Ebooks don't have a back cover, it's not like you can turn them over to read what's behind them like you do with books in the library. Yet in the planet of ebooks the back cover, which is called "Description", is by far the most important text of the entire publication. It is not for nothing that in English, where things are not revolved around so much, this text is called the "promotional". The description, together with the title and the cover, has the task of hooking the reader who quickly and absentmindedly browses the pages of online bookstores. The promotional has the computation of pushing him towards an action that has become increasingly difficult: making him stay a second longer and in that second convincing him that he has found what he was looking for or what he did not yet know he had to look for (Steve Jobs would have said ). The task of completing the intellectual seduction of the reader is entrusted to the description. Poets should write it, but today poets are scarce, so you have to make do with what you have.
Here are some tips for writing the back cover designed specifically for those who don't have a poet friend or a copywriter ready to write it in exchange for a pizza, because we can't afford more given how the ebook market is going. The big publishers know how to write a back cover, a short art, a literary genre in itself, with which even great writers and less famous editors have grappled with mixed results. Self-published authors and small publishers, especially if they are digital natives, sometimes tend to take lightly this very important activity of being also publishers (as well as writers and technologists). Writing the first thing that comes to mind behind the book is not a good strategy in any sense and a capital marketing mistake. Immediately after the title and the cover, potential readers read the fourth/description before deciding whether to click on the "Buy" button or more likely on "Read the extract".
On the other hand, as Steven Spatz, president of BookBaby, one of the most important self-publishing services, wisely points out, "if done well, the back cover is the most important of the commercials" and it is not so much to say, because then it will also be displayed on Amazon in the book profile and moreover, always if it is written in an adequate way, it can be reused by the press as a presentation text. Steven Spatz himself helped us draw up these ten simple rules for writing a killer back cover. However, as is understandable, the difficulty of many authors lies in the fact that promotion is often not their specialty, but don't worry, with these simple tricks you'll be on the safe side. However, success is not guaranteed.
Prepare, watching and studying
1) Look around. First, draw inspiration from the back covers of books in a similar genre to yours. Look at the big publishers how they do them. But don't let yourself be influenced too much and don't let yourself be seduced by the one you like best. Then you'll write an ineffective clone. Just look. Focus on text structure and style. Only big brands can afford something as eccentric as the one shown on the side.
2) The glance is decisive. Build a graphically well-balanced text so that the eye can catch it as if in an embrace: max three/four paragraphs with a gap between them: opening, central body and closing. Do not use bold and special highlights. Italics are fine only if you are quoting a work. The content must not exceed 150/200 words, otherwise people immediately lose the desire to read all the pappardella at first glance. Everyone is in a hurry. Write catchy catchphrases in a notebook or on your iPhone as a blurb. Pay maximum attention to the opening, which is like the overture of an opera, in the end you only remember that one if you play the right notes. Write several versions and then read them aloud: if you stumble or friction, switch to another version.
To gain space (ie reader's time, the only good of which there is a shortage) eliminate repetitions, redundancies, subordinates and relative clauses. The latter are equivalent to a pick. Maybe, use the full stop… let the reader catch his breath. You are communicating something intense. Study well the adjectives that create the color of the text like the brushstrokes in a Van Gogh painting.
Start writing
3) Start from the simplest thing, the summary. The summary of the book should occupy a maximum of three paragraphs. It is good to offer it immediately after opening. It's like salt in salads, just the right amount. If you really are in love with your work or the plot is like that of War and Peace or Moby Dick, you can dedicate an internal page to a wider synopsis. You could even place it before the title page, as happens in Anglo-Saxon countries. On this page, you can be generous by giving more details about the crazy content of your book. If you bring the reader to this page, you've already hooked him, but don't give him too much line, he'll eventually break free and run away! It always happens when you indulge in self-satisfaction. It's better not to make this page, but if you really miss it, be sparing.
Narrative: outline the plot, don't miss out on listing the characters, no one will remember their names and their roles and above all don't make the mistake of spilling the ending! Just mention something, because there will certainly be a coup de théâtre, and this is good to tell him, but leave it shrouded in mystery. Learn from TV series that end on the climax. The setting is important because the reader can find in it something he knows and loves. Disorientation is not a good thing. The plot must also give an early taste of the author's narrative style, so these two paragraphs should reflect the author's artistic personality. If you have an incipit like Lolita's, stick it somewhere. If not, forget it.
