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How to Write a Catchy Back-Cover Blurb That Sells

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Sep 2, 2021 • 4 min read

Once a reader sees a book cover design and thinks the book title is intriguing, what’s next? What helps them decide if they want to make the purchase? They might flip to the back of your book or to the dust jacket and read the blurb.

Book blurbs are an oft-overlooked part of a writer’s marketing plan—after you’ve spent so much time writing a new book, it can feel understandably overwhelming to write even more—but these blurbs are actually a crucial part of book sales, and they can be what turns a little-known novel into a bestseller.

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How to Create a Back-Cover Blurb that Sells

We all know how important our book’s title and cover  are when it comes to grabbing a reader’s attention and drawing them in. But, very few readers will ever make a buying decision based on those two elements alone.

What’s usually the deciding factor?

The back of the book cover and blurb of course.

Something, ironically, every author I know hates writing.

• What a back book cover blurb is and what it isn't
• Explanations and back book cover Examples for both fiction and nonfiction
• Steps to writing your own back book blurb and back cover copy

This is a guest post by the talented author and editor, Kelly Exeter of  Swish Publishing .

Table of Contents

Podcast episode – crafting a winning book description.

• Why Do Self-Publishers on Amazon Care?
• 1. Give the reader what they expect
• 2. Put yourself in the reader’s shoes
• 3. Keep it short
• 4. Make it scannable
• 5. Don’t tell the reader everything
• 6. Nail that first line (or two)
• A base template for FICTION blurb writing
• A base template for NON-FICTION blurb writing

What Is a Back Book Cover Blurb?

Before we get into why most authors hate writing their back book cover blurb, let’s clarify what it actually is.

In a nutshell, it’s the 200 odd words on the back cover of your book that describes the book to the reader. These words, if written well, will hook the reader and convince them they need to buy your book.

Which means, they’re effectively a sales pitch.

Now you’re seeing why most authors find them so hard to write.  Never fear, we will help with that today.

Side note: Another element on the back of the book is your bar code. Go here to get one custom made for you.

But first, I want to quickly clarify some terms you might equate with a back book blurb (but shouldn’t because they represent different parts of a book ).

• Synopsis – this is a detailed outline of the book that covers all the major points. It’s usually geared towards selling the book idea to an editor or publisher (not a reader).
• Blurb – distinct from the ‘back-cover blurb’ is this 1-2 line endorsement of a book by a celebrity or another author that sits on the book’s front cover. When you hear about authors being asked to ‘blurb’ a book, it’s this endorsement they’ve been asked to provide.
• Reviews – these are effectively longer versions of author endorsement blurbs, or short excerpts of book reviews by significant publications (like the New York Times ). These are often placed on the back cover of a book along with the back book blurb. They act like testimonials for the book.
• Book Description – these are the words that accompany your book’s listing on online sites like Amazon and Book Depository. The book description will often include the back book blurb text plus endorsements and reviews (much like the entire back cover of a book). If you don’t have a print version of your book and it’s only sold online, everything in this article about back book blurbs can be applied to your book description in online listings.

For two simple reasons, Self publishers on Amazon should care about their back book cover blurb because:

• If you publish on KDP Print or IngramSpark, you're going to need a back book cover design
• Because now, Amazon allows people to see the back of books on the book sales page

That last one is pretty big!

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How to Create a Back of the Book Cover Blurb that Sells

As already noted, writing a back book blurb is a marketing exercise . This means all the focus needs to be on the potential reader – their needs and expectations. Here are six rules to be mindful of before you put pen to paper on your back book cover blurb.

It’s so tempting to think “If everyone is doing x and I do y, then I’ll stand out from the crowd.” And sure, this works for a lot of things. Not with back book cover blurbs though. If you’ve written a non-fiction business book and your back blurb reads like a thriller novel, the reader is going to be very confused.

Do you know what confused readers do?

They put books back on the shelf or click on to the next Amazon book.

Before writing your back book blurb, choose 3-5 of the bestselling books in your genre and make a note of stylistic similarities. Then ensure you incorporate them into your back book jacket blurb.

This can be really hard for authors. We get so caught up in delivering an enthralling story or a big idea, we forget who we’re writing for. And we forget why someone would actually want to read our book. Remember:

Fiction readers are looking for entertainment and escapism.

Here’s the book blurb for Stephanie Myers’ Twilight :

“About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him – and I didn't know how dominant that part might be – that thirsted for my blood. Third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.”

Regardless of whether or not you're a Twilight fan or not, that is a CAPTIVATING back cover blurb.

Non-fiction readers have a problem that needs to be solved.

Tony Robbins’ Unshakeable book blurb makes it very clear that if financial instability is a problem for you, his book can solve it.  Plus, in an ever crowded publishing world, Tony's blurb also proves why he's the writer to do just that:

“From the man who brought you one of the bestselling investment books of the decade comes a playbook to help millions of people achieve financial freedom.

After interviewing fifty of the world's greatest financial minds, and penning the #1 New York Times bestseller Money: Master the Game, Tony Robbins returns with a step-by-step playbook, taking you on a journey to transform your financial life and accelerate your path to financial freedom.”

250 words is a good ceiling for a good blurb. If you need more words than that to ‘sell’ your book, fiction or non-fiction, you might be in a bit of trouble!

Remember that a book description is not a summary of your book, it's a form of sales copy. The goal is to get people to want to find out more, not explain everything that happens.

For fiction, use short paragraphs. Note how Twilight  has its sentences laid out:

For non-fiction, bullet points are great. Here's a back book cover example for Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad:

Remember, a book blurb is not a synopsis. You need to make a strong promise to the reader (“I can help you,” “I will entertain you”), but don’t give away the whole story or big idea otherwise the reader has no reason to … read!

Oh boy. If the first few lines of a book’s blurb don't grab you, that doesn’t bode well for the rest of the book, does it? Here are some great ‘first line’ techniques:

Ask a question

Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles? (Marie Kondo, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up .)

Set a scene

At first sight, Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet, a curmudgeon with staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People think him bitter, and he thinks himself surrounded by idiots. (Fredrik Backman,  A Man Called Ove .)

Speak directly to the reader’s problems

Entrepreneurs often suffer from the misconception that to be successful, they must do everything themselves. (Chris Ducker,  Virtual Freedom .)

Make a promise

Fitness, money and wisdom – here are the tools. (Tim Ferriss,  Tools of Titans .)

[clickToTweet tweet=”The best ways to grab readers' attention in that first line #SelfPub #BookMarketing” quote=”The best ways to grab readers' attention in that first line #SelfPub #BookMarketing”]

7. Include an Author Bio (Optional)

Many books have author bios and a profile picture attached. These are just a few short words that capture the readers attention. It's a great place for nonfiction authors to show off their credentials. But they aren't required, especially for fiction authors.

Steps to writing your back book blurb

Once you’ve taken in all of the above and gotten a feel for the promise you want to make to the reader, use the outlines below to write your book cover blurb.

Need Help with Your Keywords?

Take my full featured video course on how to select the best keywords and categories for your book.

Beth Bacon, an award-winning author and marketer, suggests this formula for writing a fiction book blurb:

• Situation .  Briefly, describe the circumstances of the story.
• Problem . Next write about the situation or hitch that makes change inevitable.
• Hopeful Possibility .  Here you provide the hope of overcoming the crisis. This is the cool main character or long shot possibility that gives hope that the difficult problem can be overcome.
• Mood .  This part describes the emotional state that readers will have from reading your story.  Example phrases include: “dark, dystopian tragedy”, “humorous chick lit cotton candy”, or “suspenseful, romantic and awash in…magic”.

Here’s a back book blurb example for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone ticking all the boxes above:

“Till now there's been no magic for Harry Potter. He lives with the miserable Dursleys and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry's room is a tiny closet beneath the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years.

But then a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And there he finds not only friends, flying sports on broomsticks, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him … if Harry can survive the encounter.”

[clickToTweet tweet=”Does your back book blurb follow this proven template? #BookMarketing” quote=”Does your back book blurb follow this proven template? #BookMarketing”]

This is a formula I’ve developed over the course of three non-fiction books of my own, and it’s served me well:

• Introduce the problem
• Outline how you propose to solve it (bullet points are good)
• Tell the reader how their lives will be better after reading your book

Here's a back book cover copy example of Jen Sincero’s You Are a Badass follows this formula:

“You Are a Badass is the self-help book for people who desperately want to improve their lives but don't want to get busted doing it.

In a refreshingly entertaining how-to guide … Jen Sincero serves up 27 bite-sized chapters … helping you to:

• Identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that stop you from getting what you want.
• Create a life you totally love. And create it NOW.
• Make some damn money already. The kind you've never made before.

By the end of You Are a Badass , you'll understand why you are how you are, how to love what you can't change, how to change what you don't love, and how to use The Force to kick some serious ass.”

Over to You Now

Remember, the words you use on your back book cover is one of its most important book marketing tools and often the reason a reader will decide to buy your book. While it’s understandable that it’s the last thing you want to write after finalizing your book, it’s worth setting aside a good amount of time to give it the attention it deserves and needs. And while the words are the most important part of your back book blurb, you'll also want to make sure the layout looks nice too so if you use book mockups that show the back of your book, you'll have a front and back book cover that looks seamless, professional, and eye-catching.

Additionally, see this all-inclusive post about writing your book description.

About the Author: Kelly Exeter

Kelly Exeter is the author of three non-fiction books and a passionate editor. Via her Swish Publishing services she works with bloggers, writers and authors to sharpen their message and ensure their big ideas are delivered to the world in a way that best resonates with their target audience.

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

• Podcast Episode - Crafting a Winning Book Description

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Back Cover of a Book: Must-Haves & Examples

Finishing your manuscript is a massive accomplishment, almost a complete victory.

But so much must be done to ensure that all your efforts weren’t for nothing. You need readers to buy your book!

And you can’t stand in the bookstore or pop out on the side of Amazon’s book page to try and convince the reader that they’ll love this book. 

Your book’s back cover is one of the tools that will do that for you.

