<\/strong>Key conversion factors: Cover, Price, Reviews (total number)<\/em>
Supporting cast: Title, Reviews (average rating)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your Book Page \u21d2 Look Inside Look Inside \u21d2 Buy Now Every step of that pathway is critical, except of course that in some cases the book page will push users straight to the Buy Now button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Although, who actually makes purchase decisions that fast? You do if you\u2019re buying Lee Child #97, because you\u2019re already a keen fan of Lee Child #1-96. You do if you\u2019re buying a \u201cHow To\u201d style non-fiction book and you know that this author and this topic will meet your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But mostly? Mostly, I think, users want to try before they buy with authors who are new to them, and that means it helps you to visualise your sales journey in three steps, not two.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, OK, your book description has to push people into hitting that \u201cLook Inside\u201d feature. That\u2019s the step which defines success. But how do you actually accomplish that goal? How do you write Amazon book descriptions that really sell the book and compel the reader?<\/p>\n\n\n\n To answer that question, you have to get a clear read on your who reader is \u2013 what their state of mind is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So let\u2019s say, like me, you are a crime novelist. I\u2019m going to assume that you\u2019ve set your keywords and categories correctly. (Not sure about them? Check here for guest blogger, Dave Gaughran\u2019s super-expert guide<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, if you\u2019ve done things right to this point, your book should start popping up in front of readers who:<\/p>\n\n\n\n (a) have come to Amazon looking for a book, (b) are interested in your genre, (c) don\u2019t know anything specific about you or what you\u2019ve written<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Your great cover and great reviews persuade those people to click through to your book page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And these people are your perfect customers, in the sense that they have an immediate purchase-intent and they want a crime book. But<\/p>\n\n\n\n And finally of course:<\/p>\n\n\n\n They want to find themselves trapped in a place, where the only way out is to read your book. (And they probably need to be nudged towards that course of action.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n So how exactly do you do it? How do you nudge the reader to set out on a book-length journey with you . . . when you only have maybe 150 words to convince them to take the trip?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve said that readers are impatient (it\u2019s them that set that 150 word limit, not Amazon.) So you have to achieve a lot in a very short space of time . . . and here\u2019s the basic template you need to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, you need (1) to hook<\/em> your readers in your first or second sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then you need to (2) provide more data<\/em> about what kind of book you\u2019re offering. (Yes, a crime book, in our example, but police procedural? Or violent gangland thriller? And set in a quiet English village? Or south central LA?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n And beyond that, you need to (3) give the reader a sense of what emotional payoff<\/em> they\u2019re going to get from your book. And that means that your reader actually needs to feel<\/em> that payoff. Sure, there\u2019s only so much emotion you can generate in a short space, but your readers understand the difference between the trailer and the movie. They understand the difference between the book description and the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then finally, (4), you need to nudge your reader towards the next action (either \u201cBuy Now\u201d or \u201cLook Inside\u201d). I\u2019m not a huge fan of really direct calls to action in a book description, but you can still tip the reader in the direction you want to take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So that\u2019s what our description has to accomplish. I\u2019m about to tell you how to do it. Do just note that this is not a complete guide to the art of self-publishing. Luckily, though, we already have one for you, if you want it. It\u2019s right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The basic template for a book description is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To be clear, that template works for every<\/em> book. It\u2019s the heart of every successful book description ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re going to go on to look at some specific examples of how that template works out in practice, but before we get there, we have to face one more question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you want a very clean, pared-down book description, of the sort that Amazon Publishing generally favours? (One example here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or do you want to follow the kitchen-sink model favoured by Bookouture, an outstandingly successful British e-publisher? (One example of their monster book descriptions here<\/a> \u2013 note the huge number of reviews etc included as part of that book description.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personally, I prefer the latter model. I like the ability to hold the reader on \u201cmy\u201d part of my book\u2019s web real estate. So I want readers to look at the reviews that I<\/em> choose to shove under their nose. I don\u2019t want my reader wandering down to look at the \u201calso boughts\u201d. I want them to feel complete before they even reach the end of the book description.