Writing the description on a store page

The description is the longest piece of writing about a book that most potential readers will ever see. On a retailer's page it sits beside the cover and the price, and it is often the deciding factor between a reader moving on and a reader buying.

It is also one of the most often mishandled parts of a book's presentation. The usual mistake is to write a synopsis.

A description is not a synopsis

A synopsis tells what happens. A description tells a reader why they would want to find out. The two overlap, but they are written for different people with different needs.

An agent or editor reading a synopsis wants the whole shape of the story, including the ending. A reader on a store page wants a reason to start. Give too much plot and there is nothing left to discover. Give a list of events and the reader has no sense of what reading the book would feel like.

For fiction, a good description usually establishes a character, a situation and what is at stake, and stops at the point of tension. For non-fiction, it usually states the question or problem the book addresses, what the reader will come away with, and why this author is worth hearing on it.

The first lines carry the weight

On most retailer pages, only the opening lines of a description are visible before the reader has to click to expand it. Many never click. Those first lines have to work alone.

Open with the most compelling element: the situation, the question, the voice. Avoid opening with background or setting unless the setting is the point. A line that raises a question the reader wants answered does more than a line that sets the scene.

Some publishers open with a short line that frames the book, such as its genre or a strong review quotation. This can work if it is specific. A vague line of praise uses the most valuable space on the page to say very little.

Voice and length

A description should sound like the book. A comic novel's description can be funny. A literary novel's can take its time. A practical guide's should be clear and direct. A reader who enjoys the description and then finds a book in a very different voice feels misled.

Keep paragraphs short. Store pages are read quickly and often on phones, where a dense block of text is easy to skip.

Length should be enough to do the job and no more. A few short paragraphs are usually sufficient. Retailers set their own limits on length and formatting, and not all of them display formatting the same way, so it is worth checking how the description looks on each.

What to include and what to avoid

Include what helps a reader place the book: its genre or kind, if not obvious from the text; whether it is part of a series; and for non-fiction, the scope of what it covers.

Avoid comparing the book to famous titles unless the comparison is apt and specific. Avoid superlatives. Avoid telling readers how they will feel. Show them enough that they can anticipate it for themselves.

Do not include information that goes out of date quickly, such as temporary prices or promotions. The description will be read for years.

Read the description aloud. Then show it to someone who does not know the book and ask what kind of book they think it is and whether they would read on. If their answer does not match the book, rewrite.

A good description is short, specific and honest about what the reader will get. That is harder to write than it sounds, and worth the effort.