RA Tip: Book Annotations: Short and Snappy Made Easy

On Thursday, November 6th, the Reference & User Services Association (a division of the American Library Association) and NoveList hosted a webcast on writing annotations. A summary of the main points discussed in the presentation are:

REMEMBER ...

• ANNOTATIONS: 
• Market your collection
• Promote books to their particular audience
• Are easy to repurpose (use again)
• A GOOD ANNOTATION IS:
• Clearly written and easy to identify
• Focused on appeals
• Tailored to it's audience
• TO WRITE GOOD ANNOTATIONS:
• Read OR research the book
• Think about the book's audience
• Start with a narrative hook
• Include a brief plot summary (No spoilers!)
• Include the strongest appeal factors
• Provide context and readers'/viewers'/listeners' advisory
• Keep it enticing, attention-grabbing, and BRIEF!

Before publishing/posting - have someone proofread your annotation OR if no one is available, slowly read the annotation out loud to yourself. These can help in checking for mistakes and in fine tuning your annotation.


NoveList has a great tool for appeal factors, The Secret Language of Books: a Guide to Appeal