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But to be clear: that\u2019s not the only method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amazon, in case you hadn\u2019t noticed, is rather good at data, and if their publishing arm favours a very trimmed-down version of the book description, it clearly works for them. So you can go light, or you can go heavy . . . the one thing you can\u2019t do is mess with that template.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next thing for us to do? See how it works in practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This stuff is helpful, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n But, you know, there\u2019s a lot more where this came from. We\u2019ve got an entire self-publishing video course, that\u2019s expensive to buy (see details<\/a>) . . . but which we\u2019d like to give you totally free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And not just that course, but an awesome on on How To Write. And live webinars with literary agents and top book doctors. And an incredible cinema, full of films by writers for writers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, our Jericho Writers club is made for writers like you \u2013 and was created by writers like you. We think you\u2019ll be blown away by what we have on offer. To find out more, just Explore Our Club<\/a>. We look forward to welcoming you soon.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n OK, you want an example of a top quality book description? Well, here\u2019s one from Amazon imprint author, Mark Edwards. Mark writes his own descriptions and Amazon loves them so much, they don\u2019t change a word. Mark opts for a super-pared down description and it works unbelievably well, as you can see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s an example from his BECAUSE YOU LOVE ME. (Here<\/a> on Amazon.com, or here<\/a> on Amazon UK.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can see that the hook \/ content \/ climax template is alive and well in that short piece of text. (Which totals just 100 words, by the way. I\u2019d say that 100 words sits at the very short end of what you can get away with. Anything between 100 and, say, 180 words feels about right.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this case, the hook<\/strong> is simply: \u201cthis author is a #1 worldwide bestseller, and if you like stories about jealousy \/ obsession \/ murder, you\u2019re probably in the right place.\u201d Works for you? Yep, it works for me too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Notice that that one short sentence has ticked two boxes. It\u2019s said, \u201chere are the themes of the book [so you already know what kind of emotional journey it\u2019s going to offer.\u201d But it\u2019s also said, \u201cAnd you don\u2019t need to be worried about wasting your $3.99, because I\u2019m a top author and you\u2019re in good hands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The story<\/strong> here is delivered with extreme economy, but just look what it accomplishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That first sentence (Andrew meets Charlie) gives us the premise. In effect, that\u2019s the initiating incident<\/em> right there. In one sentence. Not just that, but you\u2019re given the first uh-oh moment. (\u201cHe is certain his run of bad luck has finally come to an end.\u201d You and I known damn well that it\u2019s only just starting.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the starting position swiftly drawn, the story instantly escalates . . . things missing, a stalker, misfortune, tragedy. The issues start small and build fast. In effect, in the tiny world of this book description, Mark Edwards has succeeded in building a perfectly formed story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s more, that little story answers the \u201cwhat kind of book is this?\u201d question. You just know exactly from the information you\u2019ve been given.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it answers the \u201cwhat feelings will you have when reading it?\u201d question too. You know exactly what your emotional payoff is going to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then the climax \/ CTA<\/strong>: in this case, a question. Is this woman an angel \u2013 or a demon?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Notice that you don\u2019t actually need to do anything as crude as say, \u201cHey, go and buy my book!\u201d That would actually spoil the emotional place you\u2019ve got the reader into. What you\u2019ve done is smarter than just some crude \u201cbuy me\u201d message. You\u2019ve engineered a little emotional conflict in the reader. They want to know the answer to your angel \/ demon question . . . but the only way they can resolve that is to buy the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t know about you, but that works for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marks\u2019s hook was a neat and uncomplicated one. Basically, \u201cThis book is a story about X, and you can trust that it\u2019ll be a good one because I\u2019m a #1 bestseller.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s OK if you are a #1 bestseller. If you\u2019re not? Well, there are a million other ways to do it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or whatever! Be imaginative. Use whatever you\u2019ve got. It doesn\u2019t matter what type of hook you use. It does matter that you have one!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Likewise, your climax can operate in different ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, it doesn\u2019t really matter what you do; it does matter that you choose to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personally, when it comes to fiction, I think you want to leave your readers in<\/em> the story. That means the choice \/ question \/ cliffhanger ending works better for me than the jump back into \u201chey, the New York Times loved this\u201d. But that could be a personal thing. Certainly you see plenty of competent indie authors \/ trad publishers using a whole variety of methods here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just to show you how universal this model is, I\u2019m going to give you an illustration from my own work \u2013 this one comes from the UK edition of my police procedural, THE DEAD HOUSE<\/a>. I wasn\u2019t in fact the primary author of this description \u2013 I just tweaked a description written by my publisher \u2013 but it\u2019s probably the best of the descriptions of my work out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll see how precisely that description follows our template.