That means a lot is riding on creating the perfect back cover. But not to worry, we’ve compiled a beginner’s guide to creating a back cover of a book that wows. And we’ve included 16 examples to show how successful ones are done. 

Importance of The Back Cover of a Book

The back of a book cover can make the difference between increasing book sales and losing the reader’s interest.

Your back book cover together with the front cover must make a convincing sales pitch to the reader.

The front cover or the spine of the book must attract the reader. Once you have their attention, they’ll flip over the book and that’s your chance to persuade them to buy it.

To get the reader to buy your book, or at least open it to chapter one, your book’s back cover needs to tell a story:

• What the book is about (using a book blurb)
• Why it’s worth reading (using book reviews)
• Why this reader in particular will want to read it (using enticing copy and targeted keywords)

This is a book promotion tool that’s as important as author newsletters , your social media posts, or book trailers .

What Goes on The Back of a Book

The back cover usually has the elements listed below. Some elements may be omitted based on what you want to convey about your book. 

Once you understand the roles each of these components plays, you’ll have a better idea of what serves the best purpose on the back cover of your book.

Book Reviews

Awards and past work, isbn and barcode.

• Publisher Details 

This is a one-liner that stands out the most on the back of a book. This appears at the top, ensuring that it’s the first thing the reader sees.

The tagline is usually written differently to make it pop. For example, it could be bolded, a different color, larger in size, or italics.

Examples of a tagline:

Descriptive

A brief descriptive sentence that teases at the main theme, conflict, or (in the case of non-fiction) problems being solved by the book.

For example:

“No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine.” Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

A brief line that uses keywords from the genre to target ideal fans.

“Lethal. Loyal. Legendary.” Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

A quote from a professional book review that will intrigue the reader while explaining the book’s hook.

“The greatest romance story of this decade. –Entertainment Weekly” Fault in Our Stars by John Green

From a Scene

A line from the book that makes the reader feel as if they’re dropped right into the action.

“He needs my help, but he’ll be my downfall.” A Prince So Cruel by Ingrid Seymour

Note: The tagline can be between 5 to 50 words, so use them wisely!

This is a description that tells the reader what the book is about without summarizing the plot or giving away any spoilers.

It lets the reader know what to expect.

Your book blurb is kind of like the text version of a book trailer. Just like a trailer, it will highlight the compelling parts of your story.

The best way to go about writing your book blurb is to keep the target reader at the front of your mind. Consider what the reader will be excited to see from your book.

If you need tips on writing a book blurb, check out our blog: How To Write a Compelling Book Blurb (+15 Examples) .

Readers are more likely to believe that your book is good if someone noteworthy praises it.

Pick a stellar testimonial from another author (preferably from your genre) or a publication to give your book credibility.

Avoid adding reviews that say, “I loved it!”

Rather choose reviews that praise a specific part of your book like your writing capability, the characters, the premise, etc.

Take a review on the cover of All the Broken Places by John Boyne for example: 

“Exceptional, layered and compelling…This book moves like a freight train.” Review by Amy Bloom, New York Times bestselling author of In Love

The number of reviews you use will depend on what you want the back cover of your book to convey. Some back covers only use reviews, while some have it in the tagline or at the end of the blurb.

But if you don’t have a publication or notable author to turn to, you can use your best customer review.

If you want to know more about getting endorsements, check out our blog: Professional Book Review: The Ultimate Guide .

Your book’s back cover can also mention any awards and achievements you’ve received that add credibility to your book. You could even include if your books have only been nominated.

Also, add any previously published work. The reader may notice a previous title making them lean towards getting your new release.

Adding your past work will also signal that you have staying power as an author.

Sometimes the back cover of a book will include an author bio, and for some authors, this can seem like the hardest thing to write.

While you don’t need to share your favorite color or that you like long walks on the beach, you do need to let the reader get to know you a bit.

Your author bio shares the credentials, writer’s journey, other works, etc. And it is way more streamlined than something you’d find on the author’s website .

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But does every author need one for their book?

Not necessarily.

If you write fiction, it won’t be the end of the world if you don’t add it. But if you write non-fiction including a bio can help build trust with the reader.

In that case, a bio will show why you are qualified or have the experience to have written your book.

Note: When adding your author photo alongside your bio, make sure it both matches your personality and your book’s genre. Be sure to use a professional photo that has been taken more recently.

Your book’s ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a number that is used to identify your book. The accompanying barcode is the scannable version of this number.

They’re created by the publishing or self-publishing company. Unless you’re using Amazon, you may have to pay for it in the case of self-publishing.

Note: When getting your book printed, the printing company will have a set requirement for where this number and barcode will go, so keep that in mind when arranging the elements on the back cover of your book.

Publisher Details

The reader won’t be eagerly flipping over your book in search of the publisher’s information, but it needs to be on the back cover of your book nonetheless.

Note: The publisher’s information and logo are low priority so make sure they’re in smaller text.

Tips For Designing Your Book’s Back Cover

Follow the below tips to level up your book back cover design:

Do some research

We recommend doing research in your genre to see what unique styles you could try for your own back cover design.

When analyzing the covers, look at the positioning of the blurbs and reviews, and take note of how a story is told from the front cover to the back. 

Keeping both covers consistent will make your book tell a complete story without the reader even reading a word.

Prioritize layout

It may sound fun to create a wacky book cover, but you could end up creating a confusing mess that’s hard to decipher.

It’s okay to color out of the lines a tad bit, but don’t go overboard! The goal is to avoid a cluttered book back cover and ensure the text is easy to read.

You can achieve this by using clear fonts, an uncomplicated color scheme, and giving the content sufficient space to breathe.

The reader should be able to grasp some information at a single glance. After that glance, if they’re interested, they’ll keep reading.

Use style to tell a story

Your front and back covers don’t need to be designed the same to be cohesive. The front and back covers are not twins, they’re sisters.

For starters, you could use similar borders or related elements. For example, if you’ve written a mystery novel you could have one big puddle of blood on the front and smaller splatters on the back.

Consider the atmosphere and tone that you want the reader to feel and use the appropriate fonts, colors, and design elements to communicate that.

Use copy to sell the book

What you can’t say through design, you’ll say through words.

There’s an art to writing copy that compels a reader to open your book. You have to say a lot in as few words as possible.

Make sure each piece (your blurb, reviews, and bio) serves a purpose that discusses something different from the last. The reader should come away with an understanding of the premise and excitement to keep reading.

DIY – Doing It Yourself

When self-publishing, you can get templates from book cover printers to insert your designs into or you can use software like Canva or Adobe Creative Suite to design the back cover of your book.

Hire somebody

If you lack the time or design prowess to create a back cover for your book, you can simply hire a professional.

It will save you a lot of time and effort, just be sure to research which designer meets your budget and needs.

Don’t forget the book’s spine

When a reader is browsing a bookstore or library, they’ll most likely see the spine of your book first.

Therefore, the spine of your book needs to continue the same story as the rest of your book cover.

Your spine should include the same color scheme, fonts, and design elements as your cover. Everything will be minimized and sideways, so make sure it is easy to read from an angle.

Here’s the information that could be found on your book spine:

• Title of the book.
• Full Author name (If the book is long enough, the author’s first and last name), or
• Shortened Author name (If the author’s name is too long, the spine will have an initial and the last name).
• Publisher’s logo.
• Book series number.

Back Cover Of A Book Examples

As promised, below are 16 examples you can use as reference when designing the back cover of your own book. 

We’ve included the front cover too so you can see the full design story!

1. Romance Genre

Icebreaker by hannah grace.

Curvy fonts and cool colors create the right atmosphere in this Romance example. 

Text is given plenty of room to tell its story with the use of adequate spacing, plus the artwork of the main characters breaks up the pattern of the text too.

With a few pops of orange and bolder text, the back cover draws the reader’s eyes from one point to the next. The author bio is the last thing the reader will notice, as intended by the designer of this book’s back cover.

2. Non-Fiction Genre

Stop overthinking by nick trenton.

This book’s back cover follows the theme of this book, practicing what it preaches. It avoids clutter and uses text that is super clear to read.

It’s easy to start skimming through the content because of this, and only one point is highlighted on the back cover, “Stop Overthinking,” which reiterates the topic of the book.

3. Thriller Genre

The new couple by alison james.

We love this back book cover because the blurb is written from the main character’s perspective. It immediately pulls the reader into the story.

The tagline appears on both the front and back cover of the book, but it serves to cement the premise of the book making sure the reader won’t forget it.

Lastly, the yellow text at the bottom continues speaking directly to the target reader, mentioning other popular books in the sub-genre similar to this one. If a reader has loved those books, they will be more likely to buy this one.

4. Sci-Fi Genre

Recruitment by k. a. riley.

Streamlined is the name of the game for the back cover of this book.

Targeting Sci-Fi lovers is the main aim here, so the tagline just states the year the book is set in.

Although it doesn’t tease the story, it’s still effective in attracting the reader because the blurb is short and discusses the premise in enough detail.

5. All in one (Fantasy Genre)

A court of thorns and roses by sarah j. maas.

This fantasy example has it all: the accolade in the tagline, the well-written blurb, the decorated author bio, and the enthusiastic endorsements.

The back cover of this book is stacked with information yet it all feels easy to skim read because the content is sectioned off.

The back cover cleverly mentioned the author’s name and credibility multiple times. It clearly aims to promote the book using the author’s name. It’s trying to say: 

“If you’ve heard of her, you should definitely check this book out!”

6. Children’s Genre

Children who dance in the rain by susan justice .

We love the design of this example. Since it’s a children’s book, it sells the art style first and foremost and gets creative with the design of the text.

Although the reviews are on top of white backgrounds, the text doesn’t look out of place and rather just adds to the innovative nature of the cover.

Endorsements are highlighted from the front to the back cover, showing parents that this book is worth reading since it is worthy of awards!

7. Consider the Reader

The clockmaker’s daughter by kate morton.

The layout of this cover considers the target readers in every decision made.

Equal importance is given to each component, enticing the reader to read all of it from top to bottom.

The tagline reveals the setting and genre efficiently, and the praises for the author solidify it.

