Firstly, highlighting your success in the book writing world. But maybe it was a little easier and less scary to learn. Look at samples go to amazon and click on the bestsellers in your genre. Your book blurb aka online description, like your dating profile. Its one sentence that defines the story question for your novel. Amazon only displays the first few lines of your product description, which. Traditionally, it would be found on the inside back cover of a hardback. Once your title and cover have drawn the reader in, the blurb is what is going to make the difference between a missed opportunity and a sale. This methodology has remained essentially the same to this day, although the exact process is a trade secret. Unfortunately, while most authors will hire a professional to create their cover, very few hire a professional to write their book description. American heritage dictionary of the english language home, info blurb. Writing a book blurb is harder than you think, and is an excellent way of getting yourself noticed.
Ive had readers tell me blurbs i received from david joy, jerry stahl, and roxane gay made them buy my books. In the modern publishing landscape, where more books are being purchased online than in bricks and mortar stores, you are more likely to. Making the corps is a book that ought to be on the shelf of every american, and particularly on the shelf of every parent who has a child who may one day, for whatever reason, want to measure himself on parris island to see if he has the stuff to be a marine for the rest of his life, even if he only serves one hitch. For obvious reasons, established writers are usually very selective about which novels theyll blurb.
End with a cliffhanger that makes your reader want to learn more. Maybe you took a position in your novel they feel strongly against. A book blurb should be a fair representation of the style of the book. This one line is also for all those family members, friends, and people you meet who ask about your book. Here is nathan bransfords simplified formula for a one sentence pitch. This book explores the meaning of independence, and asks if its really possible. Make a beautiful book or ebook on the go with our mobile app ios only. The hook has one job to give the reader a stake in what comes next. Not only were they helpful, but some broke my blurb line by line. You have one shot at introducing your story to your reader make it count. One of my claims to fame is that i wrote a book cover blurb that appears next to one written by mlb network sportscaster bob costas.
How to write a great ya fantasy or scifi book blurb. How to get incredible endorsements and blurbs for your book. While its true that no one knows your novel better than you, writing a catchy blurb and. I think blurbs for poetry are a kind of vestigial organ for publishers, one of several that dont really fit the economics and aesthetics of the genre. Every single one of my blurbs includes a tag line, nonnegotiable.
Youve snagged a prospective date by your alluring cover, so now youve got to show theres more than just surface appeal. God bless and keep the storytellers, those of the hard narrative line, spinning itself out in page after page of language solid and gamy as flesh. A one line blurb is posted and the players guess the title of the book. I think a sherlock should be given for correct identifications. I had to learn how to do it, because writing one type of copy isnt the same as writing another. Today were going to talk about the onesentence summary, also known as a logline, a hook, or a onesentence pitch. Sep 25, 2016 a simple outline for writing a killer book blurb september 25, 2016 september 25, 2016 kaitlin hillerich in my last post, i mentioned that ive been working on a novella and shared some reasons why you should write one of your own. For it to fit, youll probably have to cut it down by as much as twothirds, depending upon your layout. Forget the book, have you read this irresistible story on blurbs. The odyssey, for one and that puts alboms book in the best of. Sep 12, 2018 how to write a book blurb in 4 steps the opening of your blurb has to be incredibly precise and dynamic, says editor rebecca heyman for a lot of firsttime authors, i think theres an instinct to make sure readers understand everything that happened in the books universe before the beginning of the actual story.
This section features citations for books bearing quotes, or blurbs, from crews. A reader is looking to identify with a central protagonist. But, if you have caught a potential readers attention, the blurb is what will sell your bookand convert readers. How to write a book blurb that sells with examples reedsy blog. Download blurb bookwright, a powerful and free book publishing software anyone can use. While theres no perfect formula for writing the best blurb for your novel, there are some patterns worth noting. Apr 14, 2020 blurbs are quotations of praise that appear on book covers and jackets, in press releases, on author websites, posters, and ads, in social media, and in the unnumbered pages at the beginning of a novel or creative nonfiction book. How to get awesome book cover blurbs build book buzz. A onesentence summary clinic advanced fiction writing. If you dont have a print version of your book and its only sold online, everything in this article about back book blurbs can be applied to your book description in online listings.
