What is a jacket copy and how do you write one?

What is a jacket copy?

A jacket copy is the sales pitch for your book. It's the text on the back of your book, and/or in the description box on websites and blogs, that tells readers what the book is about and why they should want to read it.

How do you write a compelling jacket copy?

Writing a compelling jacket copy for your book only takes 4 steps.

Step 1. Research other books

Start by reading the jacket copy of other books. Find out how authors position their books and what benefits they highlight in their jacket copy. This will help you understand what a jacket copy looks like and how it's set up. In your jacket copy, you'll also want to prioritize letting people know why and how your book is different from books written by different authors.

Step 2. Start writing

Write a compelling, and brief, opening paragraph. Draw readers in by identifying them directly, and then help them relate to the solutions offered by your book. Starting with a question can also help readers relate.

Step 3. Focus on benefits

For prescriptive nonfiction, you should highlight benefits that the reader will enjoy, ideally in a bulleted list following the introductory paragraph. To uncover the benefits in your book, identify what problems your book solves for readers.

Step 4. End with a call to action

After your list of benefits or your compelling description, wrap up your copy with a strong call to action. That means that you are going to ask the reader for the sale (the gentle art of persuasion). For historical books, memoir, and narrative nonfiction, your call to action will be subtle.

The conclusion..

So, after learning all of this about how to write a jacket copy and what it is, hopefully you'll want to give it a go. Remember, writing takes time and effort. You might have to rewrite your jacket copy 10 times to get it just right, or it'll only take one try. Whatever it is, just keep trying and don't be afraid to take a little more time than others perfecting your jacket copy. Thank you for reading and happy writing!