Know Thy Self, Know Thy Audience: Back Up Your Blurb with Proof Points

By Sage Cohen

 

Last month, you wrote your book blurb. In this brief paragraph or two, you named the problem your book solves, described the readers who would most enjoy it, and articulated clearly what it will accomplish for those readers.
 
This month, it's time to write the proof points that give persuasive examples of how your book delivers on the promises articulated in the blurb. Before sharing my proof points as an example, I'll remind you of the blurb I created for Writing the Life Poetic:
 
"No one needs an advanced degree in creative writing to reap the rewards of poetry. Writing the Life Poetic puts poetry back into the hands of the people -- not because they are aspiring to become the poet laureate of the United States -- but because poetry is one of the great pleasures in life.
 
"Writing the Life Poetic is packed full of captivating new ways to generate ideas and have fun with the writing process. 80 short, friendly chapters address a mix of content, process and craft ideas designed to help you tune into the poetry of your life -- and get it down on the page."
 
Here are the proof points I used to back up these claims:
 
"Writing the Life Poetic can help poets and writers at any level to:
 
Find the inspiration they need to put pen to paper immediately
Transform the raw materials of experience and emotion into language
Build skills and confidence in their poetic voice
Learn some key craft techniques and enjoy experimenting with them
Engage in (or breathe new life into) a writing and reading practice
Get excited about the possibilities of poetry"
 
In effect, the proof points should drill a level deeper to articulate the value and results readers will come away with after reading your book.
 
Your turn!
 
Take a fresh look at your book's blurb. For each advantage you've described, list three specific examples (or proof points) of how readers will benefit. Think of this as a brainstorm list. When you're finished, put the list down for a day or two. Come back when you're fresh and whittle the list down to the five or six most compelling points. Your goal here is to get readers excited about the specific opportunities and results that your book will afford them. 
 

  

Sage Cohen is the author of Writing the Life Poetic: An Invitation to Read and Write Poetry (Writers Digest Books, 2009) and the poetry collection Like the Heart, the World. An award-winning poet, she writes three monthly columns about the craft and business of writing and serves as Poetry Editor for VoiceCatcher 4. Her poetry and essays appear in journals and anthologies including Cup of Comfort for Writers, The Oregonian, Oregon Literary Review, Greater Good and VoiceCatcher. Sage holds an MA in creative writing from New York University, co-hosts a monthly reading series at Barnes & Noble and teaches the online class Poetry for the People. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and awarded a Soapstone residency. To learn more, visit www.writingthelifepoetic.com.