Although the front and back covers don’t share a similar background, the font and leaf design elements are used to connect the experience.

8. Use endorsements

None of this is true by lisa jewell .

Lisa Jewell’s back cover aims to convince readers to buy the book through reviews by respected authors.

It leaves the reader thinking, “Well if they couldn’t put this book down, then maybe I wouldn’t be able to either.”

The names of the authors are contrasted to the reviews using a slightly different font and yellow text. 

And it also has the largest review near the top, with varying sizes as the reader’s eyes go down the cover. This keeps the cover from being dull and hard to skim through.

9. Taglines

The only woman in the room by marie benedict .

In the above example, the tagline is split up and integrated into the blurb but if it’s all read together, it tells the story briefly for anyone skimming the back cover of the book.

The taglines are capped by reviews to complete the experience.

Not to forget the addition of Marie Benedict’s past works at the bottom left of the book’s back cover. It reminds readers of her other popular novels.

10. Past works

November 9 by colleen hoover.

A total of 3 font colors are used for the back cover of this book, yet it doesn’t look busy or cluttered.

The lighter colors surround the blurb, keeping it the center focus. This encourages the reader to read the taglines and still be interested in reading the blurb and author bio.

Speaking of Colleen Hoover’s author bio. It lists so many popular past books for fans and newcomers to be impressed by.

We love this addition because if a fan forgot that you’re the one who wrote a book they loved, they’ll be reminded. This will increase your chances of selling your new release. 

11. Continue the Style Story

Lightlark by alex aster.

With an entertaining front cover, it can be hard to decide what to do with the back cover.

Lightlark shows us that with the same font, colors, and a recurring design element, it can be done!

This book’s back cover continues the story by using the same border, but flipping it so it doesn’t look exactly the same as the front.

The fades from tinged-orange to yellow-gold on top of a sleek black background keep the front and back covers connected.

The cover has 2 taglines large and in charge of drawing the reader in. What seals the deal is the mention of the second book in the series, making the reader aware that there’s more to come.

12. About The Author Example

Self-love workbook for women by megan logan .

We love how fun and colorful this cover is – and it fits the book’s theme so well!

Highlighter-like taglines and bullet points give this back cover even more spunk. This highlighting style makes it feel like it’s the reader’s notebook, emphasizing that the book is about working on one’s self.

But what gives this book an extra edge is the authority the author has in her field. The author bio showcases the author’s expertise, letting the reader know that if there was anyone they should listen to about self-love, it’s this author.

13. Author Branding

The gifts of imperfection: 10th anniversary edition by brené brown.

This is the 10th-anniversary edition of this book, so that means it was pretty well received.

But there are 8 billion people in the world, so not everyone would’ve heard of this book – and the covers try to make up that ground.

The back cover of this book uses the author’s branding to sell the book. Even though the author bio is at the bottom, it feels as if we’re being told about Brene Brown’s efforts for this book at every turn.

But the author’s bio reveals more about her decorated past than the blurb, discussing her achievements, past works in other industries, and experiences.

14. Minimalism

The food lab by j. kenji lópez-alt.

Plain doesn’t have to mean boring. 

There’s a lot of content on this page which would otherwise be overwhelming. But with the use of bronze borders, content is neatly sectioned and given space. 

Instead of a tagline, at the top lies the blurb in a newspaper or magazine type of column. The main selling point is centered within a box: the reviews. This is a great way for the author to build trust with the reader.

15. Artwork

The zen monkey and the lotus flower by tenpa yeshe.

Text is simple, big, and bold on this back cover. But the main attraction is the art.

The artwork of this book reiterates the title, reinforcing it in the reader’s mind.

The balance of artwork and text upholds the book’s theme too. And the art is a great feature of the book, making it hard for a reader to look away.

16. Creative Layout

The science of spice by dr. stuart farrimond .

You can use your book’s genre and theme to come up with unique ideas for the back cover of your book. 

Above is a fantastic example of how to do this.

Ingredients sit within boxes labeled by chemistry-like symbols. The text on the back cover of the book uses copywriting techniques to call out to the reader and persuade them that this book is for them.

Back Cover Of A Book Template

Follow any one of these templates below to craft your dream back cover for your book.

Promotion Doesn’t Stop There

Creating the perfect back cover of a book doesn’t mean it’s all smooth sailing from there.

If only it was as simple as publishing your book and watching the sales come in. That’s the dream, right?

Life isn’t that simple, so book promotion isn’t that simple. 

You need everyone and their mothers to hear about your book, and in today’s digital world, the best way to do that is by spreading the word online.

If you’re looking to improve your online presence you need an author website. An author website helps readers, publishers, and other industry professionals find you easily online.

We love working with authors, so fill in this inquiry form and we’ll see how we can help you.

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Back Book Cover Design: Everything You Need to Know

There’s a widespread belief that a person spends only 8 seconds looking at the front book cover design.  Moreover, the same goes for the back cover: you have only a few seconds to grab a reader’s attention. This means you need to beat the clock, so let’s get to it. In this blog post, you’ll learn how to compose a killer back book cover design so that a reader ends up being immediately hooked on it. 

Why back book cover design matters

The back cover of a book is an important marketing tool . Think of it as of your sales pitch. 

The information you include there is a primary ad for your book . It should provide a catching description of the book, squeezed in a couple of hundreds words to get the reader’s attention and keep them intrigued.

It’s also a place where you can say a couple of words about yourself. Make it simple, there’s no need to place a whole autobiography here, just a few phrases to summarize your professional work.

Last but not least, you can mention the endorsements and reviews of your book to add some value and credibility to the whole deal. 

However, the back cover of a book is not a place where you should use fancy words or long content. Don’t forget, you should keep it short, clear and focused.   Pretty tricky task and a huge responsibility for the book back cover design, isn’t it?

There’s also a popular misconception that in the online e-book world, there’s no need for a back book cover since nobody will ever see it. 

Not really.

• Amazon now has the so-called “look inside” feature, which allows potential readers to take a sneak peek at the back cover. 
• Kindle posts back covers for paperback editions, and this feature has been receiving a lot of positive reviews from customers. 
• In order to upload your work to KDP Print, IngramSpark or BookBaby you have to include a front cover, spine, and back cover. 

Now when you know about the importance of a back cover in your book cover design , let’s talk about the best practices of its layout. 

We have a lot of amazing examples, so get yourself comfortable and keep reading.

FREE RESOURCE

Everything an indie author should know about book cover design, anatomy of a back book cover .

Take a look at the graph, which explains the back book cover layout.

As you can see the back book cover consists of the following elements:

• Author bio 

Testimonials

Now let’s take a closer look at these items.

In general, the tagline feature gained wide popularity from film ads. Does this sound familiar? 

When you can live forever what do you live for? (Spoiler alert, The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer )

As you might have guessed, tagline is a short, catchy phrase that can be used as an advertising slogan . 

Here are the main characteristics of a tagline:

• reveals the main plot premise or main idea ;
• shows the uniqueness of your book;
• arouses interest or intrigues the reader (for example, asks a provocative question) ;
• should not sound too generalized or use cliches ;
• sounds good, has a beautiful rhythmic structure ;
• contains witty, funny and easy to remember phrase ;
• uses a quote from your book that later on readers can easily recognize;

When coming up with a tagline, you’d better avoid using the title of the book, mentioning character names and composing a phrase longer than 10 words .

Tagline best practices 

Check out some examples of a good tagline with useful tips and explanations.

Blurb is a brief description of a book that should immediately attract the attention of your readers. 

By the way, for e-books, it’s important to optimize the blurb for Amazon and other online retailers, since this book description will be posted on a purchasing page. Also,take into consideration that Amazon displays only the first few lines of the book description.

How can you come up with a catchy blurb that sells ? First of all, aim at your target audience . A secret to a successful blurb is a proper research of the genre and readers’ expectations. That’s the reason why nonfiction and fiction books use different ingredients for their blurb cocktail. 

For non-fiction books a well-done blurb should:

• present a problematic situation that needs to be solved;
• include an immediate solution to that problem (a good trick is to use bullet points here);
• explain what value the reader gets out of it;

For fiction books on the other hand, a blurb might:

• briefly describe the situation , give some hints without revealing the whole story
• start with a hook , one of the most existing plot points or twists
• set up the mood , describe the emotional state the readers might enter
• finish with an intrigue point (might be a rhetorical question or a tense unfinished sentence)

Take a look at these examples of fiction book cover design:

Both nonfiction and fiction books should:

• concentrate on a target audience ;
• be short, aim for 100-200 words;
• avoid cliche phrases;
• be readable ( clear paragraphs for fiction; bullet points for non-fiction);
• use present tense to create a feeling that the reader is getting involved in what is taking place at this very moment;
• avoid superlative tone (never should you ever use all capital letters);

The author bio is a great chance to to talk a bit about yourself and connect with the readers .

Keep in mind that most of the readers will see your biography before they read the book itself, so it can affect their ideas about the contents of your book. It is also recommended to go with the third person when writing the author bio, it sets a more neutral environment for the potential reader rather than a clear self-promotion guide. 

The same target audience rule applies to the author bio as well. Pretty obvious, isn’t it?

Let’s say your book is a science fiction novel set in a galaxy far far away. In this scenario, your author bio should be different from when you’re writing about the best ways to improve your communication skills.

For non-fiction, it is extremely important to demonstrate the author’s competence in the subject. It is one thing if Mr. Nobody or Mrs. Newbie made the collection of recipes, and another thing if the author of the book is an award-winning professional chef.

Highlight what is worth mentioning and hide non-essential details that might affect credibility. 

Oh, and of course…keep it short, approximately 75 words . 

Author bio best practices

Here are some examples of an excellent author bio layout.

Testimonials are positive reviews on your book that come from well-known experts, publications, fellow authors or sometimes readers. 

You should take care of testimonials even before your book is ready to be published. It takes some time to reach your target expert and get them to write a review on your piece of work. So be sure to plan everything .

Having a testimonial on your back book cover is extremely important to establish a so-called “social proof” , which means that the target audience trusts the opinion of someone who vouched for your book. 

