by Patricia Bradley, @PTBradley1
Last month on NovelRocket, I talked about Step 1 in the 3-Step Formula for writing back cover copy—writing the headline or hook. This month I want to talk about the other two steps:
Writing the short synopsis and the selling paragraph.
Step 2: Short Synopsis
Just like the headline or hook, the synopsis also follows a micro-formula…
1. Introduce the protagonist by showing what defines their role in the story.
2. What is that character up against?
3. What’s standing in their way?
4. Transition paragraph or “The Big But.”
5. End with a cliffhanger.
Here are those three of those authors’ hooks and synopsis and selling paragraph:
Where There’s Smoke by Susan May Warren
Hook: Kate Burns is a legendary smoke jumper, known for her courage and willingness to risk everything to get the job done. Only she has a secret, one she won’t admit to anyone. He can’t forget the love they once shared…
Synopsis: Supervisor Jed Ransom commands the Jude County Smoke Jumpers with a reputation as a calm, level-headed leader. Kate is the only one who’s ever gotten under his skin. They must face the flames together…
A raging wildfire in the mountains of Montana brings Kate and Jed together to train up a new team of jumpers. Suddenly, they must face the past they’ve been running from and the secrets that keep them apart. When an arsonist goes after their team, Kate and Jed must face their deepest fears—and learn to rely on each other as they fight a blaze that could destroy them all. ~ From Susan May Warren’s Where There’s Smoke
Selling paragraph: In this first book of the Montana Fire: Summer of Fire trilogy, Kate and Jed are about to discover that where there’s smoke, there just might be a chance to start again.
Don’t leave Me by James Scott Bell
Hook: When they came for him it was time to run. When they came for his brother it was time to fight.
Synopsis: Chuck Samson needs to heal. A former Navy chaplain who served with a Marine unit in Afghanistan, he’s come home to take care of his adult, autistic brother, Stan. But the trauma of Chuck’s capture and torture threatens to overtake him. Only the fifth graders he teaches give him reason to hope for the future. But when an unseen enemy takes aim at Chuck, he finds himself running for his life. And from the cops, who now think he might be a murderer. A secret buried deep in Chuck’s damaged soul may be the one thing that could save him. But can he unearth it? Now, needing to protect his only brother from becoming collateral damage, Chuck Samson must face the dark fears embedded in his mind and find a way to save Stan. . . or die trying. ~ from James Scott Bell Don’t Leave Me
Selling Paragraph: From the master of “heart-whamming” fiction (Publishers Weekly) comes a stand-alone novel of gripping suspense and ultimate loyalty.
The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck
Hook: Four brides. One Dress. A tale of faith, redemption, and timeless love.
Synopsis: Charlotte owns a chic Birmingham bridal boutique. Dressing brides for their big day is her gift . . . and her passion. But with her own wedding day approaching, why can’t she find the perfect dress or feel certain she should marry Tim? Then Charlotte discovers a vintage dress in a battered trunk at an estate sale. It looks brand-new-shimmering with pearls and satin, hand-stitched and timeless in its design. But where did it come from? Who wore it? Who welded the lock shut and tucked the dog tags in that little sachet? Who left it in the basement for a ten-year- old girl? And what about the mysterious man in the purple vest who insists the dress had been “redeemed”; Charlotte’s search for the gown’s history-and its new bride-begins as a distraction from her sputtering love life. But it takes on a life of its own as she comes to know the women who have worn the dress. Emily from 1912. Mary Grace from 1939. Hillary from 1968. Each with her own story of promise, pain, and destiny. And each with something unique to share. For woven within the threads of the
beautiful hundred-year- old gown is the truth about Charlotte’s heritage, the power of courage and faith, and the timeless beauty of finding true love.
Selling Paragraph: The story of four lovable women, miraculously bound by one gown, whose lives span a century . . . will take your breath away." -Beth Webb Hart, bestselling author of Love, Charleston As always, study the back cover copy of best selling books and adapt their blurbs to your book! I hope this has helped you with your back cover copy!
Justice BuriedIn an effort to get her security consulting business off the ground, Kelsey Allen has been spending a lot of time up in the air, rappelling down buildings and climbing through windows to show business owners their vulnerabilities to thieves. When she is hired to pose as a conservator at the Pink Palace Museum in order to test their security weaknesses after some artifacts go missing, she’s ecstatic. But when her investigative focus turns from theft to murder, Kelsey knows she’s out of her league–and possibly in the cross hairs. When blast-from-the-past Detective Brad Hollister is called in to investigate, Kelsey may find that he’s the biggest security threat yet . . . to her heart.
Patricia Bradley lives in North Mississippi with her rescue kitty Suzy and loves to write suspense with a twist of romance. Her books include the Logan Point series and two Harlequin Heartwarming romances. Justice Delayed, a Memphis Cold Case Novel, is the first book in her next series and it releases January 31, 2017. When she has time, she likes to throw mud on a wheel and see what happens.