Does your blurb have a selling paragraph? If not, you’re missing the opportunity to sell more books. Learn more about why all blurbs need this important paragraph and how to write one.
So you’ve written an amazing, tightly-crafted, and trope-hitting sales description for your book.
You’ve left the reader on a cliffhanger, wanting more.
Job done, right?
Strangely, no.
We can whip up excitement and generate enthusiasm all we like… but folks still need convincing they should click that buy button!
And the best way to do this is with what we at Best Page Forward call the “Selling Paragraph.”
Think about this as if your reader needs proof and a sign that their emotions are true. Just like signposts on a road, we’re confirming for them that they are on the right track.
At this point, possibly quite out of their awareness, they’ll be thinking, “Will I enjoy this book as I have others in the genre?” Or, “What type of story is this really?” And maybe even, “Is this exactly the genre I love to read?”
So we deliberately pop them out of the “story trance” we’ve created with the compelling blurb and confirm that it’s safe to act on the cognitive dissonance we’ve created with that cliffhanger. Just click!
Yes… this IS the book you’re looking for.
And at the same time, we can employ some deft influence patterns.
Here’s how the Selling Paragraph works:
We state what the book is, along with the genre. Like this:
“Angela’s Quest is the first book in the Broken Worlds YA post-apocalyptic series.”
Potential readers are now clear about the exact positioning of the book, and this will also serve to further confirm the plot arc, tone, and theme of the description’s paragraphs above this one.
Then in Best Page Forward, we like to use a powerful rule-of-three influence pattern. This works on a partially unconscious level to generate agreement. We present three different descriptors (again matching the tone, emotional arc of the book, and rest of the blurb so far), then end with a suggestion.
Here’s the example added to the sentence above:
“Angela’s Quest is the first book in the Broken Worlds YA post-apocalyptic series. If you like bold heroines, challenging dystopias, and edge-of-your-seat action, then you’ll love Diana Author’s page-turning adventure.”
Notice what happens in our heads if we imagine ourselves to be the ideal reader as we silently read.
“If you like bold heroines” (Yep!), “challenging dystopias” (Ooh, yes, I love a great stark setting!), “and edge-of-your-seat action” (I sure do!), then you’ll love… ” (I probably will. How do I get it?)
Those three unconscious “yesses” in a row make it hard to deny the fourth suggestion, that this is a story they will love.
Isn’t this terribly cliched?
To an extent, yes. But almost all catchy, effective sales copy tends to rely on cliches or shortcuts. We’re so used to being bombarded as consumers, we don’t notice them unless it’s called out. Or if we’re not the target audience!
So as well as getting your target reader enthused and convinced, the Selling Paragraph does double-duty: it will also ensure those for whom this is not the perfect book won’t buy it, and therefore won’t be leaving confusing reviews, such as, “I though this was a love story, but it turned out to be post-apoc. Too gritty for me.”
No, we’d rather have this type of validating review:
“Loved it! The harsh settings and Angela’s desperate attempts to stay alive under pressure kept me up all night. Each page just got crazier!”
This is the power of the Selling Paragraph.
So if you like selling more books, writing compelling copy, and engaging with thrilled readers, then you’ll love writing great Selling Paragraphs!
Want to learn how to use Amazon Ads to sell even more books? Click here to get our Top 10 Amazon Advertising tips!