(This article was first posted in Wordclay's Writing, Self-Publishing and Book Marketing Blog)
You've written a manuscript, and you've witnessed weeks turn into months as you reworked and edited your piece. Whether you're ready to publish now, or you're just batting the idea around, there's one critical piece of copy that you need to write: your back cover text.
Here are the top five mistakes that self-publishing authors make when composing blurbs:
1. Not editing (or running a spell check). In this day and age, spelling errors are inexcusable. Poot yor dockument in a werd procesing proghram and be shur. And, I cannot reiterate enough how important it is to have your work edited. Even if you don't want to hire a professional, at least have a friend, colleague or family member give it a second look. You'll be surprised what your mind can skip over when it's your own writing.
2. Writing false endorsements or not having written permission to use them. It's tempting to simply plop a statement on your back cover from "John Smith," who just  raves about your book … how it's the best book he's ever read and you're the next Stephen King – don't go there. It's like lying on a resume. Sure, it might help get you hired, but the truth surfacing means certain death for your job and possibly your career.
And, not having written permission to use a quote could come back to haunt you. Imagine having to cancel your book over something like that. Or worse yet, actually being sued. Not quite worth it.
3. Writing a summary. The back of your book is not a place to sum up your story. It's not a play-by-play or a character list. It doesn't have to start at the very beginning, and it most definitely should not give away the end (or even too much of the middle). What it should do instead is give the potential reader the essence of the story – just the gist, what kind of book it is and what kind of story it is. And, your copy should do this through the most powerful and interesting language possible to entice readers and leave them hungry for more.
4. Writing nothing. Would you buy a book that you didn't know anything about? Probably not, and neither will any potential readers of your book. Write something. You're a writer ... why stop at the back cover? Even many short children's books often have one or two sentences on the back.
5. Not realizing how important this text truly is. The back cover text is the single most important piece of text that will be associated with your book. It will be used over and over again on retail sites. While some publishers, like Wordclay, offer the ability to add your book to special programs like Amazon.com's Search Inside!, readers still have to get interested in the back cover text first before they investigate further. Even the title of your book might not tell the reader anything about what your book is about, especially fiction books.
If you don't write compelling back cover copy, what does that say about the rest of your book? You've got to hold your readers' attention and not let them go. And remember, you're defining the tone and genre for your book here. True, you're not going to interest every reader, so keep your target audience in mind. You're writing for them and nobody else.
Really invest time in composing the back cover text for your book. It's far too important to be simply an afterthought.
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