A Simple and Easy Step-By-Step Process for Creating a Book

Description That Sells

1. Use the Book Description worksheet to outline the following

elements:

a. Audience call-out – who is this book for?

b. Unique idea – what makes this book like no other?

c. The problem - a dimensionlized description of the

problem your book solves.

d. Benefits – what would the reader get from your book?

Note: The worksheet includes tips on how to write each

section.

2. Take a break – have some coffee/tea/lemon cake

3. Combine the four description elements into one coherent

description

4. Leave it be for 24 hours

5. Edit for style

6. You’re done – Go forth and make more sales!

(Continue to next page for the worksheet…)

Book Description That Sells – Worksheet

Element Description

Call out to your specific audience

Replace this explanation with your “audience call out” The key to a good audience definition is to not think of an audience at all… Instead, start by jotting down a description of a single person - your perfect customer – and what makes him/her the perfect customer. For Example: "Laura, 33, lives in Dorchester, England, is married with three kids. Her husband, James, works in London and is mostly absent so the burden of raising the kids falls mainly on Laura. Laura is a beautiful woman that still craves romance. But feels that the household chores and being the primary caregiver of three very young children makes it impossible to

continue having a romantic relationship." Now, use this description to create the audience call-out. For example: For young mothers who have all but given up on romance because of daily demands… Or: Laura, a young mother of three who’s almost given up on romance because of the suffocating demands of motherhood, discovers that …

Unique Idea Replace this explanation with your “book uniqueness factor” Describe what’s unique about your book. Here are a few examples of things that might make your book unique:

- Does it solve the reader’s problem in a different

way than other books on the topic

- Are you substantially more qualified to speak about this subject (explain why)

- Is the subject explained in a much clearer way (explain how)

- Is it based on groundbreaking research?

- Has your solution been proven to work?

- Is it funny? - Is it interesting (explain

why) - Were you endorsed by

celebrities? The bottom line is … Find the one thing that really sets your book apart from other books on the same subject and write it here. If several things come to mind, use the one that really stands out as your “book uniqueness factor” and use the rest as “benefits of reading” (see later on).

Dimensionlize the Problem Replace this explanation with a vivid description of the problem your book is solving In this section you want to both explain the problem (or problems) your book solves in greater detail and paint a word picture of these problems so that the reader understands you are solving his/her specific problem. This section also helps reminding readers why they're looking for a solution and why they should buy your book. For example, this short description really hits home: ‘Ashley and Gabe Rodriguez found themselves deep into marriage and child-rearing when they realized they were spending most of their evenings staring at their computers. Determined not to let their relationship deteriorate into that of "roommates with children,"’ The author could have written:

Ashely and Gabe felt that they were drifting apart and wanted more romance in their relationship But by using “word pictures” like “rearing children”, “spending most of their evenings staring at their computers” and “roommates with children” the author painted a clearer picture of the problem the book is solving and … ever so gently pushed the reader to buy the book by reminding him how his own marriage lacks in romance.

Benefits of Reading List the top 5-10 benefits the reader will get from reading your book The best way to write this list is as a list of bullets (which are also easier to read than a paragraph). If you’re unsure what the top benefits are, re-read your book and whenever you have an “Aha moment,” write it down.

If you feel you’re too close to the subject matter, ask a friend to read your book and list their “aha moments”. Here’s an example of a good list of benefits… Meditation helps us:

- Defuse stress - Experience greater

tranquility - Find a sense of

wholeness - Strengthen our

relationships - Face our fears - Sharpen focus - Lower blood pressure - Reduce chronic pain - Protect the brain against

aging - Improves our capacity for

learning new things … and it’s as easy as sitting down and taking a breath.

Note that the author composed a comprehensive and clear list of the benefits of reading and implementing the

information found in the book – and that’s the right way to do it! Bonus points: You could take each of the benefits and rewrite it using a bullet copywriting template. Bullet templates make your list more interesting by having bullet read differently so you’re not boring your reader with endless “how to…” benefits that all sound the same. See section on bullet templates for more information

(Continue to next page for the book description checklist…)

Book Description Checklist

Does the description call out your specific target audience?

Are you quickly telling the reader what’s unique about your book? (when compared to other books in the same niche)

Are you painting a mental and emotional picture of the problem your book is solving?

Are you using that mental picture to slightly aggravate the problem and make your reader want to solve it just a little bit more?

Did you list the top 5-10 benefits the reader will gain after reading and implementing the advice/techniques outlined in your book?

Did you let the description “sit” for 24 hours and then edited it for style and clarity?

Bonus: Did you turn the benefits into “blind” bullets using the bullet templates we provided?

(Continue to next page to learn more about bullet templates…)

Four bullet templates that will intrigue your potential customers and make them want your book even more…

Bullet templates make each benefit just a bit more interesting.

Each benefit reads differently so you’re not boring your reader

with endless “how to…” benefits that all sound the same.

An important thing to remember about marketing bullets is that

you want to make them “blind” – which means that they describe

what the reader will learn, but they don’t detail the exact

mechanism used.

Also, each bullet should be a mini-story or at least create a picture

in the reader’s mind. A picture is worth a thousand words, and if

you can paint a picture with a dozen or so words, then, my friend,

you are literally bending the rules of mathematics.

But let’s not dilly-dally any longer, here are my four go-to

templates:

1. The How-to bullet:

“How to make sure your kids have a 98% better chance of

getting into an ivy-league college than their friends and

classmates. They might never thank you for it, but you’ll be

ensuring their future in a major way – plus … it’ll cost you

pennies.”

Note how I painted mental and emotional pictures (all their

friends and classmates, never thank you for it, pennies) and

how I piled on the benefits (ensuring their future, costs

pennies).

2. The number bullet

“Four bullet templates that will intrigue your potential

buyers and make them want to read your book even more”

3. The “Secret to” bullet

“The secret formula used by marketers to write a short book

description that packs tremendous selling power in under 60

minutes - use this formula and your sales figures can easily

double over night”

Note: In this bullet I used a technique called the “one-two-

punch”. This technique was made popular by the legendary

copywriter John Carlton.

Here’s how it works…

The sentence “use this formula and your sales figures can

easily double over night” repeats the benefit described in

the first sentence. But it emphasizes the benefit in a

different way. This is the second punch in the one-two

combination.

In these types of bullets you don’t stop after you’ve

conveyed the benefit, but rather re-iterate the main benefit

in a different way.

4. The why bullet -

Why 85% of all Amazon books fail to reach their sales

potential. And how you can make sure your book doesn’t

suffer the same faith.

Which technique works best for you? Take a stab and let me

know.