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. Play with adjectives, phrases, and literary devices. After a blurb applied the high praise of the new york times vincent canby for ingmar bergman to his 1971 stinker, the touch, canby fought back. The back label has a little blurb about the winery and its philosophy.
Just as the title says, the author, quentin cope, provides one hundred and one examples of both the short blurb and the single sentence for a variety of topics. Youve finished writing your book, its edited, designed and is just about ready to go to press. A blurb is the description of the story found on the back cover of a book. The blurb for the online product description or on the back of a paperback is one of the most important pieces of text you will write, and will be redrafted and. Even though the back cover is just a list of quotes inside panel has the actual blurb, the potential reader still gets almost all of the pertinent information. Put simply, being concise is hard, and being concise about something. One way to write this primary reason is to present it as a question. I have been asked to blurb it, and i am recommending it now to all of you. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more blurb blog.
All you have to do is provide me with some information and i will write one undeniably. 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 awesome book cover blurbs build book buzz. But fear not, because theres a secret science to writing the perfect book blurb.
Dec 23, 2015 for some reason, book covers get all the attention, and blurbs less so. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples. Total the number of words from all the blurbs and divide by 10. Your back of the book blurb is the second thing a potential buyer looks at after your front cover. Put the bulleted list in the middle of the copy you write for your back cover. When youre setting up your book for sale on amazon or some other outlet, one of the tasks will be to enter a description of the book. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. Jan nathan, executive director, publishers marketing association one essential ingredient to our chicken soup success was consulting with dan poynter in the early stages. Even the patron saint of teenage girls, judy blume, is featured on the back. The blurb is your sales pitch, printed on the back of.
How to write a book blurb trish nicholsons words in the treehouse. If you want to learn how to write a book description that captivates readers and. So getting back to my use of the word relationship you get a blurb for a book of poetry by asking poets that you know and respect to read the proofs of your manuscript and write something. Dont worry, in this article, well walk you through the important points to keep in mind while writing your book s blurb, as well as give you a simple blurb template that sells and some bestseller examples for different genres.
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. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dust. Jun 01, 2015 so getting back to my use of the word relationship you get a blurb for a book of poetry by asking poets that you know and respect to read the proofs of your manuscript and write something complimentary about it, along the lines of what they think your poetry is trying to say and how brilliantly youve said it. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. They are used before gradable adjectives indicating degrees on a scale. Jun 30, 2014 when youre setting up your book for sale on amazon or some other outlet, one of the tasks will be to enter a description of the book. Your book blurb must be wellwritten to get a readers attention. Writing a short book blurb is not only fun, but great practice for writing promotional copy of any kind.
Jan 14, 2019 the blurb is a promotional description, found on the back of the book. Its hard to come up with adjectives to describe the writing of the author that are fresh, adequately descriptive. When you hear about authors being asked to blurb a book, its this endorsement theyve been asked to provide. A blurb is a short description of a book that is written for promotional purposes. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and quills. Purchase a swatch kit that contains samples of all the different blurb papers with photos and text printed on them. Above the list, speak directly to the readers, and give them the primary reason why they should read your book. The blurb is your sales pitch, printed on the back of your book or quoted on its sales page online. 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 book s front cover. Avoid too much hype and elaborate awesome adjectives because people. Youll also find some useful links to websites with further information.
Feb 10, 2016 how to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples. It should introduce your main characters, give an insight on conflict, depict genre and arouse interest. Blurbs are the second most important selling tool you have for your book, so. Speaking both as a reader and a writer, for me a good back cover blurb includes. If its a novel, you must include the storys most engaging plot points. However, many self published authors treat it like the hellstrip in front of their house between the. Its safe to say that a wellwritten blurb is absolutely essential to your poetry books overall success and reputation. Popular adjectives books meet your next favorite book. Put simply, being concise is hard, and being concise about something you know insideandout can seem downright impossible. All of the words like terrifying and menacing let you. Sep 14, 2015 the next thing you do is read the back blurb, or if you are online, you read the first excerpt which is usually the same thing. Your blurb will be an important part of your marketing.
How to write an amazon book description that sells selling books is a result of two factors. Apr 5, 2017 learn how to write a back book cover blurb that not only intrigues readers but gets them to buy. However, titles, covers and blurbs play a much larger role in book marketing, so taglines. This is where you put the promotional copy for your book, and the writing of this small block of text is one that many writers find difficult. Youre setting the expectation for the book in the blurb, so make sure that your themes, ideas, and issues match. The back cover of your book is prime real estate for promoting your book. Generally, 150200 words are more than enough for a full blurb. Youre going to be actually reading the book, not looking at an image, so a dull blurb says way more about a book than a bad cover. Synonyms for blurb include ad, advertisement, announcement, brief, bumf, commendation, description, details, gloss and info. Add comments for more like this author, back cover blurb, back cover copy, book, collection, compilation novel, how to write, novel, selfpublishing back cover blurb, selfpublishing compilation.