Bonus point: A review of the book written by an opinion leader can increase your book sales. 

A great balance would be to gather two or three testimonials . 

Testimonials best practices

We know that this falls into the category of setting the bar too high, but use it as an inspiration for the testimonials.

Let’s Review

As you might have noticed in all of the above examples, it’s perfectly fine to omit some parts when coming up with a back book cover. There are different variations of things you might want to include when writing your back cover copy.

It’s safe to say that unless you have 100 testimonials and are planning to use them, as your key selling point, you’ll definitely want to keep the blurb . Some self-publishing authors prefer to concentrate just on the blurb , and it looks great!

If you have a killer tagline that will make a particularly awesome hook, go for it! There are so many cases when the tagline entered a popular culture easily and became a business card of the book itself.

If your author bio is particularly relevant to this type of book and can serve as a selling point, we highly recommend building your back book cover design around it.

If you have a few good testimonials from well-known people in the industry , then nothing will go wrong if you put them all over the back book cover. Include only testimonials from highly recognized people in the field. If for any reason, you couldn’t reach them, it’s fine to omit this part altogether.

As you can see, there’s a lot of “ifs” when it comes to book back cover design and layout. Just think about it, look through your resources and decide on the excellent back cover for your book!

What do you include in your back book cover design ? Share your ideas in the comment section below.

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How to Write a Book Review: The Complete Guide

by Sue Weems | 23 comments

If you've ever loved (or hated) a book, you may have been tempted to review it. Here's a complete guide to how to write a book review, so you can share your literary adventures with other readers more often! 

You finally reach the last page of a book that kept you up all night and close it with the afterglow of satisfaction and a tinge of regret that it’s over. If you enjoyed the book enough to stay up reading it way past your bedtime, consider writing a review. It is one of the best gifts you can give an author.

Regardless of how much you know about how to write a book review, the author will appreciate hearing how their words touched you.

But as you face the five shaded stars and empty box, a blank mind strikes. What do I say? I mean, is this a book really deserving of five stars? How did it compare to Dostoevsky or Angelou or Dickens?

Maybe there’s an easier way to write a book review.

Want to learn how to write a book from start to finish? Check out How to Write a Book: The Complete Guide .

The Fallacy of Book Reviews

Once you’ve decided to give a review, you are faced with the task of deciding how many stars to give a book.

When I first started writing book reviews, I made the mistake of trying to compare a book to ALL BOOKS OF ALL TIME. (Sorry for the all caps, but that’s how it felt, like a James Earl Jones voice was asking me where to put this book in the queue of all books.)

Other readers find themselves comparing new titles to their favorite books. It's a natural comparison. But is it fair?

This is honestly why I didn’t give reviews of books for a long time. How can I compare a modern romance or historical fiction war novel with Dostoevsky? I can’t, and I shouldn’t.

I realized my mistake one day as I was watching (of all things) a dog show. In the final round, they trotted out dogs of all shapes, colors, and sizes. I thought, “How can a Yorkshire Terrier compete with a Basset Hound?” As if he'd read my mind, the announcer explained that each is judged by the standards for its breed.

This was my “Aha!” moment. I have to take a book on its own terms. The question is not, “How does this book compare to all books I’ve read?” but “How well did this book deliver what it promised for the intended audience?”

A review is going to reflect my personal experience with the book, but I can help potential readers by taking a minute to consider what the author intended. Let me explain what I mean. 

How to Write a Book Review: Consider a Book’s Promise

A book makes a promise with its cover, blurb, and first pages. It begins to set expectations the minute a reader views the thumbnail or cover. Those things indicate the genre, tone, and likely the major themes.

If a book cover includes a lip-locked couple in flowing linen on a beach, and I open to the first page to read about a pimpled vampire in a trench coat speaking like Mr. Knightly about his plan for revenge on the entire human race, there’s been a breach of contract before I even get to page two. These are the books we put down immediately (unless a mixed-message beachy cover combined with an Austen vampire story is your thing).

But what if the cover, blurb, and first pages are cohesive and perk our interest enough to keep reading? Then we have to think about what the book has promised us, which revolves around one key idea: What is the core story question and how well is it resolved?

Sometimes genre expectations help us answer this question: a romance will end with a couple who finds their way, a murder mystery ends with a solved case, a thriller’s protagonist beats the clock and saves the country or planet.

The stories we love most do those expected things in a fresh or surprising way with characters we root for from the first page. Even (and especially!) when a book doesn’t fit neatly in a genre category, we need to consider what the book promises on those first pages and decide how well it succeeds on the terms it sets for itself.

When I Don’t Know What to Write

About a month ago, I realized I was overthinking how to write a book review. Here at the Write Practice we have a longstanding tradition of giving critiques using the Oreo method : point out something that was a strength, then something we wondered about or that confused us, followed by another positive.

We can use this same structure to write a simple review when we finish books. Consider this book review format: 

[Book Title] by [book author] is about ___[plot summary in a sentence—no spoilers!]___. I chose this book based on ________. I really enjoyed ________. I wondered how ___________. Anyone who likes ____ will love this book.

Following this basic template can help you write an honest review about most any book, and it will give the author or publisher good information about what worked (and possibly what didn’t). You might write about the characters, the conflict, the setting, or anything else that captured you and kept you reading.

As an added bonus, you will be a stronger reader when you are able to express why you enjoyed parts of a book (just like when you critique!). After you complete a few, you’ll find it gets easier, and you won’t need the template anymore.

What if I Didn’t Like It?

Like professional book reviewers, you will have to make the call about when to leave a negative review. If I can’t give a book at least three stars, I usually don’t review it. Why? If I don’t like a book after a couple chapters, I put it down. I don’t review anything that I haven’t read the entire book.

Also, it may be that I’m not the target audience. The book might be well-written and well-reviewed with a great cover, and it just doesn’t capture me. Or maybe it's a book that just isn't hitting me right now for reasons that have nothing to do with the book and everything to do with my own reading life and needs. Every book is not meant for every reader.

If a book kept me reading all the way to the end and I didn’t like the ending? I would probably still review it, since there had to be enough good things going on to keep me reading to the end. I might mention in my review that the ending was less satisfying than I hoped, but I would still end with a positive.

How to Write a Book Review: Your Turn

As writers, we know how difficult it is to put down the words day after day. We are typically voracious readers. Let’s send some love back out to our fellow writers this week and review the most recent title we enjoyed.

What was the last book you read or reviewed? Do you ever find it hard to review a book? Share in the comments .

Now it's your turn. Think of the last book you read. Then, take fifteen minutes to write a review of it based on the template above. When you're done, share your review in the Pro Practice Workshop . For bonus points, post it on the book's page on Amazon and Goodreads, too!

Don't forget to leave feedback for your fellow writers! What new reads will you discover in the comments?

Sue Weems is a writer, teacher, and traveler with an advanced degree in (mostly fictional) revenge. When she’s not rationalizing her love for parentheses (and dramatic asides), she follows a sailor around the globe with their four children, two dogs, and an impossibly tall stack of books to read. You can read more of her writing tips on her website .

23 Comments

The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin is about a girl that shows no emotion befriending a ice dragon.

I chose this book based on the cover that had a little girl riding a ice dragon, and wondered what is about.

I really enjoyed the interaction the little girl had with the dragon.

I wondered how how the girl’s bond with the dragon.

Anyone who likes a coming of age story set in a fantasy will love this book.

Thanks for sharing your practice, Azure!

You’re welcome.

A interesting, at times perplexing, subject! And one on my mind lately,as I’ve agreed to do a few. I do enjoy giving reviews and am delighted when I can say, “This was a great book!” Or even, “I enjoyed this book.” It gets perplexing when I agree to review a book — and simply don’t like it. Then what to say? I hate to disappoint the writer but I’ve promised to give my honest opinion.

I’ve found some books mediocre and yet I see a dozen other reviewers saying “A great story!” Tastes do vary. But when there are obvious flaws I tend to skip all the best-friend-and-cousin reviewers and find the first person who says, “This writer has a problem with…” Usually there’ll be a number of reviewers who spot the same problems I do.

I like upbeat main characters, but not aggressive, belligerent, and/or self-centered ones. I like to meet in a story the kind of people I’d like to meet in real life— not people I’d avoid if possible. I recently read a book where the main character came across as insipid and the story only mildly interesting. Other reviewers said it was great and I know for this specific audience — readers who want a certain slant to a story — it was quite suitable. So I tried to cut the book some slack. Everyone has their limit as to how much blood and gore, smooching and snuggling, they are willing to read about.

Once I agreed to review a book and would have tossed it after the first chapter — for several reasons. A lot of “writer inserting facts for reader’s benefit”; teach/preach paragraphs; excess of description; attitudes of MCs. Once it’s live on seller’s sites like Amazon, what can you say? The one thing good it had going for it was the story line or theme. With a pro editor’s help it could have been a great story.

As for a review, one book I read lately was “A Clue for the Puzzle Lady” by Parnell Hall. It’s one of those “Stayed up half the night to finish it” books; I think anyone who likes a compelling cozy mystery would probably like it. Downside: I didn’t care for the “Puzzle Lady.” She’s a lush, hangs out at the bar getting sloshed. The upside: her sensible niece has a starring role —trying to keep her aunt on the straight-and-narrow and the mystery keeps you guessing until the end.

Christine, Thanks for sharing your insight! It sounds like you are approached often to review new books. It does make it tricky if it’s a request, especially outside your own preferences. Thanks for chiming in about your process, as I’m sure others will appreciate the perspective too. I’ll have to take a look at the Puzzle Lady– I do enjoy cozy mysteries. Sue

Here’s another cozy mystery book review in case you’re interested. I’m not approached by writers that often, but there are the Story Cartel, Book Bub and Goodreads, all sites where authors ask for review volunteers.

Reel Estate Ripoff by Renee Pawlish

The detective Reed Ferguson is a fan of Humphry Bogart, movie memorabilia of that era, and fancies himself a bit of a Sam Slade. Though not your super-sleuth, rather inept at times, he’s a likeable character. Told in first person, the story has a Philip Marlowe tone to it, but much tamer. Dialogue and story line are well done, the story well plotted and believable. I’d gladly read more stories about this particular gumshoe.

