I’ve written the cover copy for every one of my books. Not just the indie ones, but the traditionally published ones as well. In all of those cases, I had help —my agent, my editor, multiple rounds of friends reading over the text — but in the end it came down to me. For my third book, my editor sent me what the publisher had come up with and I rejected it. Then I worked with them to come up with new copy.
Why am I so picky about this? Because cover copy is your introduction to new readers. It’s the make-or-break moment. It needs to do more than just tell people what your book is about, it needs to tell them what it is. Good cover copy is the difference between them taking your book home and leaving it on the shelf.
Lately, I’ve been working with a woman on the cover copy for her book. I haven’t read her manuscript, which might seem to you to be a problem, but it’s not. You should always have people who haven’t read your book beta your cover copy for the simple reason that the people who pick up your book in a shop won’t have read it yet. People who’ve checked over your manuscript will unintentionally fill in holes when they’re reading the copy; you want someone who can’t do that.
But before you get a beta reader for your cover copy, you have to write the first version. Here are a few resources I really like to help you get started:
• Cover Copy: A Must Have for the Novelist’s Toolbox
• Tips for Writing Compelling Back Cover Copy
• Back Cover Copy Analysis and Infographic
So get writing!