In this post, we tell you how to write a book blurb in five easy steps. Back book blurb back cover how to write blurb book writing tips author self. Nov 23, 2015 write a short summary of what your book is about. We dont offer free books or free paper samples but you can view our paper and book customization options by doing one of the following. Keep in mind at all times the blurb is what sells the book, so. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. How to write a book blurb trish nicholsons words in the. This should be broader in scope than the reasons you put in your bulleted list. 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. How is it that a writer can write a story spanning tens of thousands of words but stumble at a 250300 word book blurb describing it. After the cover, the blurb is the next chance of grabbing the readers attention. Oct 16, 2014 writing the blurb for your selfpublished book is one of the privileges of being an indie author. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. Or even examples of blurbs that do anything but entice the reader.
Have questions about book editing, blurbs, or something else. When i talk about establishing an atmosphere for a novel with a blurb, this is what i. For a nonfiction book, authors should make a bullet point list of the books main features and actually put that list on the back cover. The occult art of the poetry book blurb rachael mead. In addition to the example provided in lesson one of a wellwritten book blurb, im including a few examples from bestselling memoirs which have their blurbs perfected. Jan nathan, executive director, publishers marketing association one essential. A great tagline can help sell books and give readers an idea of what kind of story theyre picking up. As paperback publishing developed, readers began seeing the blurb appearing on the back cover. All of the words like terrifying and menacing let you know exactly what kind of thriller this is. The blurb for the online product description or on the back of a paperback is one of the most important pieces of text you will write, and will be redrafted and polished many times before you get it right. However, many self published authors treat it like the hellstrip in front of their house between the sidewalk and a busy street. 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 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should know. While the amazon book description wont affect traffic i. Mar 12, 1993 after a blurb applied the high praise of the new york times vincent canby for ingmar bergman to his 1971 stinker, the touch, canby fought back. An interesting aspect of back cover book blurbs is the kind of linguistic features.
The highly selective dictionary of golden adjectives. This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, i will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. This article gives you simple steps to follow to write a book blurb, and gives examples of both fiction and. Its briefno more than 100150 wordsand creates interest in the story without giving away major spoilers or the ending. Be wary of paying high fees for someone to write your book blurb. Here is an example of a back cover description from my first childrens chapter book. Most run several paragraphs, but some publishers want them shorter or in a special format so be sure.
This is the first book i recommend to new publishers. This article gives you simple steps to follow to write a book blurb, and gives examples of both fiction and nonfiction back cover blurbs. The blurb about a new book, film, or exhibition is information about it that is written. When writing a novel, there are few selling tools as important as a solidly written book blurb. The blurb for the online product description or on the back of a paperback. Blurb definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Use strong adjectives and make the reader want to get to know the character in more detail.
How to create a back book cover blurb that sells writing. While its still advisable to heed your english teachers advice on most other matters, the highly selective dictionary of golden adjectives for the extraordinarily literate proves that breaking certain rules can. Its the second most important thing, after the cover, when it comes to selling your book. Aug, 2015 put the bulleted list in the middle of the copy you write for your back cover. How to write a book blurb by far, the weakest part of many selfpublished books is the synopsis found on amazon and elsewhere.
Blurbs from the back cover of the selfpublishing manual. Traditionally, it would be found on the inside back cover of a hardback. Analysis of back cover books blurbs in english lecturer. To write a good blurb, you have to make it short and exciting, yet relevant. Oct 21, 2019 sample books and paper samples we dont offer free books or free paper samples but you can view our paper and book customization options by doing one of the following. Do you have any favourite examples, either for your own books or those of other authors. I am the first person in my family to attend college, i was on the deans list all four years of college, i triple majored with two minors, etc. He strongly suggests we read the blurbs of other authors to get a feel for what we want to say. Basically, the name of the game with a blurb is to entice readers to buy your book. The blurb is your sales pitch, printed on the back of your book or.
When you hear about authors being asked to blurb a. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells with images. The last words that you write for your book will be the first that your audience reads. Its hard to come up with adjectives to describe the writing of the. This is where you put the promotional copy for your. Its briefno more than 100150 wordsand creates interest in the story without giving away. Descriptive words like that arent necessary, i would say, but as a reader i like knowing a little bit about the experience i will have reading the book. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and. Vintage romantic tales of fright, i struggle with writing back cover copy, also known as, the blurb. And this is why it can be quite difficult to write a good blurb. How to write a book description that attracts readers. In addition to the example provided in lesson one of a wellwritten book blurb, im including a.
Even the patron saint of teenage girls, judy blume, is featured on the back cover with a blurb for the book. Worse than the cover, worse than the writing in the book itself, there are a lot. Writing a book description that sells jessica davidson. It has to be almost an exaggeration of your story that entices the reader to buy, or at least download a sample to their kindle or ipad. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a book s contents. Here is an example of backcover copy for loving legit, a novel by my. How to get awesome book cover blurbs posted on february 26, 2020 by sandra beckwith 21 comments affiliate disclosure. Do you have any favourite examples, either for your own books or those of. It uses twilight as an example, but dont hold that against me.