 |
| https://pixabay.com/ |
Now : ....writing frantically!
A book!
on “
The Impact of Nutrition and Statins on
Cardiovascular Diseases” for Elsevier.
=================================================================
In few months ? still writing ...
A book description
Step 1. Take a look at your book
If you want your reader to
be engaged by your book description, you obviously need to put yourself
in a reader’s shoes, which means that you have to begin your
acquaintance with the book that you have to describe in the same way
that a reader would.
Hold it in your hands, look at the cover,
read the short description that you typically can find either at the
beginning of the book or on one of the final pages. These elements will
give you an idea of what type of reader the book and is aimed at.
Is
it a romantic novel or a detective story? Is it a collectable that will
decorate the bookshelf and represent its owner, or is it to be read
when you are taking a subway, and give away once you have read it?
Answer these questions, and this will be the starting point of your book description.
Step 2. Scan your book
Before
going on to reading the book, it is a good idea to flip through it and
pay attention to its structure and the tone of the narration. How many
pages are there? How many chapters? Is it narration-based or
dialogue-based? Whose point of view is dominant – the narrator’s or the
characters’?
Is the tone more light-hearted or tense? Is it more
emotional or fact-based? These conclusions will help you to assume how
readable the book is and how well it reaches out to a particular type of
reader.
Step 3. Define what you would like to pay attention to while scanning your book
Think
about what the future reader will want to know from your book
description before they make up their minds as to whether to read the
book or not. These will be your markers as you read the book, instead of
just reading it blindly and waiting for some details to strike you as
worthy of attention.
For example, how well is the book consumed?
Do the chapters move swiftly or can’t you wait for them to end? Then you
can move on to some of the most complex matters, such as – what makes
this book a classic or what it lacks to become one.
Step 4. Read your book
Now
you are all set and ready to move on to reading the book. Remember to
take notes and answer the questions that you have set beforehand.
Step 5. Stay focused on creating your book description
While
reading the book, you should keep your goal in mind at all time. And
your goal is to write a compelling hook. Every impression or emotion
that you get during your reading experience needs to be documented in as
much detail as possible.
Which parts of the book did you find
utterly engaging and which didn’t hold your interest quite so well?
Which characters were likeable and which were not? Did some of them make
you fall in love with them or did they ultimately disgust you?
These and similar questions are what you should answer.
Step 6. Proceed to reviewing your book description
Now
is the time to answer all those questions that you set earlier. You
have already read the book, so now you have to flip back to the places
where you know you can find answers to the questions that you want to
answer in your text.
It can be a good idea to start with
describing the setting of the book, which is commonly conveyed on the
first chapter. Focus on what you felt while being introduced to the
book.
Then repeat the same procedure with the following chapters or sections.
Try
to answer what kept your attention in the book, or what did not.
Describe the form and the content and how these interrelate. Explain the
purposes of events and characters and how they influence one another.
Step 7. Summing up
Once
you have completed the previous steps, this one will be a piece of
cake. It is what most people would define as a book description. Find as
many common denominators in the book and keep working on it until you
have it as brief and clear as you can.
This summing up might also a good idea to put at the beginning of your review.
Step 8. Proceed to your judgment
Now
is the time to give your opinion on the book as a whole. Is this book
worthy of attention? Is it a good read? Use examples from your
previously taken notes to justify your opinion.
You want your book
description to be persuasive, and giving specific examples is the best
way to achieve such an effect. The more precise your examples are, the
more powerful your book description will be.
Step 9. Explain your book’s place
Mention
the genre and evaluate the book’s originality. Is it a debut title or
is it part of a series? Also, put the book in context – what place does
it hold in its niche and how well does it stand there?
This step can be an easy one but might demand a little research.
Step 10. Revisit your description
After
completing all the previous steps, you have now come up with a draft of
your book description. Read it to see if you have covered everything
you intended to and that nothing of importance is left out.
Once
again, think about your potential reader. Is your text going to hook a
potential reader? Think about who will potentially be reading it – is it
general audience or a defined demographic? Consider adding or removing
some details.
Congratulations! Once you have completed these ten steps your stunning book description is ready.
Richard Nolan is a blogger
and a private tutor, sharing his experience in spheres of blogging,
self-growth, and psychology. Richard writes for numerous blogs and gives
useful tips for bloggers, students, and teachers. Currently, Richard works as a general editor for ProWritersCenter. You can learn more about Richard on Facebook and Twitter
