It’s not always easy to write a book, but even once you write “The End,” it’s not really the end. Nope, you have to do rewrites and figure out what’s going to go on the cover to entice people inside, just in case the cover images are not enough to hypnotize potential readers. Then there’s the marketing material to further whet people’s appetites—especially on social media.

I’ve always taken great pride in coming up with blurbs that try to capture people’s attention in just a few words. The attention span of readers can be limited, so I try to summarize the book in a short paragraph, which believe me, is not an easy task. However, I’ve always enjoyed teases that use complete sentences to grab my attention.

Unfortunately, there are some authors that prefer going the quick and dirty route that almost insults avid readers like myself. Where I try to entice with a paragraph touching a couple interesting points in the story, there are some that decide they want to hit all the points with bullet points, not even bothering with complete sentences.

For example, on one of the LGBT book pages I frequent on Facebook, I saw a blurb for a book called “Salvation,” complete with a hunky guy with tattoos on the cover, that had this for the summary:

• grumpy/sunshine gardener/redeemed ex gangster

• employee/boss romance

• disability rep/mental health rep

• the sweetest love scenes ever

Ignoring the ego of the author in the last bullet point assuming that the love scenes in the book cannot be matched by any other, it feels more like they’re trying to sell a car rather than a work of literature, replacing the terms of “automatic transmission” and “40 mpg” with the boxed-in literary terms like “MM romance” (meaning two men are falling in love) and “intense heat” (which obviously doesn’t mean the air conditioning unit is broken).

Here’s another example I came across on the same page, a title called “Nice Catching You”:

• Out-for-you

• Exciting hockey

• Forced proximity

• Hot athletes

• Fiery romance!

• Fantastic HEA

It’s sad that the authors come up with brilliant stories that range anywhere from 40,000 to 90,000 words—sometimes more—but then act like they used up their quota in the book to the point where the blurb to entice readers comes off more like “See Spot run.” Words matter, and for authors to believe that listing bullet points is better than eloquently-worded sentences are just lazy.

On another note, if you have to resort to telling readers that the ending is a “happily ever after (HEA),” and if you must use exclamation points on bullet points that don’t form sentences, it really makes me wonder how good the book really is.

The first two examples were bad enough, but then I came across something on another book page on Facebook that really made me feel like the gorgeous cowboys on the covers were likely the most exciting things in the book. The author starts out by saying: “Currently, I’m writing a gay m/m cowboy romance series called Farthingdale Ranch, which can have any of the following:” and then out come the bullet points.

• Slow burn

• Hurt/comfort

• Grumpy/grumpy

• Grumpy/sunshine

• Single dad

• Shared bed

• Opposites attract

• Age gap

• Out for you

• Rescue

• Food is love

• Midnight kisses

• And, as always, an HEA

This blurb came off as a haphazard shooter, trying to hit a target but instead shooting everything else. Thirteen bullet points in the hopes that one of them will entice readers? It almost feels like the author is dancing around the main point of the book, which is what most readers are attracted to. If authors used this style on their actual book covers, would anyone really be encouraged to flip through a few pages and see if the book is worth the price of admission?

Thankfully, not all authors have turned to this method of advertising and marketing. While cringing at the aforementioned blurbs, I did find this one that caught my attention for a book called “Sense and Sensuality”:

“Alan loved his cousin Matthew through their teenage years, but Matthew met Jack and married him, and although all three were still best buds, Alan was often on the outside looking in.

“When he meets handsome writer, Jim Thornton, it seems as if his life will now take a turn for the better―but can they survive the dysfunctional family that surrounds them? Alan’s mother has a lot to say about how very rich Alan will now conduct his life. She won’t put up with the likes of ‘penniless strangers’ she is convinced will try to wheedle their way into Alan’s life.

“Ignoring her own mother’s protests she causes a rift between Alan and Jim, a move that brings tragedy upon everyone’s lives.

“Sense and Sensuality was previously published as part of the anthology, RED. It has been re-edited and some scenes enlarged, but is true to the original story.”

Now this sounded interesting to me and came across as very well thought out. Sadly, I wish the same effort had been put out for the actual cover, which showed a shirtless guy looking a tad stoned and nothing else in the background, but that’s a subject for another time. My point was the blurb made me want to read the book. I felt like the author wanted to grab me with the story instead of listing the accessories it comes with.

Words matter. They shouldn’t just matter on the cover and the inside of your books. They should be just as valuable when you advertise your book. If you can’t come up with complete sentences for summaries in your marketing, I can’t trust that you’ve got the skills to write a 50,000-word story that will hold my attention, and I’ll just take a pass.