Another example is the book tour, which, being so much more expensive, both in a financial and a darwinian sense, has all but disappeared already. Its even for bookstore folks who ask you for your one liner so they can hand sell your book to customers. Im not even sure if blurbs make a difference in sales, but i figured, if i can help. Trust me, ive given that one sentence to a lot more people than i ever sent a query to. How to write a romance blurb blog author rosalind james. Blurb distinct from the back book cover blurb is this 12 line endorsement of a book by a celebrity or another author that sits on the books front cover. I love the two old men at the center of this book, one an indian medicine man. May 28, 2008 in fact, one of his blurbs was even declared best blurb by new york magazine for the only bush i trust is my own, which ames notes, on the title alone, deserved a great blurb. This is definitely a place to put them as well, as they will help land you press.
Consider the blurb, one of the most pervasive, longestrunning and, at. When writing a novel, there are few selling tools as important as a solidly written book blurb. The new york times best sellers may 31, 2020 authoritatively ranked lists of books sold in the united states, sorted by format and genre. Jan 12, 2015 time to expand the concept into a oneline synopsis some people call this tool the logline or the oneliner, and lots of people also call it the premise. Jul 29, 2012 first, publishing is a cruel business. Similarly, condense the plot as much as you can to its feeling, rather than a line by line retelling of action. Here are a couple of examples which im going to steal from my book. The purpose of a book blurb is to create an appropriate reader expectation of the book, as well as to make. May 26, 2017 the weird world of book blurbs by barbara browning. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. Putting blurbs in the book description or the about the book section can add a lot of social proof to the book. Design and publish beautiful photo books, trade books, ebooks, and more. Essentially, your back cover blurb should be a significantly reduced version of your wholesalers blurb. How to write the perfect blurb examples, formula, opening.
This book looks at the thin line between right and wrong. A blurb is a short description of a book that is written for promotional purposes. If they work for some readers, you want to have them. The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should know.
The curious history of book blurbs and why theyre still. A onesentence summary takes your complex book with multiple. Blurbs are a brief description of a book typically found on the back of a book or within the book sleeve of a hardcover book. How to write a killer blurb that convinces readers to buy your book the book.
Get a professionally written book blurb that will sell. Especially for a new author, blurbs are incredibly difficult. To each genre their own, one thing to keep in mind when it comes to writing book. Jul 19, 20 writing a book blurb is a little like online dating, i suppose. An impossible to resist, i want to read more book blurb designed to convert browsers to readers. How to write a book blurb by far, the weakest part of many selfpublished books is the synopsis found on amazon and elsewhere. Perhaps, sometimes, they should be more selective about what they actually write, too. Make sure you have at least one line from each of the 8 parts of the template above, but strip it. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. Answers do not need to be hidden but we could do it that way, if you wish. Coined by gelett burgess 18661951, american humorist. The internet book database of fiction view topic game. However, titles, covers and blurbs play a much larger role in book marketing, so taglines aka straplines or endlines in the uk are rarely discussed.
Generally, 150200 words are more than enough for a full blurb. The first thing any reader should notice in a good blurb is the atmosphere. Regardless of the reason, move on one of the reasons to have more people on the list than you will need make the request. When a reader first comes across your book online, two factors will determine if they pay any attention to it the cover and the book description. A lot of folks say they dont buy books based on blurbs, but i know plenty of people who pay attention to them. I was about halfway through the writing of my book when i was asked to write a blurb for the back cover. Echo the tone of your book in your blurb so readers get a sense of how you write. There are some really good points and some things i would personally change. If you only had 10 seconds to tell potential readers why they should buy. Jan 14, 2014 which means that writing blurbs for my books was a piece of cake, right. This was all the more welcome because the book had been agreed upon so quickly. Your confidential guide to the perfect book blurb standout books. Find out how to write a blurb for your next novel to intrigue and entice your readers. For ebooks, the description is posted on a book s purchasing page, along with the book cover and price.
