Tip 5 Amazon Back Cover

Tip 5 Amazon Back Cover

 

Amazon’s Cover Creator is very similar to the discontinued CreateSpace. I could not find the design that I had starting using with my series, which I liked and may try to stick with it. Not sure which is the easiest to read white on blue or black lettering on brown. They are more forgiving with image sizes.

I may use two different covers one with Lulu and one of the above with Amazon. Now if I can just get back into writing.

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Tip 4 A New Back Cover

Tip 4 A New Back Cover

I have hit a mental block on my new book, so to build up my interest again I decided to work on the Blurb for the back cover. CreateSpace had a good tool for designing book covers, and now that they have closed and moved over to Amazon I will try their Book cover tool. I also will try Lulu’s book cover tool. They are quite different, Lulu seems picky about the dimensions of the graphics. I would recommend a graphics program that you can use to crop and resize your images. Free for non-commercial users at https://www.irfanview.com/  is the program that I use. Irfan Shiljan has created a nice program for graphics. The following cover I created on Lulu, https://www.Lulu.com/ 

   The Blurb is 143 words long and the first few lines should grab the reader’s attention:

Martin looked around at the strange landscape; the trees were weird, like none he had never seen before. Large leaves and jungle vines hanging from all of them. Then he remembered the flash.

Next, I will create a book cover using Amazon. 

Tip 5 Amazon cover. Next Week

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Paradise Stitchery

A good friend of mine designs stitching patterns, please check it out! https://www.paradisestitchery.com/

Tip 3 Is it scannable?

Tip 3 Is it scannable?

 

Is your back cover blurb scannable?

 

Sophie Masson gives some good advice:

•Short and succinct–around 150 words is ideal, to give enough information without overloading the reader

•Snappily and enticingly written with no confusing bits

•Written in third person, even if book is in first-person voice

•Attractive to look at—well-designed in terms of text on the page, what’s around it, color background, etc.—

 And finally, starting with a tag line, in italics, works well: maybe setting time and place—e.g., Moscow, June 1937—or introducing a main character, e.g., Meet Septimus Drake, master magician—or an intriguing line of text from the book, usually from very early on, e.g., It was supposed to be a foolproof plan…

January 9, 2017 by Sophie Masson

 As I looked back on the back covers of my books, I realized that I need to rewrite all of them. The above description describes a well written, easily scannable blurb.  

 

Where the Crawdads Sing

For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens.

 Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

 

I may have left out the highlighted red. The word count is good. Seems very clear. Written in the third person, and as I cannot find a back cover image I can’t comment on the background. I think it needs a tag line!

 

The Silent Patient

If you don’t already know the premise of this book, a well-known artist accused of killing her husband, and immediately goes silent. No communication of any kind. Not even to defend herself – because did she really kill the husband that she adored and doted on? Most of the story is told by the new doctor who believes he can cure the artist and make her speak. (Messiah complex, anyone?) Pretty simple premise, really. But the execution is interesting and there were still enough little surprises that I didn’t mind knowing the ending. If you haven’t read it already and you are a thriller fan, then what are you waiting for?

 

I would have deleted the part highlighted in red and added the blue. May have given the main character’s name instead of just “she.”

 

Where the Forest Meets the Stars

In this gorgeously stunning debut, a mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again. After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises. The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles. With concerns about the child's home situation, Jo reluctantly agrees to let her stay--just until she learns more about Ursa's past. Jo enlists the help of her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel Nash, to solve the mystery of the charming child. But the more time they spend together, the more questions they have. How does a young girl not only read but understand Shakespeare? Why do good things keep happening in her presence? And why aren't Jo and Gabe checking the missing children's website anymore? Though the three have formed an incredible bond, they know difficult choices must be made. As the summer nears an end and Ursa gets closer to her fifth miracle, her dangerous past closes in. When it finally catches up to them, all of their painful secrets will be forced into the open, and their fates will be left to the stars.I enjoy a good

 

Long, but I think it has me hooked, I enjoy a good science fiction now and then.

 

Tip 4 A new back cover. Next Week

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Tip 2 #Did they tell all?

Tip 2 #Did they tell all?

Is your 200+ blurb so long that it bores you and your readers to the point that they but the book back on the shelf? Look again at the three best sellers and you be the judge.

Amazon’s three best sellers.

  26 weeks on the list                    4 weeks on the list                     5 weeks on the list

 

Biased on the following Book Summaries would you read the books?

Where the Crawdads Sing

For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens.

 Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

 

My curiosity is up a little I might read on.

