Writer's Handbook

Step 4: Description

The description is the thing that people read before actually reading your story to guage if it's their taste.

A good description means more people will be interested in reading your book.

A bad description means people won't give it a second glance.

Please, for the love of everything in this world, do not write a description like this:

"so yeah this is like my first story and please read it!"

No. Just no. That's not what a description is. It's supposed to be a way to entice people into actually reading a book. Personally, if the writing is not good in the description, I think in my mind that it'll be the same in the book.

That's why you have to make sure your description has no errors, and has good quality writing.

A smart strategy would be to not summarize your whole entire book because then there's no surprise and people feel like they've already read it in that one little paragraph. You should manage it so it's shrouded in mystery, making people want to read it and see what happens.

This is what I would consider an ok description:

It was just another ordinary night on the beach, with the waves lapping hungrily at the shore, the luminous moon reflected in the vast ocean. Mallory Sutton, 17, had just finished her shift as a lifeguard, heading back to the station to get her things. There were no night guards, they weren't needed. No one went swimming in the ocean at night. Or so she thought. A terrified scream pierced through the chilly night air, making Mallory's skin crawl. She whipped her head in the direction the wail was coming from, and saw a shape, a head, just above the water in the ocean. Without giving it another thought, she raced to the water, expertly diving in to save his life. This was what she was trained to do, what she knew she had to do. What she didn't know was that this one encounter would change both of their lives. Forever.

Since it's the thing that people read first before your book, you MUST make sure it's the best you can do to display your book in the most positive light and draw people in.