You can tell a book by its cover…
Or can you? Hard to say.
What you are more likely to be able to do is tell a lot about a book by its description.
This is an area you, as an author, would be wise to put time and effort into. Book descriptions do play a part in how many books you sell. As do reviews.
Why are descriptions so important? Often, potential buyers scan a description of the book as part of their buying decision.
Yet, many authors put very little effort into writing a compelling description.
It’s Your Responsibility
As an author, you need to take full responsibility for making sure the description is such that people can’t help but want to read your book.
The description gives the readers a great idea of what the book is about and “why them” as a reader. The description on Amazon is like the copy on the back of your book; it hooks readers in, leaving them hungry for more.
If you have a traditional publisher, they will likely have a department with copywriters who know exactly how to write the description. But if you are self-published or have a hybred publisher, take an interest in the description.
Although some hybred publishers put a lot of thought and care into doing this, not all do. Don’t leave the description to chance. If you don’t like what you read, or you don’t feel it’s compelling enough, take control of assuring the description is something that gets the potential buyer to take action… the action of hitting the “add to cart” button.
Amazon Book Description
The description should be beefy and keyword rich. Don’t skimp on the wording. The description is your sales conversation.
The description can be between 30 and 4000 characters in length. Use as much of this as possible. The book description usually appears within 72 hours of putting it up on Amazon.
The Amazon book description can double on the book website as well as other areas you sell the book.
Think of your own buying habits. Most often, when you are looking for a book on a specific topic, you go right to Amazon and scan various titles.
Chances are when you find a title of interest you scan the description.
100% Effort Into the Description
Put as much effort into the description as you do just about anything. If the description doesn’t quickly capture the imagination and interest of the reader, you risk missing a sale.
Additionally, the description must be set up in a way that it’s very easy to scan.
The headline must immediately capture the potential reader followed by easy to read paragraphs. Keep the paragraphs short.
Highlight key points with bold text and bullet points.
Amazon makes it very easy to do all the above.
Readers Buy Several Books on a Topic
Your audience doesn’t buy just one book on topics of interest. Think about your own buying habits. When you are interested in a subject, there’s a good chance you stock up on several books.
Amazon has made it very easy to buy several books on a topic with the press of a button.
When I became interested in running, specifically marathons, I actually bought several books on the topic. A quick visit to Amazon and a scan of all the possible books I could get proved to be a convenient buying process.
Recently, I decided a sprint triathlon was something I wanted to participate in. Heading back to Amazon, there were a few books I could choose from.
I bought based on title and description. A press of the “add to cart” button and several books later, my decision was made, and my credit card charged. Simple.
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