If you like cozy mystery books, I’ll send you a list later, Sue. Love them too and I’ve met many authors who write in this genre. Back on topic– you inspire me again to add some reviews to my Blog. I have been reading and writing many middle grade mysteries for a project! My latest favorite: “The World’s Greatest Detective” by Caroline Carson (who I hope to meet tomorrow in Arlington, VA!) My 12 year old grandson borrowed it and finished it before I could. “It’s the best mystery I ever read, Grandma! You’ ll never guess the ending with unpredictable twists!” What better review could we read. The target audience and I both highly recommend this 2017 mystery.

Adding it to my stack, Beth. Thanks!

Not wanting to sound life an idiot, but willing to risk it here among friends: What exactly is a cozy mystery?

Glad you asked! It’s a subgenre of mystery. The best examples of cozy mysteries are those by Agatha Christie. They usually avoid profanity, excessive gore/ violence, and sex. They focus more on the puzzle, sleuth, and their smaller world. Hope that helps!

Thanks, Sue.

Wonderful article. The first I have read by you. It especially gets those of us who don’t feel we have the formula down for review writing to be introduced to a form we can build upon with experience. You’ve kept it simple but you have given us the main ingredients needed for a good review. I printed this one off to look at the next few times I write reviews. Thank you.

Glad you found it helpful. Thanks for reading and commenting!

I haven’t gone into all this. It’s a matter of time, Joe. I gad about all over the place, not knowing where I am or where I’m going. Within weeks, I’ll be 87. I’ve books of my own that I’d like to see reviewed. Even sorting them out, however, even finding where any of them are, would be a time burden. You see the fix?

Hi Dave, You aren’t alone in feeling the press of time for getting your stories out into the world. May I gently offer this: start with finding and sorting one. If you can’t find it, write it anew. You’ve probably grown in time and perspective since you wrote the first draft, which will make for a stronger story. Good luck. I’m cheering you on!

This is an article for me, because I am happy to receive a rating. I haven’t sold many books. But, at least some thinks that it was worth the time to read. That was refreshing. And, I think I wrote two reviews, so far. It was on Amazon.com. Thank you.

You’re welcome!

Hi, Sue. Thanks for the helpful advice. I did a review on Amazon for the first of a 7-part thriller titled ‘Mosh Pit (The Rose Garden Incident)’ by Michael Hiebert. [Here it is.]

“5.0 out of 5 stars Advance copy review. By A fellow author on September 18, 2016 Format: Kindle Edition I Recommend This Book Strongly

I enjoyed reading this first part of the thriller. The author’s opening chapter/prologue was fast paced, and set me in the middle of the inciting incident along with two of the main characters. After that thrilling opening, I felt the ensuing chapters moved at a more leisurely pace, and was about to grade them as less praiseworthy when I watched a lecture by Brandon Sanderson on YouTube about building three dimensional characters and realised Michael Hiebert had done exactly that by introducing the reader to the minutiae of other characters who had parts to play in the development of the story. So, instead of cardboard cutouts of bland stock characters, the author shows us real people with real concerns that the reader can relate to.and actually care about. I look forward to reading the rest of this intriguing thriller, and highly recommend it to all lovers of well-written, and well-crafted thrillers.”

I also reviewed Part 2 of the series, but that review is too long to post here.

Footnote: The author, Michael Hiebert, was so pleased with my reviews, he recently asked me to beta-read a short story collection he plans to publish in November.

Great review, John! I like how you shared a bit of your process as a reader too, in recognizing what the writer was doing with their characterization. Thanks!

Thank you, Sue.

Five out of five stars When I picked up a copy of “The Girl with All the Gifts,” by M R Carey, at the used book store, I somehow had it in my head that it was a YA dystopian novel along the lines of “Divergent” or “The Hunger Games.” While I would definitely say that I was not right about that, I wouldn’t say that I was completely wrong. I was, however, completely unprepared for a zombie novel–which is a good thing, cause I wouldn’t have read it, and I’m glad I did. Think “The Walking Dead” meets (why do I want to say ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night”?) “Peter Pan.” I really enjoyed seeing things from, the main character, Melanie’s point of view. Her limited knowledge of her own situation was intriguing, to say the least (and probably why I thought of “The Curious Incident”). I was a bit disappointed when the POV changed to another character’s, but, as the novel progressed, I found myself sympathizing with nearly all the characters–with one exception, and I’ll leave that for you to ponder when you read it. I wondered how much of the science was real, but not enough for me to research it myself. Although, based on other reviews, I guess most of the science about the fungus is real. I also wondered about the fate of the remaining ‘lost boys’ of the cities. If you liked…. well, I don’t know. I’m not typically a fan of things zombie, so I don’t have a comparison, but the book was somewhat similar to “Divergent” and “The Hunger Games” in that the main character goes through a hellluva time and comes out the other side with a plan for her future.

“Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom is a true story about how one man found meaning in life when his doctors gave him a death sentence. Morrie was a college professor who passed on his new found wisdom in the last year of his life to a favorite student, the author, who chronicled his professor’s perspectives on death and dying.

I chose this book because of its philosophical topic, and because it is so well written that the words just jump off the page.

Knowing we are all mortal beings, I especially liked the insights, the tidbits of wisdom imparted by the dying man. Death is a subject that few, if any of us, ever talk about seriously with friends and family. The subject of death is verboten. We deny its existence. And, if we are religious, we pretend we will not really die, but we deceive ourselves and think we will live on in some afterlife existence for all eternity. But the professor, Morrie, learns some valuable life lessons from his impending death, and Mitch Albom was gracious enough to capture them in this short but eminently readable book.

I really liked the book because it is timeless. This true story will impart serious life lessons for all future generations, and will help us gain perspectives on our lives and the relationships with those we love the most.

R. Allan Worrell

Sue, I’ve been meaning to come back since this was first posted to tell you thanks for a great article. I seldom review books for alllllll the reasons you listed. This is a perfect tool and I’ll surely use it. Cathy

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Blog • Book Design

Posted on Oct 26, 2018

How to Build a Book Back Cover in 5 Simple Steps

About the author.

Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Linnea Gradin

The editor-in-chief of the Reedsy Freelancer blog, Linnea is a writer and marketer with a degree from the University of Cambridge. Her focus is to provide aspiring editors and book designers with the resources to further their careers.

Picture an intrepid reader in the bookstore. They’re skimming the shelves when their eye is caught by a brilliantly imagined front cover. They pick the book up. Check. The spine is bold and inviting. Check. Then they flip to the back of the book cover — and it’s a boring solid background with no text.

When it comes to book design, your thoughts probably don’t jump straight to a book’s back — it’s not as attention-grabbing as, say, the front. But it happens to be one of the most important sales tools at your disposal. So let's clear up some misconceptions:

• Nobody ever sees the back cover of a book online! Amazon.com now allows customers to view the back of paperback books.
• I don’t need a back cover to create a print book ! KDP Print and IngramSpark require you to upload a front cover, spine, and back cover.

Then there’s the biggest myth of all: nobody pays attention to the back of a book. Almost everyone reads the blurb before they decide whether to purchase . What’s more, they’ll spend only 10 seconds doing it. In this post, we’ll show you how to make that time count so that a reader ends up deciding in your favor.

What makes a good back cover?

To understand what makes a back cover tick, let’s expose its partner-in-crime: the front cover. When readers browse the bookshelves, it’s the front cover (or spine) that gets them to pick it up. But the job’s not done! At best, they’re only vaguely intrigued at this point. The back cover is there to finish the job.

Done properly, the back cover will motivate the reader to open up and start reading . The best ones do this through:

• Convincing copy that makes the reader impatient to find out what’s inside.
• Some strong aesthetic style — a sign of professionalism and finesse.

To fully cover both points, we’ve split this post into two sections. Part 1 will address the first point: creating great copy for the back of your book cover. Then Part 2 contains tips from our top designers on the best ways to design an aesthetically beautiful jacket.

But we’ll start by turning to the essentials. What exactly should be on the back of a book cover?

Part 1: How to WRITE the back of a book cover

In general, the back cover design is composed of the following parts:

Testimonials

These are the four most common ingredients that the back of a book cover uses, and we’ll run you through each of them.

You’ve got three seconds to grab a reader’s attention from the moment they flip it over. So strike them with the tagline right at the top of the back.

The tagline can be a:

• Short descriptive sentence
• Catchphrase
• Quote from the book or review

For instance:

“May the odds be ever in your favor.” – The Hunger Games

“Even in the future, the story begins with Once Upon a Time…” – Cinder

“A great modern classic and the prelude to Lord of the Rings.” – The Hobbit

“Winter is coming.” – Game of Thrones

As you can see from these examples, a great tagline doesn’t need to summarize the whole novel. But you do need to tease readers. Once you’ve successfully enticed them, their eyes will drift to the next bit of copy: the blurb.

Let’s get this straight. The blurb on your back cover is not the:

• Synopsis: This is a four-page document that summarizes the entire narrative arc of your book for an agent or publisher.
• Testimonial “Blurb”: That’s a bunch of short stand-up quotes from a testimonial or review. We discuss this in another section of this post.
• Book Description: This generally means the copy on your online book sales page. Check out our guide on writing a book description for more information!

We also recommend downloading the below free template to get a headstart.

FREE RESOURCE

Book Description Template

Learn to write a book description that will make readers click “buy.”

Here’s what a back blurb is: a description of your book that acts as your 10-second elevator pitch when readers pick it up.

Therefore, your first instinct is probably to make it dazzling. But the real secret to a great blurb is to know your audience. Write it with the reader’s desires in mind. That’s why the blurbs for nonfiction and fiction books are based on two separate formulas.

For nonfiction authors

Nonfiction books should promise to teach the audience something valuable. Therefore, the most effective blurbs will:

• Present the question/challenge/problem.
• Promise answers.
• Tell readers in plain words what they’ll take away from the book.

