Under the covers

It is not once nor twice but times without number that the same ideas make their appearance in the world.

–Aristotle

Last night I asked students what mechanisms they use to determine whether or not they will buy a book. The majority said they read the inner flap. So what is flap copy?

Flap copy is the blurb that appears on the flap of the dust jacket for a book. It’s written by the publisher or most likely an editorial assistant, often as a “hook,” trying to persuade the reader that they will enjoy reading this book, so buy it! Sometimes, it’s referred to as jacket copy.

It is the second most important marketing tool for a book, and as a reader, it's used to influence you. As a writer, you probably want to monitor what the publisher writes and suggest revisions as needed. Sometimes, writers also play around writing flap copy as a way to help focus a story. I've actually seen on a few literary agent websites an area where a writer is asked to write their own flap copy, in an effort to get a writer to think about marketability before sending their manuscript off to them.

The last Harry Potter book, published in the U.S., was remarkable for the absence of any flap copy. They didn’t need to persuade the reader to read the book with teases about the story. Those who would read Harry Potter were going to do it anyway.