For this reason, the plot can be replaced by a short passage taken from the book (better in quotes) if this passage is effective enough to replace an ad hoc written text. If there is any famous writer who has written on the book (see example opposite) that you are writing the description about, do not hesitate to include them.
If you have honestly been inspired by a writer, a fundamental part of your cultural education, you can candidly declare it. But be very careful because super partes writers are few and you could alienate those readers who don't like your muse. Better to avoid, but if you really can't do without a tribute, don't compare yourself too much to him/her, it could be a bear hug. If, on the other hand, your novel refers to a news story or a well-known historical event, affiliation helps because it stimulates the reader's curiosity.
Watch out for the lock: as in a fireworks display you need a bang: a bang that must be a "call to action" and cannot be the tag with the word "buy". Like the opening, it must be studied and restudied, read and reread alone and in company. If nothing comes to you, forget it, close like in an Antonioni film, the end and that's it. Think of what Adelphi wrote about the fourth of Chatwin's In Patagonia: "The book-symbol of all travel". Note the trait d'union, it is worth a Pulitzer.
nonfiction: the same rules apply to the opening and closing of the narrative. Always try to tie the content to something that already exists in the potential reader's head, to current events. If there is something in the public debate that vaguely affects your work, fine, it must be used but with intelligence: your essay lasts over time, but the event evaporates; therefore it is better to refer to facts that do not wither away right away. The first action is precisely the search for a relationship that works. It's a bit like the centre-forward in the penalty area who leans on the full-back to get him up and hit the ball higher with his head. However, you don't have to do it! The central body of the description must list the fundamental themes of the book in max 3-5 points (Spatz reminds us that odd numbers are always better, as market research shows). Furthermore it is very important that the points are syntactically cohesive with each other, otherwise they will sound bad and will seem written by an incompetent (if you start with a certain tense or with a certain syntactic structure it is advisable to keep them throughout the list). In non-fiction it is also important to know what the reader will learn from reading, better if he will learn it while having fun as Walt Disney taught us. As in fiction, never blurt out the central thesis of the book, otherwise the reader feels that he has already achieved his goal. Go around it, even with questions you won't give answers to.
In closing, perhaps, look for something that reflects the reader's desire when he thinks of a theme like the one dealt with in your book. This approach is already a "call to action".
Refining and perfecting the style ad nauseum
4) Don't be self-centered. The protagonist is not you, but the reader and his emotions, so forget the first person singular or worse the plural maiestatis. Talk to the reader as if you were in an elevator ride from the ground floor to the sixth floor.
5) Ask direct questions. It's an excellent strategy for engaging the reader. It's hard to package something that fits everyone. But you can try by following a few small rules. Don't be impersonal, write the title in italics instead of referring to the book with "the book" and don't say "the reader" to speak of the reader, rather give him the first name and ask him directly if that is the book he is looking for, for example “Is your life at a standstill? Feeling stuck in a tunnel of negativity? If so, this is your lucky day!" But be careful not to overdo it. You haven't gone out to dinner with the reader yet and you may run into a day that got up badly. For example, if you travel with Lyft, the competitor of Uber the coolest taxi service in the world, they make you sit in the front seat, in the passenger seat, and you also have to punch the driver. It's honestly too much for a 10 minute cab ride, especially on a rainy day.
6) Feel free to use the imperative. Not “the reader will learn to improve the relationship with their dog”, but “improve the relationship between you and your dog!”. In this regard, the suggestions offered on Book Designer by Casey Demchak, a true specialist of the back covers, come in handy: always promise something, nothing too elaborate or eccentric, simple things are usually the ones that work best. Conclude (better) or begin with a call to action, an imperative that clearly shows the usefulness of that reading. Also be careful in this case to be polite and discreet, after two imperatives the Italians start to get annoyed and we get the "che —— volle?", which is the dumpster for your work. Unlike the great democracies, Italy had a binge of imperatives during the Fascist period. A memory that warms few.
7) Arouse emotions. It's not as easy to sell it as it is to say it. Emotions are a serious matter and can also hurt or turn into aversion. So go easy on falling in love with this idea. Not all of us are as skilled as Maria De Filippi. Luckily Casey gives us some useful advice, but don't forget that he lives in Denver, Colorado where an Italian could feel a lot away from home. Casey explains the importance of focusing on the theme of the book and not so much on the plot. And this is basically a point. Casey says:
Describe the benefits in human and emotional terms that the reader can obtain, in fact the most convincing advertising messages are those that touch the public on an emotional level. It doesn't matter what the book is about, you just need to understand what emotions readers want to feel. You don't read detective stories to find out who the killer is, but to feel the suspense.
