You've written an entire novel, how hard can a summary for the back cover be? Hard. Many authors struggle to sum up their book in a few sentences. Some find creating a blurb more torturous than editing. It's difficult to sum up your entire novel in 200 words or less but it's necessary.
Let's delve into what makes a good summary.
A summary should be short, no more than 200 words. (I usually strive to stick closer to 150). Why is that? Humans have an extremally short attention span. If they aren't drawn into your book in about thirty seconds you've lost them. Have you ever heard the term 'elevator pitch'? This is what you're striving for, pitch your book in the time it takes to ride the elevator to your floor and your audience is stuck with you.
You summary should never give away too much of the plot. You want to intrigue the readers and make them want to discover what happens in the book. Never give away major plot points and certainly don't give them the end result of the journey.
A summary should be easy for a reader to understand. If the language the summary is being translated into isn't the core language you speak and you aren't familiar with it, please get someone who knows the language fluently to translate it (this goes for the content of the book as well). Do not ever use Google translate. English works in a very different way from most languages and I've seen some very badly translated summaries in my time. You want the reader to want to read your book, not be so confused by the summary they put it down.
Let's take a look at a badly written summary. This is the original summary for the first book of my Merlin's Chosen series. This book was the first full-length novel I ever wrote and I had zero experience with publishing at the time. I didn't know what went into creating the complete package that would ensure my book would sell. I was a novice and it showed. I'm going to put the summary in italics so it's easier to distinguish from the rest of the post.
Chandra Strandon thinks that she's just a normal teenage girl. Until the night of her seventeenth birthday, that is. On that night, she becomes horribly ill, with a one hundred and ten degree fever. Not normal. Chandra definitely had things all wrong. No normal human being could survive a fever that high. Her ever-practical mother, worried about Chandra, immediately rushes her off to the hospital. They have to go down a road that Chandra utterly hates; it gives her the creepy crawlies. Given that it was night, she would have preferred to avoid it at all costs. The reason for her dread of that particular road was simple; it was a heavily wooded area, an impossibility given that they lived in the desert southwest of Nevada. At least in her mind.
Chandra's nervous feelings are proven right, on the way to the hospital their car is demolished by a huge, frightening, flying creature. They flee into the woods, her mother calls a man Chandra has never met before to come rescue them. The mysterious man swoops in riding a dragon and saves them just in the nick of time.
After the drama and confusion, Chandra discovers much about herself and her family that she has never known. First, she is a sorceress. Not only a sorceress—she may be the sorceress born to fulfill a prophecy foretold by Merlin. She just might be The Chosen, a child whose magic will be more powerful than any other sorcerer, ever. The Chosen must defeat the wyvern, violent, evil, creatures who want to wipe out the dragons and enslave all of mankind!
To add to all of this, Chandra meets Chase Ivers, a drop-dead gorgeous boy who is working for the wyvern. The problem? Every time she sees him, he tries to kill her.
Will Chandra defeat the wyvern? Can she keep from falling in love with Chase? Or will he use her wayward heart to destroy her?
This summary is bad for several reasons. It's over 300 words long, 325 to be exact and it gives away too much of the book. It's confusing and frankly, annoying to read.
This is the current summary.
Chandra Strandon celebrates her seventeenth birthday and must now contend with the fact she was forced to move to a cave in the midst of the Grand Canyon, a clan of dragons, and the fate of the world resting on her shoulders.
Oh, and she's a sorceress, perhaps the most powerful sorcerer ever to be born, and the answer to a prophecy foretold by Merlin long ago. She may be the only hope left to save the last of the dragons from their enemies known as the wyvern. Horrid beasts bent on ruling the world, led by the evil Theryn.
As if she doesn't have enough to deal with, working with the wyvern is Chase Ivers. A boy, who is not only gorgeous and makes her heart go pitter-patter but tries to kill her each time they meet.
What's a girl to do?
This summary is 143 words. It's shorter and gives away a lot less of the story. It gets to the point, telling readers the basics of the book without giving away too much.
I was among the authors who used to struggle to write a good summary. I've been in the industry for roughly twelve years now. It's a journey for sure and I've learned a lot in that time. I now offer services to create and edit summaries for other authors because I know what a struggle it can be.
Read your summary through and if it's giving you issues you can turn to friends or family for help. Even your beta readers can assist you. Remember, your book is a product you're attempting to sell, give it the best 'labeling' you can. From the front to the back, and each page in between, you want your book to be shown off in the best light possible.
Always be open to learning new things about writing, the industry, and anything that can assist you with creating the best conditions to sell your book. If you aren't open to learning from others in the industry you'll never grow.
Any questions? Feel free to ask!
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