A novel is born – part 3
Whereas in the previous article I briefly introduced the book summary, in this one we will discuss the first few paragraphs in further detail.
In the series, I assume that you write and publish the book yourself. If you use a publisher and maybe even a ghostwriter instead, different terms apply. The processes are the same, but the division of responsibilities between you as the author and the publisher as rights holder and publisher will result in a different division of labour and dynamics.
I also assume you want your book to be a commercial success. It must sell more than 3,000 copies.
The book summary contains the following twelve elements as described:
Title, subtitle and cover (front, spine and back of the book)- Purpose
- Summary
- Target group
- Similar books
- Magnets
- The manuscript process
- The publishing process
- Marketing and promotion
- Product details
- Timetable and finances
- About the author
but it is executed in a different order:
Product details
| Project name | The Henrik Bertelsen Saga |
| Title | Tumult in Mecca |
| Subtitle | Petrodollars, Desert Mystique, and Existential Dilemmas on the Road to the Holy City |
| Release date | September 15, 2024 (expected) |
| Formats | Printed book. E-book in epub-format. Audiobook. |
| Covers | Cover in colour, on 260g chromo board, matt lamination without flaps |
| Printing | Content in b/w on 80 grams of Munken Cream |
| Page number | 300 pages (approx. 75,000 words) including front mats and blank pages. |
| Author | Hans Peter Bech |
| Publishing house | BOOX Publishing® |
| Distribution | Amazon and IngramSpark |
| ISBN | Softcover: 978-87-93116-79-5 Hardcover: 978-87-93116-75-7 Kindle/e-book: 978-87-93116-76-4 Audio: 978-87-93116-77-1 and 978-87-93116-78-8 |
| Prices (incl. VAT): | Softcover: $14.99, Hardcover: $19.99, Kindle/ebook:: $9.99, Audio: $14.99 |
| Format | Trim size: 6”x9” (15.24 x 22.86 cm), Spine: 16.6mm |
| BISAC categories, theme and product group |
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense › Thrillers & Suspense › Historical Literature & Fiction › History & Criticism › Regional & Cultural › European › Scandinavian Literature & Fiction › Action & Adventure › Mystery, Thriller & Suspense › Thriller & Suspense |
The product details section of the book is best displayed in a table as above.
The information comes from my upcoming novel, Tumult in Mecca, the first in a series. I therefore also operate with a project description.
Data on the printed version is taken from Amazon.
Trim size is the physical dimensions of the printed book. I prefer 6″x9″ , which is close to the 155x230mm that I use in Denmark.
For physical distribution worldwide, I use Amazon and IngramSpark. Audiobooks are distributed via Author’s Republic.
I run BOOX Publishing and therefore have my own ISBN series. Each format must have its own ISBN.
My books are not particularly price-sensitive, I tell myself, and have therefore set them at the market standard. The same applies to the bookseller’s margin, which is set at 40%. As a starting point, I opt out of the return policy. If I arrange special promotions with individual bookstores or book chains, both a higher discount and return policy may apply. I assess this on a case-by-case basis.
Purpose (the value proposition)
When a company starts developing a product, a lot of time is spent formulating the value proposition. It is a description, qualitative and quantitative, of the value that the product creates for the customer. Typically, the value proposition will address needs that the customer has already acknowledged and recognises.
Today, this exercise is usually carried out before product development starts. It wasn’t like that before. It was quite common to develop the product first and then ask the marketing department to create product descriptions and launch campaigns. However, the method proved to lead to too many flops.
The description of the product and value proposition is created today, before development begins. The presentation is then presented to potential customers to assess the extent to which it resonates.
A book with commercial ambitions is a product and must therefore have a value proposition. In the book summary, purpose and target audience are two different sections. Since every product has more value for some types of customers than others, in practice they are developed in interaction with each other.
You can start by asking: What do I want the reader to get out of reading my book? When you have five to ten points, you ask? What type of readers will get the most value from these points? The description of the value proposition and target audience should be as precise and recognizable as possible.
In my opinion, it’s a huge advantage to have both purpose (value proposition) and target audience in mind before starting the script. The deliberate choice of characters, episodes, angles and narrative will support my value proposition. If you want to know more about developing the value proposition, there are many articles and videos on the topic. The book Test your ideas by Alexander Osterwalder is recommended.
Summarizing
Can you summarize a book that has not yet been written?
Yes, you can, and it will even significantly increase the quality of the end product. The summary is a shorter and externally oriented version of the book synopsis. The summary is two to five pages about the characters, places, plot and message.
Of course, during the writing process, the book can go off in a completely different direction and the summary, and perhaps everything else in the summary, will have to be corrected. Stopping and revising the summary based on the new direction of the book will help the project move forward.
The earlier you correct, the more likely you are to get it right in the end. It also means that the summary may need to be revised several times, but this is always more manageable than having to rewrite the entire book. Most people don’t. Instead, they live with their flop.
Spending a few days thinking about and formulating the project’s purpose and content, and then testing it on a sample of the target audience (20-30 people) is a good litmus test. Listen to their spontaneous reactions. The summary will be part of the package that you use to test your book idea.
Additional adjustments may be needed if you use alpha readers, editor and beta readers. I’ll come back to that.
Next article: Target audience
- Article 1: A novel is born
- Article 2: How to write a good book
