook- writing formula for authors to follow.
  • [17:19] Taking cues from film taglines for your book’s “hook.”
  • [21:40] How to write the first sentence of your synopsis.
  • [23:31] The same principle in book writing.
  • [24:51] Moving beyond the first part of the synopsis.
  • [26:38] The powerful end of your synopsis.
  • [29:47] How the book copy can be the difference between sales and no sales.
  • [33:25] What can be done for an author after the initial sales rush ends?
  • [36:01] What do we mean by conversions and conversion rates?
  • [40:14] Applying these concepts to copywriting in general.
  • [46:14] A preview of the upcoming webinar.

Resources & Links mentioned in this episode

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