Solicitations are those magical blurbs that we find on virtually everything sold. It’s to say “Hey check this out, buy it!”. Rarely do we think about who or how they are made, and as an independent publisher, I’ve written a few myself, so today let’s talk about the strategy of writing solicitations for your book (or comic book).
First thing is to familiarize yourself with the format. You can go online and read them there, or even pick up a Previews at your local shop. Learn the writing style and study them. Ask yourself the following questions: What voice are they using, active or passive? Are they using questions in the description? Is there a mystery in it that makes me want to read it?
Another thing to do is read some comics and write a solicitation and then compare it to the real one. Some solicitations are 5-6 sentences long, some are only one sentence. Some ask a simple question, some go into plot details. There are many ways to do it, but all are in service of the one task… Get people to buy the book. That’s the goal, that should always be front and center in all your choices when writing this type of marketing copy.
Here’s a couple of points when writing solicitations:
Be Pithy
You have a limited about of words that you can put in a solicitation. This valuable real estate must be efficiently used. Every. Word. Must. Count. Distill down the story into just a couple of sentences, it’s going to briefly cover the plot, but also communicate the excitement and possibly pose a mystery. Of course, all of this has to be grammatically correct, you can’t just throw words/fragments in a stew.
Be Exciting
Be a salesman for the book. Use language that communicates excitement, that this is not to be missed. You’re telling people that this story is a “must read”, This is the time to use Exclamations!!
Keep it a Mystery
You want to give the reader, just enough story to know what’s happening, but keep the mystery of the story. Most great stories are mysteries, we want to know what happens or how it happens. Same tactic here, just less space to write it. Put some questions, ask yourself, what will become of Superman, after the calamity of the Red Nova of Alpha Centauri (or whatever)? How can the dynamic duo survive? It’s like a trailer for a film, you give them a taste and ask a question or put a cliffhanger so that the reader now feels compelled to go buy the book.
Include the creators?
Yes and No. It really depends. The simple rule is if they will bring more readers (butts in seats is the film term) then mention them. So if we are talking big names, yeah include them. If both writer and artist have worked together on a big project that has received acclaim, yeah mention them, and the project too if you have space. It’s all about selling, so use it if you think it will help.
Practice
The best way to be good at this is to practice and write. It’s a unique skill set that needs to be developed. Get some comics that you own and write some solicitations for them as though they were going into Diamond’s Previews next month.
The following are some real examples of solicitations that I wrote. All these books are in print or in production now.
Pariah, Missouri: Answering The Call #1 (of 6)
Writer: Andres Salazar
Artist: J.L. Pescador and Andres Salazar
Before the American Civil War, s small boom-town has become a haven for the unscrupulous. A Marshal goes missing and the foppish cheat, Hiram Buchanan begins to suspect foul play. Olivia and Mr. Scaramouche, world-traveling actors, arrive in Pariah with a sinister agenda. Can Hiram enlist the help of the locals to uncover the clandestine Crime Syndicate in Pariah, which may be responsible for the missing Marshal?
$2.99|26 pages
Pariah, Missouri: The Promised Land #2 (of 6)
Writer: Andres Salazar
Artist: J.L. Pescador and Andres Salazar
The supernatural saga continues with Hiram and his team confronting “The Doctor” John Watson in a wild wagon chase throughout the town. “The Preacher” Elijah Harris makes his move by purchasing more land surrounding Pariah. Can Hiram defeat Elijah and his legion of fanatic followers? Meanwhile, Cyrus, Virgil, and Julius plan to eliminate Hiram once and for all!
$3.99|32 pages
Calexico #1 (of 6)
Writer: Andres Salazar
Artist: JL Pescador
Andres Salazar and JL Pescador, creators of Pariah, Missouri join forces again to tell this gripping coming-of-age romance story about cousins across the border that fall in love. Sebastian Trevino grew up in Calexico, California on the CA-MX border, his cousin, Caridad Hernandez grew up in Mexicali, MX, on the other side. As teens, they begin to have feelings for one another, but there’s a much bigger secret in the family. At Caridad’s Quinceanera, suspicions of the family’s nefarious activities mount and the cousins might not be as safe as they once thought!
$2.99|26 pages
Centre-Ville #1 (of 5)
Writer: Andres Salazar
Artist: Edu Molina
The world has been shattered. Trapped in the downtown of an Eastern European country, all adult males are gone, and most of the adult women are dying of the disease. Children gather themselves in small tribes and struggle to survive. We follow four children who uncover a mysterious radio signal that broadcasts that Union Station is a safe haven, but to travel those eight miles would mean passing through the D.O.A.s turf. What horrors will they uncover in their journey?
$3.99|26 pages
Mowgli: Master of the Jungle #2 (of 5)
Writer: Andres Salazar
Artist: Jonny Hill
After the death of Mowgli’s son, Mowgli returns to the jungle, only to find that everything has changed. Naga, the great snake has been declared master of the jungle and he is not pleased with Mowgli’s return. Mowgli travels to the Rock of Peace and meets with Hathi and Bagheera is on a quest to find Mowgli before it’s too late. Back in the Village, they send out a search party for Mowgli and find an unexpected ally.
$2.99|26 pages
The Leviathan Project graphic novel
Writer: Andres Salazar
Artist: Rafael Herrera
The year is 2056. Rising out of the ashes of a nuclear war, the survivors have created new societies and governments. Technology has been thrust into a pre-satellite era, with no internet or global telecoms. With limited technology, each of the new world’s governments uses Kaiju, 20-story tall monsters as deterrents for war, but when an “incident” occurs in Egypt, is it a harbinger for another world war? Leviathan Project is a Kaiju-cold-war espionage story set on a global scale. We follow agents across the world seeking the answers to the mystery, where did the Kaiju come from, and are we really in control?
$17.99|120 pages
Pariah, Missouri: Answering The Call #3 (of 6)
Writer: Andres Salazar
Artist: J.L. Pescador and Andres Salazar
Olivia and Mr. Scaramouche’s mission to find the chosen boy, Robin, has been revealed and they perform one last time, and it’s to die for! Hiram, Nellie, and Jean travel to the Kansas forest to enlist the Mexican-Comanche bounty hunter, Toro, but can he be conned like the others, or will it end in blood?
$2.99|26 pages
Pariah, Missouri: Answering The Call #6 (of 6)
Writer: Andres Salazar
Artist: J.L. Pescador and Andres Salazar
The exciting conclusion of the first story arc. Hiram and his ragtag team travel to the schoolhouse for an all-out battle with Olivia and Mr. Scaramouche! Will Cyrus and the members of the Crime Syndicate interfere? Will Marshal Kane find Hiram before it’s too late?
$2.99|26 pages
SteamBear (Adventure Bear Squad book 2)
Writer and Artist: Andres Salazar
What would the world be like without dreams? People wake up tired, cranky and with no motivation. SteamBear gathers the Adventure Bear Squad together to search for the missing dreams, and to do so they must travel through space and time to find them! Follow the Adventure Bears in this educational, fun story as they uncover the mystery of the missing dreams and who or what has them hostage!
$16.99|32 pages hardcover