What’s the first thing you do when you search for a book on Amazon and find one that could be just what\u00a0you want\u00a0or need?<\/p>\n

If you’re like most,\u00a0you read the Amazon book description at the top of the page.<\/p>\n

That’s because\u00a0you’re looking for specific information. If you can’t find it,\u00a0you go on to the next book in the search results.<\/em><\/p>\n

3 common mistakes<\/h2>\n

That book description is the reader’s gateway to your book — it’s what convinces a reader that your book is the solution to their problem. And yet, so many authors and publishers slap up something quick and vague — using as few as two sentences sometimes — on the most valuable real estate on your Amazon’s sales page.<\/p>\n

Is it time for you or your publisher to revisit your description to make sure it meets reader expectations? Here are three common mistakes you’ll want to look for in yours.<\/p>\n

1. It\u00a0doesn’t answer the question, “What is the book about?”<\/h2>\n

It seems obvious, but sometimes that question isn’t answered. Oh, the words are there, but they don’t say enough for a reader to make a decision. Sometimes, the author is too\u00a0focused on appearing\u00a0literary. In other cases, a nonfiction book is described in two sentences, but needs 10.<\/p>\n

2. It\u00a0doesn\u2019t have enough information or what\u2019s there isn’t helpful.<\/h2>\n

Sometimes it\u2019s not clear\u00a0if the book is fiction or a memoir. Some\u00a0nonfiction book descriptions are misleading \u2014 they over-promise and the book under-delivers, so the reader is disappointed. Disappointment leads to negative\u00a0reviews and bad word-of-mouth.<\/p>\n

BookBub, the company that sells discounted books through targeted daily email newsletters, offers helpful information from its research in an article on its site, \u201cHow to improve your description copy to sell more ebooks<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

One key tip: Help readers recognize themselves in your description by using phrases such as, \u201cFans of cozy mysteries about\u00a0cats with magical whiskers\u00a0will love this book.\u201d<\/p>\n

With nonfiction,\u00a0be clear, concrete, and specific. How many methods does the book offer for retiring before we’re\u00a050, or how many illustrations are there in the “turn your trash into treasures” crafting\u00a0book?\u00a0 Use bullet points to detail\u00a0what we’ll learn from reading it.<\/p>\n

For both fiction and nonfiction, make sure you include the keywords that will help your book get discovered in a search.<\/p>\n

3. It has so many\u00a0spelling, grammar, or\u00a0capitalization mistakes that the reader knows the book will be hard to read.<\/h2>\n

If reading the description makes book buyers\u00a0wince, they will\u00a0never make it through the book\u00a0— and they know it. Errors in the book’s description indicate that the book will be full of them, too. If the writer can’t spell, can she write? Maybe, but mistakes are distracting and diminish the reader’s enjoyment.<\/p>\n

What’s more, if the author doesn’t care enough to present a polished book description, will she care enough to make sure the facts in a nonfiction book are accurate?<\/p>\n

There are so many<\/em> books available. People\u00a0don’t need to bother with books that signal upfront that the author didn’t care enough (or know how) to\u00a0proofread the description.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Fixing the problems<\/h2>\n

Fortunately, improving your book\u2019s description isn\u2019t hard. Try these ideas:<\/p>\n

Study\u00a0descriptions for\u00a0books by\u00a0mainstream publishers in your genre.<\/strong>\u00a0The large, established publishers have this figured out. The best-sellers page for your category on Amazon is a good starting point, too. Click through on the books to read their descriptions and analyze the various elements. Are any of them\u00a0missing from yours?<\/p>\n

What about keywords? Did you incorporate them into your description so your book gets found there?<\/p>\n

Here’s the description for one of my favorites, Gone Girl<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

It gives you two key pieces of information quickly: You learn what the book\u2019s about, and you know it\u2019s well-written.<\/p>\n

Add to cart.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

After you or your publisher have\u00a0written\u00a0yours,\u00a0show it to a few people who know about your book<\/strong>. Ask them if the description is accurate, interesting, and compelling. Would it encourage them to buy the book? Do the same with a couple of people who aren\u2019t familiar with the book, asking the same questions.<\/p>\n

Pay an editor to proofread and polish your description.<\/strong>\u00a0(And, if you haven\u2019t done so, pay somebody to edit your book, too!)<\/p>\n

Your book\u2019s description on any online retail site should be working hard to sell the book for you. If it isn\u2019t, fire it and get a new one.<\/p>\n

Learn more about how to optimize your book’s Amazon page in the Build Book Buzz<\/em> training program, “How to Sell More Books on Amazon<\/a><\/strong>.” Amazon\u00a0sells 75 percent of the books purchased\u00a0online, so you can’t afford to make mistakes there.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What catches your attention in an online\u00a0book description?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

What’s the first thing you do when you search for a book on Amazon and find one that could be just what\u00a0you want\u00a0or need?<\/p>\n

If you’re like most,\u00a0you read the Amazon book description at the top of the page.<\/p>\n

That’s because\u00a0you’re looking for specific information. If you can’t find it,\u00a0you go on to the next book in the search results.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":20036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,11],"tags":[689,690,598,691],"class_list":["post-8048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-tactics","tag-amazon","tag-amazon-book-description","tag-book-description","tag-online-book-description"],"yoast_head":"\n