How to Write an Engaging Book Summary

A badly written book synopsis always makes me cry. Working with a variety of independent authors through my book writing service has given me the opportunity to have first-hand knowledge of the level of dedication, passion, and vulnerability required to write a book. The publication process is extremely labor-intensive at every stage. A good summary should demonstrate that. Unfortunately, there are much too many writers who:

1. Do not appreciate the importance of a good summary.
2. Do not know how to produce a strong book summary that effectively promotes their tale.

I recognize the difficulty. After all, how can you sum up a whole book in a single sentence? It’s not a simple job. The information in this article should help you create a book summary that will compel a reader to buy the book right away.

In a succinct synopsis, you have a limited number of words to persuade readers to read your work. It’s up to you to communicate the key idea clearly and with a goal in mind. Once completed, your book summary turns into a permanent resource that may be used for marketing and promotional purposes. If you are serious about selling books, you cannot ignore this information, so it is crucial that you get it right.

Identify your core message

Nobody knows a book’s central premise better than the author who wrote it. However, many authors find it difficult to simply convey that main idea. A book could be the culmination of your life’s labor, and there is plenty to say about it. But that is not what a book summary is about. A summary should be a succinct but engaging depiction of your book’s key concepts.

Get to the point quickly and avoid wasting any time. A reader should have no questions about the subject matter or setting of your book after reading your book summary. This can call for a particular kind of inventiveness that pushes you beyond of your comfort zone. In other words, you need to switch from thinking like a writer to thinking like a businessperson! Writing a summary of your source material is more like giving an elevator speech than it is like presenting a story.

A reader should understand what they are getting into in only a few phrases. For instance, they should be aware that the book is a coming-of-age story about a young man’s development following the devastating loss of his mentor. Or perhaps it’s a hot romantic story about adversaries who fall in love. No matter the genre, be clear about the book’s main idea.

Showcase your characters

Who is the subject of this tale and what are they going into? The central protagonists, who are propelled into adventure and action, are clearly established in an effective synopsis. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien provides a good illustration. The synopsis reads:

Hobbit Bilbo Baggins lives a cozy, unambitious life, rarely venturing beyond of his pantry or cellar. But when the wizard Gandalf and a group of dwarves show up on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure, his tranquility is shaken. They have started a plan to plunder the treasure cache that is being protected by the powerful and enormous dragon Smaug the Magnificent. While on his way to the Lonely Mountain, Bilbo grudgingly joins their expedition, oblivious to the fact that he will come upon a magic ring and the terrifying Gollum.

We are introduced to three significant individuals in this succinct summary: Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, and Gollum. We now understand that Bilbo departs from his peaceful, secure life to go out on a perilous, magical adventure that will test his courage and force him to become a hero. He will fight against evil forces and a terrifying dragon. The main plot of a fantasy and adventure narrative is described in this one paragraph.

Keep it short and simple

The majority of writers deal with this. A writer’s DNA includes character development, imparting crucial information, and world construction. A book synopsis is not the place or the time for lengthy, complex text. Keep your story’s primary points in mind when you write this.

Let’s consider another illustration. You already know that I’m a huge Harry Potter fan if you’ve read any of my other entries. J.K. Rowling’s monumental seven-book story has sold millions of copies and sparked a magical movement that has influenced movies, video games, theme parks, and more. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the first novel, is summarized in a single, effective paragraph.

Harry Potter is not aware of his fame. That’s because his sad aunt and uncle, who also reared his parents, are raising him and are scared that Harry will discover he is a wizard. But when Harry is compelled to enroll in a notorious wizarding school, everything changes, as he starts to learn more about his renowned pedigree. Harry finds himself dragged deeply into a magical world he never knew existed and closer to his own noble destiny, from the surprise way he is greeted by a beloved giant to the unique curriculum and colorful professors at his odd school.

Just four phrases may adequately summarize J.K. Rowling’s ground-breaking bestseller. The skeleton of a tale that went viral needed only four sentences to introduce! Rowling has devoted countless pages to creating her wizarding universe. The summary should not include all of the story’s miraculous details. Instead, the summary makes it obvious who the primary character is—Harry—and what the essential purpose is—that he discovers he is a wizard and must now fulfill his destiny.

Create multiple versions

When thinking about how to write a synopsis of your book, conciseness is crucial. This can be difficult because there is a significant concern about leaving out delicious and interesting facts. Why not create numerous versions then?

Writing many drafts of a book synopsis allows you to try out various inventive techniques for succinctly expressing the plot. Despite the fact that both versions will ultimately provide the identical information (the core premise and protagonists), there are subtle stylistic variations to consider.

This entails summarizing the underlying content using several openings and key points. We can look back at Harry Potter as an example.

Version 1

Harry Potter is not aware of his fame. That’s because his sad aunt and uncle, who also reared his parents, are raising him and are scared that Harry will discover he is a wizard. But when Harry is compelled to enroll in a notorious wizarding school, everything changes, as he starts to learn more about his renowned pedigree. Harry finds himself dragged deeply into a magical world he never knew existed and closer to his own noble destiny, from the surprise way he is greeted by a beloved giant to the unique curriculum and colorful professors at his odd school.

Version 2

All Harry Potter has ever known is a life of misery spent with the Dursleys, his abhorrent aunt and uncle, and their abhorrent son Dudley, a huge, swollen, pampered bully. Harry doesn’t have a birthday celebration in eleven years, and his room is a little closet at the bottom of the stairs.

But when a mystery letter carrying an invitation to a fantastic location is delivered by owl messenger, everything is about to change for Harry and everyone who reads about him.

Because it’s there that he discovers a magnificent destiny that has been waiting for him—if Harry can survive the encounter—along with friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals.

The plot and protagonist are discussed in the same manner in both editions. Version 1 is worded more straightforwardly, whilst Version 2 makes you wait a little bit longer to find out that Harry is a wizard. Both summaries are used by J.K. Rowling in various retail locations for the book.

Keep the other versions of the summary, even if you only utilize one for your book marketing company across all sellers. You may always edit the metadata and summaries for your books before using them in marketing and promotional materials. Additionally, creating many drafts facilitates the creative process for your book marketing company. You can consider your alternatives and get input on how the tale should best be portrayed.

Avoid using hard-to-read words

The final piece of advice for creating a strong book synopsis is in keeping with the rest of this post: keep it straightforward. Even if you have a sophisticated command of the English language, there is no need to mislead your audience because there is merit in keeping things straightforward. Use language that is logical but personable to avoid confusion.

Publish your next book with Book Writing Genie

Make sure your book is successful! Call 877-961-6878 to speak with a Book Writing Genie publishing specialist after you’ve written and described your story; alternatively, visit www.bookwritinggenie.com to view all of our self-publishing packages and author services. Every step of the self-publishing process is important to us at Book Writing Genie, and we can’t wait to assist you in getting your book into readers’ hands!