Here’s the blurb for Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time , for instance:

A landmark volume in science writing by one of the great minds of our time, Stephen Hawking’s book explores such profound questions as: How did the universe begin—and what made its start possible? Does time always flow forward? Is the universe unending—or are there boundaries? Are there other dimensions in space? What will happen when it all ends?   Told in language we all can understand, A Brief History of Time plunges into the exotic realms of black holes and quarks, of antimatter and “arrows of time,” of the big bang and a bigger God—where the possibilities are wondrous and unexpected. With exciting images and profound imagination, Stephen Hawking brings us closer to the ultimate secrets at the very heart of creation.

Notice the ground that it covers in just two paragraphs? If you crawl into the mind of nonfiction readers, they’re basically asking, “What new information will I gain from reading this book?” Don’t be cute or vague. Your best bet is to directly tell them — and use bullet points if you need to communicate a great deal of information efficiently.

For fiction authors

The novel’s blurb should promise intrigue, excitement, mystery, wonder, or drama. Hint at the emotional payoff that awaits them within the pages! Think of a movie trailer and try to capture that effect.

Let’s take a familiar example:

Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!

In other words, make your readers curious . Check out this article for more in-depth tips (and examples) on writing a great blurb for your novel.

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To recap, your best practices for both nonfiction and fiction blurbs are to:

• Keep the blurb short, punchy, and interesting
• Know your target audience and appeal to their specific interests
• Demonstrate the benefit that readers will get out of your book

The Author Bio

Take note, authors: the bio isn’t always your “About the Author” section! In many cases, it’s even more compact.

The first rule of the author bio is: KISS. Keep it simple, stupid. Here’s an example from David Sedaris’ Me Talk Pretty One Day:

DAVID SEDARIS is also the author of Barrel Fever, Naked, and Holidays on Ice. He is a regular contributor to Public Radio International’s “This American Life.”

Compare that to the 500-word “About the Author” section that you can find on Mr. Sedaris’ website . See the difference? The bio on the back of the book cover should be the nutshell inside of the nut.

For fiction authors, this is optional. However, nonfiction authors must include an author bio as part of their back cover copy to convince readers of their authority. You can use the author bio template provided in this post on creating a memorable author bio.

To recap, your best practices for the author bio are to:

• Keep the bio on your back cover brief and clear
• Don’t regale the reader with a description of your eye color: list your previous publications, achievements, education, (if you wish) your place of residence, and (if applicable) your author website

Testimonials (also known as “cover blurbs”) are positive endorsements from notable personalities, such as a fellow author or a publication.

The back of a book cover is the perfect place to put this social proof. Testimonials are incredibly persuasive in transforming potential readers into readers . Our friends over at Bookbub  carried out an A/B test in which they sent Group A a book description with a testimonial and Group B a version without a testimonial. The book description with a testimonial caused 22.6% more readers to click and buy.

How to get testimonials

You can go to three sources for testimonials:

• Fellow authors: These are VIPs or your author friends. Be sure to contact somebody who’s relevant to your genre. Potential readers browsing online will respond to names that they recognize.
• Publication reviews: Like a snippet from a New York Times or Washington Post review. Self-published authors can submit their books to Reedsy Discovery for review .
• Customer reviews: If you’ve started your book review campaign already (as you should’ve done), you can pluck testimonials from some of your five-star reader reviews.

Start building relationships within the community early! You’ll probably find it easier to reach out to a friend for a cover blurb than cold-emailing a stranger.

That said, if you’re asking a VIA (Very Important Author) to read your book, send a polite email. Personalize your note. If they say that they’re open to it, send them a free ARC (advance review copy) of your book.

The Guide to Getting Book Reviews

Learn to pitch your book to potential reviewers with our handy checklist.

How to present testimonials on the back of your cover

Generally, you can’t go wrong if you aim to include two or three testimonials. You want to strike a good balance between all the moving pieces, so use your best judgment when determining the number to include.

Then it’s just a matter of following this rule: if you’ve got it, flaunt it.

If you secured a starred review from a publication, be sure to note that in parentheses.

If you won a cover blurb from a fellow author, make sure that the author’s credentials are prominent. For instance:

“There are many pieces to solving the SEO puzzle. From reputation management to content marketing, SEO for Growth will help you put it all together.” — Joost de Valk, Founder and CEO, Yoast

Or, if you’re the author of a fiction book:

“Her work understands human secrets generally as well as secret places both in the world and in the mind.” ― Lorrie Moore, New York Times bestselling author of Bark and Birds of America

To recap, your best practices for testimonials are to:

• Start planning early and make sure to get some reviews under your belt if you can't access any fellow authors in the field
• Emphasize the credentials of the person who's writing your testimonial

Voilà. You’ve got social proof for your book. Now let's turn to the second aspect of the book of your book: design.

Part 2: How to DESIGN the back of a book cover

Creating the back of a book cover is a two-step process. You might’ve written brilliant marketing copy for it. Now you need to design it.

To give you complete mastery over this step, we’ve turned to our top designers for their sharp insight. Here are their best tips for you, in their own words:

Tips from designers

Jake Clark : Don't overcrowd your back cover. I've seen too many back covers that are slammed from margin to margin with text with the blurb in the largest font possible. Treat your back cover with the same respect as your front cover. Let your text breathe a little and still be selective in the blurb and supporting text you place on the back cover.

Patrick Knowles : Continue the visual story. Most obviously this could be to repeat a background image or border treatment. Think about how you can create extra elements to enhance the blurb and give it a sense of atmosphere. The main thing is to give some creative energy to the back and make it look as though the whole project is integrated and thought through.

Jakob Vala : Design with a clear hierarchy of information in mind. Make blurbs or callouts bigger or in a different color from the description. Publisher information, if you have it, is the least important. It should be the last thing people notice.

Maxwell Roth : Let it speak to the reader. Too often, I’ll spot a good book cover and turn it over only to find a solid background and an outdated font. Why not use that space to illustrate the author’s text? A book cover can (and should be) an interaction with the reader: A spectacular cover. Turn. A spine to be displayed on a shelf or desk. Turn. A spectacular back cover and continuation of the author’s narrative. And then, to turn the pages.

Jakob Vala : Incorporate elements from the rest of the book. Sometimes I employ the film texture from the front as a background. I also use the same font and color scheme. The drop cap at the beginning of the description can reflect the style used inside the book.

Examples of back covers

These cover spreads can help give you an idea of what a great back cover looks like once these tips are put in practice.

TEMPLATE: Putting the Back Cover Together

Now that you’ve seen what should go onto the back cover, you might be wondering: how do I juggle everything and pull it all together?

We’ve created a couple of templates to show you the most popular configurations out there.

As you start putting your own back cover together, just remember: experiment to find a balance that works for your book. When you hit a perfect balance between all the elements, you’ll have created a back cover that works.

Are you in the middle of designing your own back cover? How have you found the experience? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

5 responses

SeverelyLtd says:

06/02/2019 – 23:02

When a book is changed you're required to get a new ISBN #. If you receive positive blurbs and add them to the back cover, are you required to get a new ISBN? Where exactly is the line for having to get a new one?

Brenda Joyce Mills says:

15/08/2019 – 07:27

Excellent information. Thank you...

21/12/2019 – 13:45

How to download those templates? I can not download as I don't see any link. Thanks

↪️ Martin Cavannagh replied:

26/12/2019 – 11:36

These templates don't need to be downloaded. You can read them at the bottom of this article.

07/03/2020 – 14:46

I do not want to design my own book cover, but I do want to use my own artist. From what I've read, I think that I can upload a jpeg from my artist into a template on kdp, and then my artist and I can work with the template to overlay the text. Is this correct?

Comments are currently closed.

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The 10 Best Book Reviews of 2021

Merve emre on simone de beauvoir, justin taylor on joy williams, and more.

The older I get, the more I’m interested in critics who play around with form and style. Mixing genres, experimenting with voice and structure, and tapping into personal experience are some of my favorite devices, though I still have a soft spot for the formal limitations of an 800-word newspaper writeup. From longform online essays to crisp perspectives in print, here are my 10 favorite book reviews of 2021.

Brought to you by Book Marks , Lit Hub’s “Rotten Tomatoes for books.”

Parul Sehgal on Soyica Diggs Colbert’s Radical Vision: A Biography of Lorraine Hansberry ( New York Times )

Sehgal deftly takes on the style of the theatre in her review of a book about Chicago’s greatest playwright, by opening her first paragraph like the first scene in a play.

“The curtain rises on a dim, drab room. An alarm sounds, and a woman wakes. She tries to rouse her sleeping child and husband, calling out: ‘Get up!’ It is the opening scene—and the injunction—of Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun , the story of a Black family living on the South Side of Chicago.”

Merve Emre on Simone de Beauvoir’s The Inseparables (tr. Lauren Elkin) ( The New Yorker )

Emre always helps readers see things in a new way, in this case not just Simone de Beauvoir’s lost novel, but also Simone de Beauvoir herself.

“To read The Inseparables is to learn what could have been, and to judge what was a little more harshly. It is to see in the memoirs a lingering refusal to give Zaza the autonomy that everyone in life seems to have denied her at the greatest possible cost. And it is to see in The Second Sex an inability, or perhaps an unwillingness, to make as affirmative a case as possible for lesbian identity.”

Victoria Chang and Dean Rader on Douglas Kearney’s Sho ( Los Angeles Review of Books )

Reviews-in-dialogue are my new favorite thing. I love how naturalistic and conversational they are, as the form really allows critics to be themselves. Chang and Rader are a joy to read.

“Kearney’s body of work is very much about play with language, yet, that somehow feels like it diminishes the political aspects of his poems and his body of work. Perhaps play itself in Kearney’s work is a political act. I find this tension fascinating because on the one hand, I often get carried away in Kearney’s language (and the conceptual aspects of his work), but I’m also acutely aware of the humanity in his work (or the exploration of anti-humanity). In this way, maybe play and the political are not mutually exclusive. Maybe for Kearney, play = confrontation.”

