diff --git a/hledger-chart/hledger-chart.cabal b/hledger-chart/hledger-chart.cabal
index ef49ea285..fd6f96ed1 100644
--- a/hledger-chart/hledger-chart.cabal
+++ b/hledger-chart/hledger-chart.cabal
@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 name:           hledger-chart
 version: 0.14
 category:       Finance
-synopsis:       A hledger add-on command to generate pie charts.
-description:    This generates simple pie chart images showing relative account balances.
+synopsis:       A pie chart generator for the hledger accounting tool.
+description:
+                hledger is a haskell port and friendly fork of John Wiegley's ledger accounting tool.
+                This package generates simple pie chart graphics showing relative account balances.
+
 license:        GPL
 license-file:   LICENSE
 author:         Simon Michael <simon@joyful.com>
diff --git a/hledger-lib/hledger-lib.cabal b/hledger-lib/hledger-lib.cabal
index 717a17d98..06ec919a6 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/hledger-lib.cabal
+++ b/hledger-lib/hledger-lib.cabal
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 name:           hledger-lib
 version: 0.14
 category:       Finance
-synopsis:       Core types and utilities for working with hledger (or c++ ledger) data.
+synopsis:       Reusable types and utilities for the hledger accounting tool and financial apps in general.
 description:
-                This is the reusable core of the hledger financial app; use it to
-                build hledger and c++-ledger compatible finance tools.
+                hledger is a haskell port and friendly fork of John Wiegley's ledger accounting tool.
+                This package provides core data types, parsers and utilities used by the hledger tools.
+                It also aims to be a useful library for building h/ledger-compatible tools or unrelated financial apps in haskell.
 
 license:        GPL
 license-file:   LICENSE
diff --git a/hledger-vty/hledger-vty.cabal b/hledger-vty/hledger-vty.cabal
index d3afdcec4..37ad80d7c 100644
--- a/hledger-vty/hledger-vty.cabal
+++ b/hledger-vty/hledger-vty.cabal
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 name:           hledger-vty
 version: 0.14
 category:       Finance
-synopsis:       A hledger add-on command providing a full-window console interface.
+synopsis:       A curses-style interface for the hledger accounting tool.
 description:    
-    A hledger add-on command providing a full-window console interface.
+                hledger is a haskell port and friendly fork of John Wiegley's ledger accounting tool.
+                This package provides a simple curses-style console interface as an alternative to the hledger command line interface.
+
 license:        GPL
 license-file:   LICENSE
 author:         Simon Michael <simon@joyful.com>
diff --git a/hledger-web/hledger-web.cabal b/hledger-web/hledger-web.cabal
index aa13da708..ba2565914 100644
--- a/hledger-web/hledger-web.cabal
+++ b/hledger-web/hledger-web.cabal
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 name:           hledger-web
 version: 0.14
 category:       Finance
-synopsis:       A hledger add-on command providing a web interface.
+synopsis:       A web interface for the hledger accounting tool.
 description:    
-    A hledger add-on command providing a web interface.
+                hledger is a haskell port and friendly fork of John Wiegley's ledger accounting tool.
+                This package provides a web interface as an alternative to the hledger command line interface.
+
 license:        GPL
 license-file:   LICENSE
 author:         Simon Michael <simon@joyful.com>
diff --git a/hledger/hledger.cabal b/hledger/hledger.cabal
index 41ba52e79..9e3b9f7ac 100644
--- a/hledger/hledger.cabal
+++ b/hledger/hledger.cabal
@@ -1,15 +1,15 @@
 name:           hledger
 version: 0.14
 category:       Finance
-synopsis:       A command-line double-entry accounting tool.
+synopsis:       A robust command-line accounting tool with a simple human-editable data format, similar to ledger.
 description:
-                hledger reads a plain text general journal or time log
-                describing your transactions and displays precise
-                balance and register reports on the console.
-                It is a remix, in haskell, of John Wiegley's excellent c++
-                ledger.  hledger aims to be a practical, accessible tool
-                for end users and a useful library for finance-minded
-                haskell programmers.
+                hledger is a haskell port and friendly fork of John Wiegley's ledger accounting tool.
+                This package provides the main hledger command-line tool; see the other hledger-* packages for web and curses interfaces and chart generation.
+                .
+                hledger aims to be a reliable, practical financial reporting tool for day-to-day use, and also a useful library for building financial apps in haskell.
+                Given a plain text file describing transactions, of money or any other commodity, hledger will print the chart of accounts, account balances, or transactions you're interested in.
+                It can also help you add transactions to the journal file, or convert CSV data from your bank.
+                It is easy to script and integrate with other systems.
 
 license:        GPL
 license-file:   LICENSE