“This is exactly the kind of query letter that makes me reach for [the] pages. It’s energetic. There’s not a word out of place. It’s got plot. It’s got an interesting, and unusual set up.”
- Janet Reid | QueryShark.blogspot.com | 6/2/12
PLEASE go read the full article here to read the full query diagnostic by award-winning blogger and literary agent Janet Reid.
Writing compelling jacket copy is one of the most challenging tasks facing self-publishing authors. It’s SO hard to boil down the plot (or the thesis, for non-fiction) to one ass-kicking summary of ~100 words. But, along with your cover, this may be your one chance to sell your book to a stranger.
If you’re self-publishing because you’re disgruntled that agents aren’t replying to your queries, you may ultimately find yourself disgruntled with the fact that readers aren’t buying your book. Remember all that attention you lavished on your manuscript? The rewrites, the edits, the beta readers, the rewrites again? Get ready to do it all over again with your jacket copy.
Especially in fiction, remember to convey the following things, in this order:
- Camera shot one: We see the hero, in context. We need the who and the where (and the when).
- Camera shot two: Zoom in. We see the villain, approaching. Now we need to know the what. Build the tension.
- Camera shot three: Zoom in again. We’re right in the hero’s eyes so we can see into their soul. What impossible choices must the hero make? What are the consequences? What is at risk? This is the why. Ratchet the tension to the breaking point.
The two most common eBook jacket copy mistakes I see both have to do with the same problem: they don’t build tension throughout the course of the 100 words.
- Mistake number one: Overdescribing the who and the where, and never getting around to describing the plot – the what and the why. Some writers worry that if they give too much away, then no one will want to read the story. But crucially, as a prospective buyer, to get hooked I have to know what is at stake. I have to see the impossible situation the hero is in, and wonder how in the hell they’ll get out of it. I have to know what the central conflict is – this is what builds the tension. It is almost impossible to give too much away, except for…
- Mistake number two: Describing the resolution. All the tension just drains out a hole in the floor if we find out what the hero chooses, and what happens as a consequence. This is what we’re reading the first 98% of the book to find out. Don’t say “The hero ultimately chooses X, and learns Y.” All tension gone. Bad.
So: Just because you’re self-publishing, don’t delete those query emails. Dust them off and work them hard. Whether you’re trying to hook an agent or a reader, those 100 words have to sing.