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hook<\/strong> delivers a sense of emotion (\u201cChilling, atmospheric and gripping\u201d), and a proof of quality \u2013 here\u2019s top author Mark Edwards bigging the book up. (I\u2019d forgotten, actually, that Mark had plugged The Dead House<\/em> when I extracted his description above \u2013 but he\u2019s a damn nice guy, with excellent taste . . . and he can write quite nicely too!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The story \/ content<\/strong> builds from the premise (victim\u2019s body found), adds some mystery (who is she? why is she here? what\u2019s with the thin white dress?), then escalates is one more time (another woman went missing). All that in a space hardly longer than Mark Edwards\u2019s super-economical 100 words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then the climax \/ CTA<\/strong> follows the template too: a question of the type that crime readers love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact \u2013 big claim here \u2013 if you find ANY good book description on Amazon, you\u2019ll find it follows the same basic template.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t believe me? What about non-fiction, you cry?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pshaw, says I, and fiddle-de-dee. It\u2019s true of non-fiction too. I\u2019m going to show you an example of that in just one moment \u2013 but first some very important remarks about formatting, and how to make the most of the 4000 character allowance that Amazon grants us for book descriptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve been thinking about book descriptions at all, you\u2019ll have noticed that some descriptions make good use of formatting (bold, italics, subheadings, etc), some make wildly excessive use of them, and some make no use at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although Amazon\u2019s own imprints make almost no use of formatting (and those guys test extensively, so they\u2019re not just being stupid or lazy), my own view is that some good, calm, tasteful formatting adds structure and intelligibility to the blurb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m not going to talk in detail about how to insert bold and italics, etc. The short answer is that you use html tags like or to make text bold or italics respectively, and then lose the tags with, for example <\/em><\/strong>or <\/em>, once you want the bold \/ italics to stop. But that\u2019s not really a complete answer, so:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In short, my advice is DO use formatting, but carefully. I think both my DEAD HOUSE description and the Italian guidebook description we\u2019re about to look at use those formatting tools in a nice, clear, helpful way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But then another question looms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s this: do you want your book description to look very short and sweet \u2013 like the Mark Edwards description we looked at first \u2013 or do you want it to segue from book blurb into a whole pile of reviews and the like?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Compare the Mark Edwards book description here<\/a>, with this one from Angela Marsons<\/a>, who is published by hyper-successful British e-publisher, Bookouture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Angela Marsons one follows our template at the start \u2013 so it has a blurb-like blurb with intro \/ story \/ climax like all the others. But then it tells us \u201cReaders are loving Dying Truth\u201d and lays out a whole set of reader \/ blogger \/ formal reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now there\u2019s something interesting here. If you look at their records over the last several years, there\u2019s a strong case to be made that Bookouture and Amazon are the world\u2019s two best publishers when it comes to publishing and selling on Amazon\u2019s KDP platform. They text extensively and monitor outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But one firm \u2013 Amazon \u2013 goes for extremely short, unformatted book descriptions. The other, Bookouture, goes for very long, highly formatted ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which to prefer? Well, if you have two great firms making quite opposite choices, that says to me that both options work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personally, I prefer \u2013 and use myself \u2013 the Bookouture model, of conventional blurb followed by a ton of reviews, but it\u2019s your call. There\u2019s no absolute right and wrong here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, do take a look back at that book description for Angela Marsons<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Notice the way that the publishers use formatting not just to say \u201cthis book is great\u201d, but to ram home their key marketing messages for the book. So take this bit from the book description:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Just wow. This is police procedural at its best<\/strong>\u2026It is complex, intriguing, and the writing hooked me in completely<\/strong>. I read the majority of this book in a few short hours not pausing for breath\u2019 (5 stars) Rachel\u2019s Random Reads<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n That quote (and use of bold) is reminding the reader that this book is a police procedural<\/em>. In other words, it\u2019s sending out the not-so-subtle message to readers who like police procedurals that this book could well be for them. So the perfect reviews to select for your book description will be ones that (a) say \u201cthis