J. Howard Rosier on Frederick Seidel’s Selected Poems ( Poetry Foundation )

Rosier does a great job bringing paratext to bear on the text itself, in this case interviews and Seidel’s other work.

“For a poet as revered as Seidel, there are scant mentions of turns of phrase being Seidelian, few poetic narratives or structures construed as Seidelesque. Chalk it up to the oddity of a formalist disassociating form from content; Seidel uses form like a hypnotist to mesmerize readers so that they are sedated, or at the very least put at ease, in spite of his content.”

Sheila Liming on Edith Wharton’s Ghosts ( Cleveland Review of Books )

Every editor’s dream assignment is a critic with deep subject matter expertise, and you can’t beat Liming—author of What A Library Means to A Woman: Edith Wharton and the Will to Collect Books —writing about Wharton’s ghost stories.

“Here are ‘fetches’ (ominous doppelgangers) of Celtic superstition, zombie mistresses rising from the grave, and ghost dogs, even. But for each of these paranormal threats there is an equally normal, equally mundane, and equally human villain attached to the story. In this way, Wharton’s Ghosts can be read and interpreted in concert with many of her better-known works, including novels like The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence , which tell stories of everyday human malice.”

Meg Ringer on Jon McGregor’s Lean Fall Stand ( Chicago Review of Books )

Some of the best reviews are the product of a critic who brings personal experience into their analysis of the book at hand. Ringer’s perspective on Lean Fall Stand is full of unique insights and emotional power. (Disclosure: I founded the Chicago Review of Books in 2016, but stepped back from an editorial role in 2019.)

“Though there was a time—before we met, before his diagnosis—when my husband traveled to Antarctica, Robert and Anna’s story is not ours. It is barely even close. But Lean Fall Stand reads like a meditation on the questions we all must someday face: Who am I? What can I stand? Who will be there when I fall?”

Ryan Ruby on Peter Weiss ( The Point )

Speaking of hybrids between personal essays and reviews, Ruby’s experience discovering the work of Weiss during the 2016 election is riveting stuff.

“By creating physical objects that survive their creators and the world in which they were made, the artist helps to manufacture the continuity of our collective experience of historical time, and to the extent that it distinguishes itself, the work of art can become a symbol of that continuity. ‘Imagination lived so long as human beings who resisted lived,’ the narrator writes, but in the end what Weiss demonstrates in The Aesthetic of Resistance is that the converse is also true, and just as important, then as now, for what the imagination always has and always will resist is death.”

Justin Taylor on Joy Williams’ Harrow ( Bookforum )

I love a good delayed lede. In this marvelous example, the title of the book Taylor’s reviewing doesn’t even appear until more than 800 words have passed.

“I drove across the Everglades in May. I had originally planned to take Alligator Alley, but someone tipped me off that, in the twenty years since I left South Florida, the historically wild and lonesome stretch of road had been fully incorporated into I-75, turned into a standard highway corridor with tall concrete walls on both sides, designed to keep the traffic noise in and the alligators out.”

Lauren LeBlanc on Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You ( Los Angeles Times )

Ruffin’s fiction does a lot of interesting things with place, and LeBlanc smartly centers her review on New Orleans, as well as the way Ruffin subverts geographical expectations.

“Several recent story collections (Bryan Washington’s Lot and Dantiel W. Moniz’s Blood Milk Heat spring to mind) present geographies as characters. While Ruffin’s stories can’t help but transport the reader to humid, sunken, decaying New Orleans, it’s too easy to say this book is merely a set of love songs to the city. What makes such collections ring true is the way they subvert conventional knowledge.”

Victor LaValle on James Han Mattson’s Reprieve ( New York Times )

Opening a review with a question can be a powerful way to focus a reader’s attention, as LaValle does here with a compelling lede drawn from his own insights as a horror fiction writer.

“Why do people enjoy being scared? This is a pretty common question for those of us who write horror, or stories tinged with horror, and maybe for those who design roller coasters too. Why do some people take pleasure in terror?”

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How Donald Trump Learned to Pass the Buck

In “Lucky Loser,” two investigative reporters illuminate the financial chicanery and media excesses that gave us the 45th president of the United States.

Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 2024. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times

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LUCKY LOSER: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success , by Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig

My family took its first steps on American soil on a spring day in 1989. An uncle named Boris who had escaped the Soviet Union years earlier was there to greet us at the airport in Queens, insisting, despite our exhaustion, on a tour of Manhattan. After a winding journey, we emerged from the gritty commercialism of Times Square to find ourselves on 56th Street, at the base of a featureless black obelisk.

In that moment, even though I knew next to nothing about American culture, I understood Donald Trump exactly as he demanded to be understood. Erected on the ruins of the Art Deco Bonwit Teller department store, Trump Tower was as much a symbol as it was a building, a show of authority and strength as evident to a Soviet refugee as to a Staten Island native.

How a failing casino developer could maintain, and grow, an image of soaring success is the subject of “Lucky Loser,” a first-rate financial thriller by the New York Times investigative journalists Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig. Building on the duo’s previous Pulitzer-winning reporting, this long but brisk book charts Trump’s rise from real estate scion and ersatz businessman to the most unlikely of political populists.

Though it arrives on a crowded shelf, “Lucky Loser” is one of those rare Trump books that deserve, even demand, to be read. In good part, that’s because it applies the proper lens through which to view Trump’s career. In this telling, his story lies at the intersection of business and media, with politics arriving only as a secondary concern.

It’s a strength of “Lucky Loser” that the biographical details deepen the portrait as much as they foreshadow the plot. The book is a multigenerational saga that begins with the former president’s grandparents, Frederick and Elizabeth Trump, migrating from Germany at the turn of the century and settling in Queens, where they got into real estate, buying up vacant lots . Their middle child, Fred, joined the business and took advantage of the newly established Federal Housing Administration, which supercharged the market in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s. Creative only in his dishonesties — his buildings were dull boxes — Fred inflated his construction costs to secure generous F.H.A. loans and then skimped on construction expenses, pocketing the difference and setting high rents based on the original, fictitious projections.

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The Great Hippopotamus Hotel by Alexander McCall Smith review: 'full of generous understanding'

Strange things have been going on at the Great Hippopotamus Hotel which, if not Botswana's ritziest, is still a well thought-of place. When Mma Makusi, Mma Ramotswe's assistant or self-styled partner at The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, learns that Violet Sephothu may be involved in the case, she leaps to conclusions, disregarding the sage advice to be found in Clovis Andersen's masterpiece The Principles of Private Detection, which is to wise detectives what The Care of the Pig by Augustus Whiffle was to Wodehouse's Lord Emsworth.

Mma Makusi is certain of Violet's guilty involvement in whatever is disturbing the hotel because she was a loose woman and a lazy student at the Botswana Secretarial College, from which on the other hand Mma Makusi graduated with a mark of 97 per cent. Mma Makusi is indeed a very efficient lady, if somewhat given to leaping to conclusions, something the great Clovis Andersen warned against.

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Mma Ramotswe, however, works in a wiser and different manner, but values her assistant as she values everything that is good. Also, as loyal readers of the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series will know, her greatest gift is her power of sympathetic understanding. Mma Makusi is sometimes impatient with men but Mma Ramotswe is more forgiving; they are weak things but can be improved through sympathy and good sense. She is a very kind lady, possibly the kindest detective in fiction.

It's little wonder that Alexander McCall Smith's international breakthrough to global bestseller came when an American President's wife - Mrs Bush senior, as I recall - happened on the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novels, praised them to the sky, quite deservedly of course - and had members of women's clubs dashing sedately to the bookshops. Not even JFK's boosting of James Bond could match that.

McCall Smith's novels have a charm that seems to belong to a possibly mythical older time, but in one sense they are very much of our own day. He is a feminist. His women, especially but not only in the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, are better, kinder, more moral and sensible than the men. In one way he is also kinder than many of our more strident feminist novelists. Men are feebler, lazier and sillier than the women. Generously, however, Mma Ramotswe sees them as capable of learning and improving.

She is also willing to see the good in husbands who behave foolishly - for example, she rightly recognises that a small man here who buys a wildly unsuitable sports car for his 60th birthday is really only a sad thing afraid of his domineering wife, and that she too should behave better.

Indeed, his women are not always without blemish. Here Mma Makusi is a bit too pleased with herself and too convinced of her superior intellect. Likewise in the Isobel Dalhousie series, Isobel has sometimes to be put right by her (unusually) gentle young husband Jamie. All the same, anyone reading his novels must surely be convinced that the world would be a better and nicer place if men would simply leave things to women.

Yet, though McCall Smith is very much a novelist of our time, his work hails back to an older Scotland, too, to the work of writers like JM Barrie, SR Crockett and the others recognized and condemned as "the Kailyard" - unkindly and wrongly condemned, I should add. Enjoying this new Botswana novel, I heard faint echoes of A Window in Thrums. There is the same charm, the same acuteness, the same humour, the same generous understanding. Indeed I'm now searching my bookshelves in search of Thrums, aka Kirriemuir.

The Great Hippopotamus Hotel, by Alexander McCall Smith, Abacus, £20

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In new book, author and neuroscientist Daniel Levitin makes the case for the healing power of music

Neuroscientist and author Daniel J. Levitin. David Livingston/Supplied

• Title: I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine
• Author: Daniel J. Levitin
• Genre: Non-Fiction/Science
• Publisher: Allen Lane

I recently spoke to York University ethnomusicology professor Rob Bowman. He had just celebrated the 10th anniversary of a double lung transplant. In his hospital bed as he waited for his new pair of breathers, he listened to the complete recordings of Aretha Franklin. Doctors told him that without the transplant he was days from death. He believes the Queen of Soul helped keep him alive.

“I was on life support, with 21 tubes in my body,” he said. “I’m hooked up to a respirator – I can’t speak. I had Aretha going 24 hours a day for two and a half days until I got the transplant. I can’t say what the music did physically, but it helped me psychologically at least. And logic tells you that if you’re in a good space psychologically, it can only help you physically.”