Sometimes, however, they are also read to discover the killer.
8) Choose a tone. Depending on the topic you have to speak mysteriously, romantically, introspectively, comically etc. The narrative style and quality of the content must percolate from the description.
9) Give rhythm to the text. Movie trailers, for example, are very fast-paced because in one minute they have to convince viewers to go to the cinema to see a three-hour film. Same goes for books, you only have 200 words to get people to read all the loot. Read and reread to find a rhythm and where it sags, rewrite. Listen to the best film music and capture its rhythm.
10) Don't be vain. No platitudes like "this book will change your life" or "the missing masterpiece", unless a literary critic said so. If you have blurbs, use them, but they mustn't be from the next door neighbor or smell like a hustler. Don't talk too enthusiastically about the book, keep a low profile, or you'll come off as arrogant. Be confident, but humble, talk about the facts, about the help you can offer, instead of wallowing in complacency. It sounds like corny advice and something ça va sans dire, but writers tend to be, rightly so, narcissistic because they think they are descended from Homer, Dante, Shakespeare and Victor Hugo. A state of mind captured well by Charlie Brown: "it's hard to be modest when you're the best."
Put your face on it as Renzi says
Let's start with a strong and certainly unjust statement. On the net only the author counts, the publisher has a small part in which he dies immediately. So the author is the primary vehicle for reaching an audience and building a following. Once the personality of the publisher was oversized, extra large, today it has narrowed, with a few exceptions, to a shoebox. The author is truly the silver bullett. So he should be duly presented to the reader in a separate block of text from the description. It shouldn't be a sad text like the European curriculum vitae and above all you need to see his face.
Photo by the author. That it is well taken, sharp and in close-up: no dogs, cats, children, spouses or embarrassing backgrounds (such as sea beach or Tre Cime di Lavaredo). To find the right posture, smile, hairstyle and correct clothing, you must always consider the category of readers you are addressing.
Author biography. “Less is more”. Stay in 50/100 words and enter only the most important information, including where you were born or where you live. Don't brag too much about being Sicilian or Tuscan, it could irritate Neapolitans or Umbrians. Don't put your date of birth or age (there's a photo that challenges you to guess it), don't rattle off your educational qualifications or professional career. It's a useless ejaculation. Something personal doesn't hurt at all, but avoid football cheering unless it's a book about a football team. In fiction it is good to mention the literary prizes, awards and books already published (but not all, for heaven's sake... maybe put a number on it). In nonfiction it is good to spend a few more words explaining why you are qualified to talk about that topic. Are you industry experts? What experiences can give you more credibility? Have you already written something on the same topic? Don't hesitate to enter this information. If there are many, focus on the most significant ones. Never speak in the first person, but always in the third person as if the profile had been written by Unesco or Treccani.
If you have a website, blog, email, Twitter account or Facebook page, put them, but not all together: two things are enough. If you want to be as available as possible, put your email: it is the tool that gives you the least complications in reaching you. Alternatively Twitter. If Twitter is too elitist (but it's good to be in the cultural industry with a little support), put Facebook. Keep these resources in order, though: sloppiness doesn't sell.
Blurb. As we have said, if there are concise and effective reviews such as aphorisms they must be used both on the author's social networks and on a special page inside the book just before the title page. If they're written by well-known personalities or important media outlets, so much the better. These blurbs, in a second edition, may even become the back cover itself. In non-fiction we certainly need a well-known personality in the sector.
Professional support. If all this seems too difficult to achieve, seriously consider hiring a copywriter, an editor or someone who is familiar with advertising texts, it will be an excellent investment to obtain a clean and professional result.
Perhaps none better Calvino it gave an idea of what a back cover means to the reader and the possible implications, if a book. In If on a winter's night a traveler writes:
You turn the book over in your hands, scroll through the phrases on the back cover, on the flap, generic phrases that say nothing... Of course, even this turning around the book, reading around it before reading inside, is part of the pleasure of a new book, but like all preliminary pleasures has an optimal duration if it is to serve to push towards the more consistent pleasure of the consummation of the act of reading a book.
Got the double meaning?
