How to Publish an E-Book: Part Six

This series discusses how you can format, e-publish, and sell a book on Amazon (Kindle) and Barnes and Noble (Nook).

The two most important factors determining whether someone purchases your e-book are your cover and your description. Today I'll give some tips for writing a stand-out description.

For both fiction and nonfiction, first study the backs of book covers and e-book descriptions to get a sense for what works.

For fiction, use a 15-20 word logline at the top. Then intrigue your reader by describing just enough of your story to interest him to read more. Finally, end your description with a cliffhanger or question.

Here's an example: My description for my novel A LEVER LONG ENOUGH

(110 words)

A small military team travels back in time to film the theft of Jesus’ body from the tomb.

The Israeli team, led by Benjamin Feinan, has exactly seventy-two hours to collect the video evidence. Failure threatens the existence of Israel and may cause the world to slip into all-out war. Drawn into a web of first-century deception and death, the only way to escape is for Benjamin to change the past. In the present, a traitor attempts to sabotage the mission and seize control of the military complex. Only Benjamin can reveal him, but he is trapped two thousand years away.

Even with a time machine, time is running out.

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For non-fiction, start your description with a question based on the title of your book. Then list bullet points that describe what your book is about. Finally, finish with a quick summary.

Here's an example: My description for my How-To book THE STORY TEMPLATE

(157 words)

Writing a novel or screenplay sounds like a fabulous idea. But where do you start? And how do you finish?

Award-winning author, Amy Deardon, answers these questions in The Story Template: Conquer Writer’s Block Using the Universal Structure of Story. This approach will help you focus your creativity and complete your unique and compelling story, script, or novel. With this tool and more than 100 targeted writing exercises, you will learn to:

* Ascertain the four foundational story pillars, and use the “secret weapon” of the story template, to structure your story.

* Build character depth with believable change.

* Create subplots to raise tension while you deepen and contrast story themes.

* Review writing techniques that shape your ideas into a compelling manuscript.

The Story Template is a product of Amy’s comprehensive research—as well as her personal experience—for what makes a story “work.” No matter your level of accomplishment, this book will help you build a better story.

Copyright 2012 by Amy Deardon. All rights reserved.

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