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What Bowman intuited, Daniel Levitin explores scientifically in his vital new book I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine , about how the connections between music and the brain can be harnessed for treating a host of ailments, from PTSD to pain, Parkinson’s disease, depression and cognitive injury.

The book, titled after the first line to the Leonard Cohen song Hallelujah , follows up 2006′s This Is Your Brain on Music , a bestseller on the neuroscience of music. The American, who also authored The World in Six Songs and two other books, is a professor emeritus of psychology and neuroscience at Montreal’s McGill University. He’s also a musician who’s recorded his own albums and worked as a consultant on records by such artists as Joe Satriani, Steely Dan and Stevie Wonder.

So, not lacking in bona fides – the man reads brain MRIs and music charts as easily as the rest of us scan the back of cereal boxes. He is as liable to quote Confucius as he is Ludacris; neuropsychologists and Joni Mitchell are in his circles.

“Music affects the biology of the brain,” Levitin explains, “through its activation of specialized neural pathways, its synchronization of the firing patterns of neural assemblies, and its modulation of key neurotransmitters and hormones.”

Levitin tells us that Hippocrates believed strongly that music could be used to treat a variety of physical and mental-health conditions. Most lay people are already familiar with Bob Seger’s ideas on rock ‘n’ roll’s ability to “soothe the soul.” The questions this book addresses are how and why. The answers are technical and complicated, but the author has a soulful touch and a way with anecdotes often involving well-known musicians (including Mitchell, Rosanne Cash, Bobby McFerrin and Keith Jarrett) who are afflicted with serious health issues affecting their abilities to perform.

McFerrin, the Don’t Worry Be Happy star, has Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements. “Of all the uses of music as medicine,” Levitin writes, “none is more closely connected to biology than the treatment of movement disorders.” Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, Tourette syndrome and Huntington’s disease have been shown to be responsive to music therapy such as drumming exercises.

When it comes to depression and anxiety, the neural and biological mechanisms underlying music’s ability to reduce symptoms are “complex and not fully understood.” Possible explanations offered by Levitin and others include enjoyable music’s triggering of mood-lifting neurotransmitters such as dopamine, and music’s stress-reducing effects on the parasympathetic nervous system.

The chapter on memory loss, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and stroke is important. As the author points out, old people, not children, are our future. He writes that 55 million people have dementia worldwide today and with the world’s aging population – in Japan, more diapers are purchased for people over 65 than for people under 5 – cases will inevitably rise.

Dementia causes agitation and anxiety. Chronic agitation, Levitin says, is one of the most pressing challenges for patient care in long-term care homes: “We’ve known for decades that music is just as potent as drug treatments for relieving anxiety, but getting it into clinics and care facilities has been a bumpy road.”

But Levitin believes that bumpy road is getting smoother. He points out that there is work being done at Toronto Metropolitan University on developing a music-based treatment to help manage the neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia, “pointing an arrow toward musical medicine for relaxation.”

One of the book’s more fascinating anecdotes involves the late singer-guitarist Glen Campbell, who toured after his Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Though he didn’t know what city he was in, he had built up so much neural and cognitive reserve he was able to continue performing: “Even with half of his brain offline, he was still among the best guitarists on the planet.”

A key point to the book is that music chosen by the listener is more effective at achieving a state of relaxation than music picked by others. In other words, there are no clinicians in lab coats deciding on dosages of Mozart and Motörhead. Aretha Franklin might save one person’s life; Frank Sinatra may help yours.

There is more research to be done on music as medicine, but Levitin’s I Heard There Was a Secret Chord is a significant study of the subject. If it is not a eureka breakthrough, it is at least worth a hallelujah.

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Book Review

Paris in Ruins: Love, War, and the Birth of Impressionism

By Sebastian Smee Norton: 384 pages, $35 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org , whose fees support independent bookstores.

Monet: The Restless Vision

By Jackie Wullschläger Knopf: 576 pages, $45 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org , whose fees support independent bookstores.

Revolution was in the plein air . During the reign of Napoleon III, the Second French Empire had colonized extensively abroad and modernized at home, with the construction of Paris’ boulevards and the city’s glorious ascent as the global capital of culture and fashion. The empire had brought a stability to France after decades of bloodshed and tumult, but republican passions still stirred, particularly among intellectual elites and haute bourgeoisie .

What happened on the road to rebellion? This year marks the sesquicentennial anniversary of the debut Impressionist show in 1874, and two exquisite books have arrived to toast the occasion. While they differ in scope, both are graceful, fluent, resonant additions to art history.

A critic at the Financial Times, Jackie Wullschläger has written a sumptuous biography of Claude Monet, the movement’s maestro, limning the innovation beneath his surfaces. “Monet: The Restless Vision” spans the painter’s lengthy life and career, a portrait of an artist mercurial and materialist, ambitious and conceited, yet unstintingly loyal to all in his orbit. She traces his middle-class background as a child and adolescent in seaside Le Havre, water his eternal muse. He chose a less lucrative profession, subsidized by a beloved aunt and better-off friends, such as Édouard Manet. In the 1860s he gravitated toward Manet’s circle in Paris: Degas, Bazille, Cézanne, Berthe Morisot, Pisarro and Renoir. Now lodestars of museums and private collections, these painters buttressed one another during the lean months, the haves tending to the have-nots, united in their distaste for the Salon’s stale, imperious criteria. (Monet eventually owned 14 Cézanne canvases.)

As the Franco-Prussian War commenced, Monet decamped to London, where he sat out the hostilities, palette in hand. Upon his return to France, he and his colleagues worked outdoors, often setting their easels side by side. Monet relied on his first wife, Camille, as his primary model; she posed as four distinct figures in his early “Women in the Garden” (1866). “The Port at Argenteuil” (1874), Wullschläger observes, is “a beacon of the first Impressionist moment. Unified, every part to every other, inviting the eye to enter and linger anywhere, satisfying in its decorative assembly of forms, the arabesques of trees echoing the cloud shapes, it evokes a harmonious atmosphere quite different from the harsh depiction of the broken bridge a few months before.”

After Camille’s prolonged illness and death in 1879, Monet took up with Alice Hoschedé, the estranged spouse of a department-store magnate whose demise allowed the couple to wed, merging their families, a bohemian Brady Bunch. Their villa at Giverny remained a base of operations throughout their lives.

As the century waned, Monet grew bolder: He embarked on several series of subjects portrayed at different hours of day, in varied casts of light. Wullschläger underscores “Haystacks” as a breakthrough, insisting on “contemplation of that moment passing, of the transience of all moments.” She writes: “The short staccato strokes produce waves of colour in multiple layers, suggesting light as a pulsing force, yet blending into an opalescent haze seen from a distance.” Against a backdrop of postwar comfort, fresh ways of seeing emerged.

Wullschläger avoids attempting an exhaustive account; why weigh down her book with gratuitous details? She prefers to delight, saving the best for last: her sweeping study of Monet’s magnificent water lilies (he called them “Grandes Décorations”), a blaze of brushwork, conflating representation and abstraction, heralding such future titans as Pollock and de Kooning. “The Grandes Décorations have the characteristics of a late style: extreme, abstracting, interior,” Wullschläger notes, “at once the crowning achievement of Impressionism, eloquent paintings ... the all-over compositions speaking of chaos and dissolution.” Despite failing eyesight, Monet kept working until his death in 1926.

Sebastian Smee, the Washington Post’s Pulitzer Prize-winning critic, departs from Wullschläger’s approach in his vibrant and incisive “Paris in Ruins,” tightening his aperture to those pivotal years just prior to that initial exhibition, when the Franco-Prussian War toppled the Second Empire and birthed, in fits and starts, France’s Third Republic. Poised at the book’s center is the romance between the married Édouard Manet and the gifted Berthe Morisot, single and living with her parents in the posh suburb of Passy. Manet had galvanized the most inventive (and disruptive) painters and writers, drawing them like a magnet. “He was like the director of an amateur theater troupe made up of friends, family, and anyone he could rope in,” Smee opines. “They wore their assigned costumes with varying degrees of conviction, addressing an audience that was assumed to be in the game.”

Manet’s infatuation with Morisot first manifested in his homage to Goya, “The Balcony” (1868-69). “Paris in Ruins” brims with delicious anecdotes: the Morisots’ genteel gatherings; military duty imposed on eligible men; the hot-air balloons and carrier pigeons that preserved the city’s communication with the world. With a treaty on the table, in which Napoleon would surrender and end the Franco-German War, civil war broke out in France, pitting leftists against moderates in cahoots with the German leader. Smee’s re-creation of this complicated moment and the insurrection it ignited is superb, scalp-tingling narration, culminating with Bloody Week in May 1871, which yielded thousands of civilian casualties, random executions and torching of iconic institutions.

As the City of Light smoldered, this cadre of artists swerved toward tranquil landscapes and domestic scenes that exalted bourgeois values. Theirs was an insurgency nonetheless. “The absence of hierarchy extended to even technical considerations: the Impressionists painted straight onto the canvas rather than with varnish layered over glazes layered over paint layered over drawing,” Smee notes. “Inspired by Japanese prints, they tried to avoid compositions that looked too calculated, picturesque, or sedately symmetrical. They welcomed overlapping visual phenomena, such as trees obscuring buildings. ... There was no shading, no modeling, and therefore no depth. Sometimes it was as if these landscapes were viewed ... from a balloon, or by a person with one eye.” Smee captures the intimacy of Manet and Morisot’s pas de deux, but ultimately “Paris in Ruins” belongs to the lady. The author argues that her influence was greater than art history has acknowledged.

Just as the Impressionists liberated easel painting from the treacly academic styles prized by the Salon, Smee and Wullschläger liberate Impressionism from the clichés of dorm-room posters and greeting-card sentimentality. These artists were — and are — radical: Picasso rejected their ideas, but he’s unthinkable without them, linked through Cézanne, Van Gogh and the Fauves. Both authors find the luminosity at the movement’s heart and brilliantly amplify it on the page.

Hamilton Cain is a book critic and the author of a memoir, “This Boy’s Faith: Notes From a Southern Baptist Upbringing.” He lives in New York.

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