Your synopsis should be short, sharp, and leave the reader wanting more. This is what will compel new readers to click on your book cover, read your full book description, author biography, sample material, and ultimately add your title to their shopping cart.
A short book synopsis is an important sales pitch that will influence whether potential customers click on your product page. Your book synopsis will appear in online bookstores beneath the front cover image of your book, in search engine listings, and as copy in catalogues, newsletters, and various print and online marketing. It will inform potential readers what your book is about, who your target audience is, and why they should read your book.
Imagine an advertising company asking you to write two or three sentences about your book to appear beneath a billboard image of your book cover. What would you write? What would pique the interest of potential readers? What would compel them to want to learn more about your title—to add your book to their shopping cart—to search your title at their public library? You need to think like someone trying to market your title, someone who is working on strict commission sales, whose livelihood depends on selling copies.
You can write your own synopsis, have somebody write it for you, or even pull a quote from a review of your book. Some of the most engaging, effective book synopses are often pulled from book reviews. If you can find two or three sentences that make your book sound exciting, intriguing, and worth reading, you’ve found an effective sales pitch!
Here are some effective book synopses presently listed in the PageMaster bookstore:
JESS AND THE RUNAWAY GRANDPA is a compelling story with universal themes of love and friendship in this emotionally-charged adventure novel for children.
“LINDSEY’S CHOICE is a fabulous, must-read for all pre-teen and teenage girls faced with an abundance of important and often life-changing decisions as they grow and mature.”—Deborah Tetley
THE SECOND FRONT presents an arresting account of the conception of D-Day, exploring the principle verities that dictated the planning and execution of the Allied operation.
What these book synopses have in common is that regardless of whether you are familiar with the authors, or the books, they pique your curiosity and almost force you to click on the product pages to learn more.
Write your synopsis in the third person narrative from the perspective of the person marketing your title. Your synopsis should be short, sharp, and leave the reader wanting more. This is what will compel new readers to click on your book cover, read your full book description, author biography, sample material, and ultimately add your title to their shopping cart.