I’ve had the opportunity to work on the back cover copy for several fiction and nonfiction Ooligan titles. There are principles that will be true on any back cover regardless of genre, but the conventions of fiction and nonfiction will necessarily diverge at points.

All back cover copy is made up of a hook and description. The hook is the first one to two sentences and will often be bolded or in a larger font. Its goal is to “hook” the reader—to grab their attention and keep them reading. It should be concise, memorable, and unique to the book. There are a few different ways you can accomplish this, including:

• A simple introductory sentence: A mind-bending journey into a hidden world that will change your understanding of life on Earth. (Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake)
• Praise if the book has already garnered it: A TODAY Show Read with Jenna Book Club Pick, a New York Times Notable Book, and chosen as a Best Book of the Year by Time, NPR, and The Washington Post. (The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles)
• A question: Could you murder your wife to save your daughter? (Her Last Tomorrow by Adam Croft)
• A quote from the book: “It’s only a game. It only resolves tiny, insignificant things. Such as who gets validation. Who gets listened to. It allocates power and draws boundaries and turns some people into stars and others into spectators. That’s all.” (Beartown by Fredrik Backman)

The book description follows. A back cover can fit roughly 200 readable words of hook and description and is usually at least 150. Use straightforward and consumer-friendly terms, especially for nonfiction books one might be comparing in order to solve a problem. It should also use terms your audience is likely to type into a search engine. Once you have all your text, make sure it’s organized into short paragraphs or bullet points, which will be much easier to read than one large block of text.

Where fiction and nonfiction part ways are the goals of each paragraph. The description for a novel should impart the setting, main character, conflict, and hint at the overarching themes. Obviously, you don’t want to give the whole plot away, but a vague description will have the reader clicking elsewhere or returning it to the shelf. Establish the lay of the land, offer the most engaging plot points, then end strong. The best description endings often end on an intriguing question or point of tension—something that will hook the reader on the premise or central dilemma, such as:

• “Because if I cannot, then those who want to control me, who know my real name, will no longer have any use for me. And if the Hierarchy finds out who I truly am, they will kill me.” (The Will of the Many by James Islington)
• “Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?” (People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry)

Narrative nonfiction like memoir will follow a similar pattern, while most nonfiction will diverge further. Where a novel’s description will likely start with the main character’s status quo, a nonfiction book description should start with “pain points,” or, more broadly, what lacuna it fills:

• “The first sleep book by a leading scientific expert, the director of UC Berkeley’s Center for Human Sleep Science, Why We Sleep is a groundbreaking exploration of sleep, explaining how we can harness its transformative power to change our lives for the better.” (Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker)

From there, explain why this book matters. Similarly to fiction, establish the stakes! Why We Sleep matters, says the back cover, because sleep “enhances our ability to learn and make decisions, recalibrates our emotions, restocks our immune system, and regulates our appetite.” Try to avoid time-sensitive language that will become outdated—chances are your book won’t be “at the cutting edge of the field” in four years. Lastly, conclude with how the reader will be changed or empowered after reading it. Why We Sleep will, for example, “entirely transform readers’ understanding and appreciation of sleep and dreams.” 

With that, you have your back cover copy! I find that most of my feedback relates to simplicity and clarity. When you’ve been retooling a description for a length of time, it’s easy to get tunnel vision. Remember to take a break and come back with fresher eyes. Before you know it, you’ll have a back cover that will have your reader hooked.

Works Cited:

https://janefriedman.com/writing-back-cover-copy/: Fiction and nonfiction back cover tips.

https://www.authorlearningcenter.com/b/ask-keith/posts/how-do-i-write-a-great-back-cover-blurb-and-book-description: Fiction and nonfiction back cover tips.

Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake: Back cover excerpt.

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles: Back cover excerpt.

Her Last Tomorrow by Adam Croft: Back cover excerpt.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman: Back cover excerpt.

The Will of the Many by James Islington: Back cover excerpt.

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry: Back cover excerpt.

Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker: Back cover excerpt.