How to Write Back Cover Copy
How do you convince people to read your book? It’s all in the back cover copy. Keep reading to learn what to put in your back cover copy and your blurb to agents.
If you’re an indie author, let me ask you a question: How do you get people to buy your book? Or, if you’re a traditional author, how do you get an agent to read your book? How do you convince them it’s worth the money and time?
Well, I’m going to tell you the secret: back cover copy.
Back cover copy is one of those things that you don’t really think about until you have to, until you’re staring at a blank back cover on a screen or you’re drafting that query letter. But the few paragraphs in your blurb or back cover copy are probably the most important words you will write in this whole process, even more important than your first page. This is what everyone will read before they decide to buy your book. . . or put it back on the shelf.
So, how do you approach writing such an important selling point of your novel? I’m going to tell you the main things to include and then give some tips and tricks for perfecting the copy.
Highlight the conflict, not just what happens
Of course, your back cover is going to tell the reader what happens in the book, what the premise and plot are. But this is marketing copy. You are trying to sell something here. So, instead of just focusing on the ABC’s of what happens in the story, highlight what makes the conflict of the plot.
Talk about the main character’s goal, their motivation, and the thing that is standing in their way. Frame your blurb around those key underlying propellers of the plot, and the facts of what happens will just fill in the gaps. Otherwise, your copy will read flat and leave readers asking, “So what?”
Tell us the main character, their goal, what stands in the way of their goal, and the setting. One of these things should be the unique hook of your story, the part of the premise that makes it different from other books in the genre. Whatever it is, make sure that unique hook comes out in the back cover copy.
Perfecting your back cover copy
Keep it around 150- 200 words. It should be concise but complete.
Mention your main character’s name and the world they live in, whether it’s a contemporary, historical, or fantasy one.
Match the tone of your book. Your back cover copy should feel creative, not bland. If your book is in first person, you might want to write the back cover in first person and in the voice of your main character. Match the overall tone of your story—whether funny and lighthearted, mysterious and suspenseful, or serious and action-packed. Think about each word and what tone it conveys, especially the verbs and the adjectives. Are there synonyms that will match your tone better? Is your sentence in active voice?
Lead with your hook. For a lot of books, leading with your hook helps grab attention. It is usually even bolded as the first line, almost before you even read the copy. It should be just one sentence or two short ones. It could be a question, a fact, a quote from your character, or a shocking cliffhanger.
Don’t give everything away. This is pretty obvious, but sometimes authors don’t realize how much they are giving up in the back cover copy. You don’t want to tell them how it ends, but you also don’t want to give away the climax either. Your job is to set the story up by introducing the character and the conflict, then leave the reader so desperate to know what happens in the conflict that they have to read it to find out!
You don’t have to end with a question in order to leave the reader wanting more. It’s often overused, sometimes pretentious, and usually obvious enough that you don’t need to explicitly ask it. If your back cover copy is good, the reader will already know what the question is. You don’t have to say, “Will Pam and Jim be able to overcome their past and have the whirlwind romance they always dreamed of?” If it’s a romance novel, the reader already knows they’ll end up together. It’s the journey, not the destination.
Break up the text in a way that allows readers to skim it easily. I know what you’re thinking, if a reader can’t even bother to read 200 words of my story, how are they gonna pick up the whole thing? Well, this has more to do with how our eyes and brains process information than the reader. White space allows for your eyes to easily scan and pick up the key information; it makes the content more easily consumable as little bite-sized sentences rather than long blocks of text. So, use the white space to your advantage and make the content both engaging in how it’s written and visually easy-to-read.
I hope these tips are helpful to you as you write and perfect your back cover copy. For examples of each of these tips, watch my full video on back cover copy on YouTube. See you next time!
Do you have any questions about publishing or writing? Leave a comment below! Want to hear more of my opinions on all things writing, reading, and publishing? Follow me on Instagram @wisecracksandpaperbacks or subscribe to my YouTube channel @wpediting.