When we asked our readers what influences them most in deciding what to read, a great summary was the #1 answer. By a big margin. Like, a 200% margin, actually. That’s a lot!

So what makes for an engaging summary?

  • Introduce your characters and the key conflicts they’ll face. A plot-revealing summary tends to perform better than clips of dialogue or story excerpts, but if you’d like to include some of the actual text, we recommend placing it after the summary.
  • Length. You don’t want your summary to be too long, but a single sentence or two might not be enticing enough to grab a reader's attention.
  • Editing. Make sure you’ve checked and double-checked for typos and any formatting issues. Multiple paragraphs look much better than one big wall of text. We recommend reviewing how your summary appears in the app once the first episode’s been posted to ensure everything looks the way you want it to.
  • Include content/trigger warnings, if applicable. Readers don’t like to be caught off guard halfway through a story, and are more likely to stop reading when that happens.
  • Keep it clean. Be sure your summary is PG-13 and doesn’t include any swear words (written out or ***) or references to anatomy in order to comply with app store guidelines.

Don’t forget to fill in the Short Summary section, too!

Adding key words is a great way to capture readers' attention and reinforce the idea that your story is going to give them exactly what they’re looking for. If your story features an arranged marriage, make sure to use those exact words somewhere in your summary vs just alluding to the concept. Key words will help readers searching for that topic find your story!

We know writing a great summary can be challenging, so don’t be afraid to ask your friends to look it over and make suggestions. There are editing and consulting services available if you want to go that route. Don’t be afraid to make changes if you find what you have isn’t working. Trial and error is never a bad thing!