 

The Silent Patient

If you don’t already know the premise of this book, a well-known artist kills her husband and immediately goes silent. No communication of any kind. Not even to defend herself – because did she really kill the husband that she adored and doted on? Most of the story is told by the new doctor who believes he can cure the artist and make her speak. (Messiah complex, anyone?) Pretty simple premise, really. But the execution is interesting and there were still enough little surprises that I didn’t mind knowing the ending. If you haven’t read it already and you are a thriller fan, then what are you waiting for?

 

My curiosity is low, I wonder what made it a best seller?

 

Where the Forest Meets the Stars

In this gorgeously stunning debut, a mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again. After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises. The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles. With concerns about the child's home situation, Jo reluctantly agrees to let her stay--just until she learns more about Ursa's past.Jo enlists the help of her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel Nash, to solve the mystery of the charming child. But the more time they spend together, the more questions they have. How does a young girl not only read but understand Shakespeare? Why do good things keep happening in her presence? And why aren't Jo and Gabe checking the missing children's website anymore? Though the three have formed an incredible bond, they know difficult choices must be made. As the summer nears an end and Ursa gets closer to her fifth miracle, her dangerous past closes in. When it finally catches up to them, all of their painful secrets will be forced into the open, and their fates will be left to the stars.

 

My curiosity is high, though long for a back of the book blurb, I can see why it made the list.

 

Tip 3 Did they Make it scannable? Next Week

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Tip 1 #Blurb for the back cover

Tip 1 #Blurb for the back cover

#Writer Tips

 

This will be the first in, what I hope to be a long list of tips that will help me to become a better writer. I have found over the years that teaching is the best way to learn. So as I research this I will share what I find with you.

Try writing your book blurb early on even before you start your book.

Start with about 200 words that describes your book for the reader. This is you sales pitch for your book. Convince the reader that they need to read your book.

A back cover should not be a synopsis which is a detailed outline use to sell an idea to a publisher. An example of an synopsis would be my previous post, ‘Could There be Gold.’

A back cover blurb should not be an endorsement blurb, this is a 1-2 line endorsement by a celebrity or someone else.

A back cover blurb should not be a review which is a longer version of the endorsement.

Amazon normally allows people to see the back of books on the book sales page, so let’s take a look at the three top sellers and see it we can find out what drew readers of fiction to these books. As we read the back cover blurb of each of the three see if they give the reader what they expect, did the writer put his/herself in the reader’s shoes, did they keep it short, did they use short paragraphs, did they tell all, and did they nail that first line?

In this first tip we will look at the first line to see if we want to continue reading.
Would you believe that there are no back cover views for these best sellers? After searching the web for summaries I did find some and the maybe the reasons they became best sellers.
Three best sellers.

26 weeks on the list           4 weeks on the list               5 weeks on the list

Where the Crawdads Sing                  The Silent Patient                     Where the Forest Meets the Stars

by Delia Owens              by Alex Michaelides           by Glendy Vanderah

 Biased on the following Book Summaries would you read the books?

Where the Crawdads Sing

For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens.
 Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.
 

The Silent Patient

If you don’t already know the premise of this book, a well-known artist kills her husband and immediately goes silent. No communication of any kind. Not even to defend herself – because did she really kill the husband that she adored and doted on? Most of the story is told by the new doctor who believes he can cure the artist and make her speak. (Messiah complex, anyone?) Pretty simple premise, really. But the execution is interesting and there were still enough little surprises that I didn’t mind knowing the ending. If you haven’t read it already and you are a thriller fan, then what are you waiting for?

Where the Forest Meets the Stars

In this gorgeously stunning debut, a mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again.
After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises.

The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles. With concerns about the child's home situation, Jo reluctantly agrees to let her stay--just until she learns more about Ursa's past.

Jo enlists the help of her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel Nash, to solve the mystery of the charming child. But the more time they spend together, the more questions they have. How does a young girl not only read but understand Shakespeare? Why do good things keep happening in her presence? And why aren't Jo and Gabe checking the missing children's website anymore?
Though the three have formed an incredible bond, they know difficult choices must be made. As the summer nears an end and Ursa gets closer to her fifth miracle, her dangerous past closes in. When it finally catches up to them, all of their painful secrets will be forced into the open, and their fates will be left to the stars.

After reading these summaries can you see how they became best sellers?

Ok, let’s look at that first line of each.

Where the Crawdads Sing

For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast.

The Silent Patient

If you don’t already know the premise of this book, a well-known artist kills her husband and immediately goes silent.

Where the Forest Meets the Stars

In this gorgeously stunning debut, a mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again.

Tip 2 Did they tell all? Next Week
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