Most run several paragraphs, but some publishers want them shorter or in a special format so be sure to check with your publishers guidelines before you begin work. The authors that do are usually the successful ones. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and. Lets discuss the onesentence summary, also known as a logline, a hook, or a onesentence pitch. Another place to put them, though only one or possibly two tend to work here.
Since my novels tend to blur the line between fiction and nonfiction, and because real people, including artists and writers, often appear. How to write book blurbs that sell how to write shop. Sell your book in the blurb bookstore, through amazon, or in the global retail network of over 38,000 retailers, libraries, and schools. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a book s contents. Correct id gives one the rightduty to post the next blurb. If you are writing a romance, its best to pick either the hero or heroine for emphasis, and the one you pick is the one who has. About 25 words that capture your novel, memoir, or nonfiction book. These wonderful stories compiled from quora are just one sentence long, but they will fill you with many emotions. In the 1980s, spy ran a regular feature called logrolling in our time which exposed writers who wrote blurbs for one anothers books. When you hear about authors being asked to blurb a book, its this endorsement theyve been asked to provide. Below are the tips that ive gleaned from awesome ya fantasy and scifi book blurbs. The opportunity struck me as a highly significant one here was my chance to sum up the value of the book, in a permanent format.
Theres a secret science to writing the perfect book blurb. Choose from 3 different page layouts, add captions to bring your story to life, and autoflow your images to create an exclusive 5. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. As paperback publishing developed, readers began seeing the blurb appearing on the back cover.
Maybe their next book releases in six months, so theyll be busy marketing their own book at the same time you need a blurb. Worse than the cover, worse than the writing in the book itself, there are a lot of blurbs on amazon that are pretty near atrocious. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and quills. Jan 14, 2019 unless one has personal experience in such undertakings, i suggest leaving blurbs and marketing up to the professionals. Compare yourself to other writers or your book to other books. The blurb of your book is the second thing a potential reader will look at after the coverso take the time to get it right. American heritage dictionary of the english language. Click on the first link on a line below to go directly to a page where blurb is defined. The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should. Print as you go sell one copy at a time and let blurb fulfill the orders or place a large order and sell inperson. I was one of the premise people until i started digging into the tool and saw that a lot of people also use premise synonymously with theme and that the dictionary agrees with them. It took me 14 months to produce what i considered to be a completed, polished manuscript, then submitted it to the acquisition department of five publishers and was accepted by one of them.
Check out our examples of blurbs, and the dos, and donts to help you craft. Sep 20, 2016 a great tagline can help sell books and give readers an idea of what kind of story theyre picking up. How to get great blurbs rocky mountain fiction writers. I was trying to chop down a much longer story blurb and was. Three publishing experts show you how to write a book blurb and. The start of a query, book proposal, or anytime someone asks you, whats your. Soliciting blurbs is part of the publishing process, so much so that editors often expect to see a list of potential blurbers in an authors book proposal. Your book is foremost about one person so that person must be part of the book description. Many authors write the book blurb as an afterthought. Sep 27, 2015 whatever the old adage might warn, there is a bit of merit to judging a book by its cover if only in one respect. Blurb create, print, and sell professionalquality photo. If it hasnt got a tag line, then a blurb is not worthy in my opinion.
So, ok, here are my tips for writing your kickass romance blurb. Blurbs are the second most important selling tool you have for your book, so you want it to grab the readers attention. Every month, 40 good books come out and 37 of them slip into oblivion. Sticking with mark dawsons example, here is part of a blurb from another one of. When opening conflict happens to characters, they must overcome conflict to complete their quest. Lynn serafinn, maed, cpcc is a certified, awardwinning coach, teacher, marketer, social media expert, radio host, speaker and author of the number one bestseller the 7 graces of marketing how to heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell and tweepelicious.