book is great\u201d, but also (b) reinforce your basic message of what this book is and what the emotional payoff will be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In effect, any reviews you include at the bottom of your book description should say, \u201cYou know that implicit promise from the blurb? About what you can expect to get from the book if you buy it? Well, trust me, buddy, this book will more than deliver for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So the blurb part of the book description delivers a promise, and the review part of it affirms that other readers \/ reviewers consider that promise to have been met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s a template that I personally like very much and use for all my self-published work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you leave this page \u2013 and just before we get to that long-promised non-fiction book description \u2013 may I ask you a question? It\u2019s this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Has this page been helpful?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And, because you\u2019re an indie author, what that really means is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Will you make more sales by using insights from this page?<\/strong> I\u2019m really hoping that the answers to those questions are yes<\/em>, yep<\/em>, and you betcha<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In which case \u2013 why stop at one blog post? Why not go the whole hog? Because \u2013 did you know this? \u2013 we have an entire course on self-publishing that tells you everything you need to know in incredibly clear detail. It\u2019s fun. It\u2019s engaging. It\u2019s comprehensive. And it will get you from zero to sixty in no time at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Basically, it\u2019ll cut out all the mistakes and get you on the road to indie-dom fast and properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our self-publishing video course <\/a>comes with multiple full length videos, plus a ton of bonus material too. Unless you are a super-sophisticated indie author already, this course WILL make you a better, richer, happier author. It\u2019ll basically cut out all the mistakes and trial-and-error decisions, and put you on the road to success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you become a premium member of Jericho Writers, you get all the learning material on this site, including the self-publishing video course, FOR FREE. All of it. There\u2019s no limit to your access. So you can gobble up that video course, and all our self-published filmed masterclasses, and all our material on how to write, and everything else besides, and not pay one dime over your monthly membership fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can learn more about Jericho Writers here<\/a> or just sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s more, our membership is cancel-any-time, so you can just sign up, help yourself to whatever you want from our learning tools, then quit. We\u2019d love it if you stayed, but if you don\u2019t want to, that\u2019s fine too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re writers ourselves and we\u2019re here to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The thing about non-fiction, is that you still need the hook, to draw readers into your page. You still need the springboard-style lift<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Key conversion factors: Book description<\/em>
Supporting cast: Cover, reviews<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Key conversion factors: The book itself!<\/em>
Supporting cast: Cover, book description, Reviews, Price<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Your Amazon Book Description Has to Do<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>ie: they have real purchase intent \u2013 they want a crime novel<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>that\u2019s how come your work is showing up in their searches, but<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Because this is the internet, and everyone is impatient.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Because you as an author are new to them, and they need help in understanding your product.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Because they need you to answer the question, \u201cWhat will this book do for me? What will I get from it?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n
How to Take The Reader With You . . . In 150 Words or Less<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Your Amazon Book Description Template<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/how-to-increase-book-sales-on-amazon-with-categories-and-keywords\/\")
Your Book Description: Some Examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-1024x382.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDifferent Ways to Deliver Hook<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Different Ways to Deliver Your Climax \/ CTA<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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One More Example<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBook Descriptions: Formatting, Length and Additional Content<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
About Formatting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Book Descriptions: Short Versus Long?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Web-capture_23-2-2023_10841_www.amazon.com_.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nUsing Formatting to Brand Your Book<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Has This Been Helpful?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Will you develop your career?<\/strong>
Will you look like \u2013 and be \u2013 a more professional author?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nNon-Fiction Book Descriptions \u2013 Also Formatting, Length & Reviews<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-1-1024x582.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n