Tips for writing book blurbs

How to write an irresistible book blurb in 5 easy steps. After all, youve written an entire book on this subject, why is it so difficult to come up with a blurb. Lets look at a few bestselling blurbs and see what we can learn from their successes. Aug 16, 2018 i know you are here for some great and truly easy to use tips on how to write book blurbs that sell, but first, an admission i have a degree in advertising. The blurb should include any information that represents the. Includes advice on keywords and tips for testing your. Your blurb will be an important part of your marketing. Here are some of the basic rules i follow, but of course its all up to your own style. The other part is the right tone funny, serious, suspenseful. Others dont know how to use html or how to chunk the information visually so it becomes easily digestible on a computer screen. A blurb also referred to as a synopsis or a glossary is the summary of the story found on the back cover of a book. But i did find a number of blurbs that were incredibly compelling, and i analyzed what was working in these cases.

Read their blurbs and select some of the ones that got you. Jan 17, 2020 writing book descriptions and blurbs is one of the most frustrating parts of being an author, so heres 5 things that have personally helped me write better blurbs. Writing a short book blurb is not only fun, but great practice for writing promotional copy of any kind. For writing and marketing tips consider subscribing to my. While theres no perfect formula for writing the best blurb for your novel, there are some patterns worth noting. Many authors write the book blurb as an afterthought. We hope you like these tips for writing a great blurb. Once youve taken in all of the above and gotten a feel for the promise you want to make to the reader, use the outlines below to write your book cover blurb. How to sell your manuscript to publishers and your indie book to readers writers craft 19 kindle edition by hall, rayne. One key part of the process of writing and publishing an academic book is the blurb the text on the back of a books cover that tells you what the book is about. Top tips on writing a book blurb that really sells they say not to judge a book by its cover but lets be honest, we all do exactly that.

Keywords and key phrases that indicate to your ideal readers this book has what they are looking for. For this reason some people find blurbs difficult, even distasteful to write. Some conquer their fear and get better at writing them over time, while others will go to their graves despising those twotofour paragraph summaries of their books. With thousands of books published every day, you need to capture attention quickly and make sure they have enough information within a few seconds to want to buy your book. Here are the five s to remember when writing a blurb. Before you begin writing your blurb, do some research. The content and style vary depending on the type of book youre describing. This article gives you simple steps to follow to write a book blurb, and gives examples of both fiction and nonfiction back cover blurbs.

Considering theres no rulebook to follow, writers are often confused about how to request and obtain blurbs. The cover and blurb are crucial in drawing in potential readers, sparking their interest and, in many cases, can be. The first step to writing a blurb is to read as many as possible, to get an idea of the style and format of a good blurb. In a nonfiction book, you are selling your knowledge, your writing, and yourself, so if the blurb doesnt represent the typical language you use in your book, the reader will feel a disconnect. Six tips on how to write book blurbs that sell your book. Below are the tips that ive gleaned from awesome ya fantasy and scifi book blurbs. How to write a blurb to sell your book writing tips.

Try not to mention more than two characters names, and promise your audience a read they wont forget. How long did it take you to write the blurb of your book. Thanks for all your help kate, its really appreciated. Introduce your main character s at its core, novels are a storytelling medium. How to write good blurbs and back pages for your book. Here are some tips on how to write a fiction book blurb that sells. Back cover blurbs for books tips for wrting blurbs that. Echo the tone of your book in your blurb so readers get a sense of how you write. Compare yourself to other writers or your book to other books. Im sure you love writing blurbs book descriptions for your novels. Many writers find writing book blurbs really difficult.

Writing a killer blurb for your book writers hustle. There are many ways that readers are encouraged to pick up a book in a bookshop or library, or to purchase a book online. The book blurb s main purpose is to lure readers in and captivate them enough to buy the book. The space on the back cover of a book for blurbs, which are brief promotional paragraphs, is one of the more valuable spots for book promotion.

Check out our examples of blurbs, and the dos, and donts to help you craft the best blurb. Writing the blurb for your selfpublished book is one of the privileges of being an indie author. The five s of blurb writing check these 5 awesome tips. Writing book blurbs and synopses will become a goto tool for any author, newly published or an old hand, as a means for helping you develop your own techniques for blurbs and synopses. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.

Find out how to write a blurb for your next novel to intrigue and entice your readers. In this post, we tell you how to write a book blurb in five easy steps. A few tips came to mind as we emailed back and forth, so i thought. What advice do you have for writers who are in the process of writing theirs.

A book blurb should be a fair representation of the style of the book. 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. This website and its content is subject to our terms and conditions. If your blurb is for a novel, it should promise a good read. How to write book blurbs that sell how to write shop. How to write a book blurb by far, the weakest part of many selfpublished books is the synopsis found on amazon and elsewhere. Jan 14, 2014 but i did find a number of blurbs that were incredibly compelling, and i analyzed what was working in these cases. Usually about a week but that is working on it for around an hour to get the main things down.

But im here to make it easier with these simple tips. Your blurb should tease the main conflict and encourage readers to feel concerned for your characters, but dont go too far and include any big spoilers. Recently several friends and i helped each other out with a couple book blurbs in preparation for a contest. To write a good blurb, you have to make it short and exciting, yet relevant. In this article you will learn the basic structure of blurbs as done by pros as well as some dos and donts. Yours is fantastic, and thanks to your expertise youve helped me craft an enticing pitch. I worked for multiple newspapers helping small business owners develop ads and advertising campaigns. Blurbs are short descriptions that promote things such as movies, books, or other projects. But there are a few tricks to making your blurb a successful part of your book s marketing. I usually start a blurb by asking myself what the reader has to know right away that will hook them. Ill admit im weirdi love writing blurbs and have gotten pretty good at them. Set the tone and mood for both your book s genre and your reader.

May 02, 2015 top tips on writing a book blurb that really sells nicholas c. When writing a novel, there are few selling tools as important as a solidly written book blurb. But it is the single most important piece of writing you will do on your book. How to write a great ya fantasy or scifi book blurb. Here are some tips on what you can do to boost a books sales with its blurb. Read their blurbs and select some of the ones that got you really. 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.

Tes global ltd is registered in england company no 02017289 with its registered office. Firstly, highlighting your success in the bookwriting world. I will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase through these links. When youre refining your books blurb, there is a lot you can learn from guides and expert advice. Do remember to refer to as many books as you can to find and write your perfect blurb. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. I let it sit for a few days to a couple of weeks, then go back to it to distill it down. After helping dozens of selfpublished authors produce stellar book blurbs for their novels, ive compiled a set of seven simple tips for writing a. After writing and polishing an entire book, many authors are surprised when they become stuck when trying to write blurbs. Pick up popular books in your books genre or category, and read the blurb to see how it managed to captivate readers into buying the book. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells kindlepreneur. The blurb is the text on the back of a book s cover which tells you what the book is about. Here are the top ten tips we believe to be the most essential to crafting a book description that sells. How are you supposed to condense an entire novel into a few lines or paragraphs.

Then ensure you incorporate them into your back book jacket blurb. Once you have gained a potential readers interest and created intrigue, end with a cliffhangeryou are inviting the reader to find out more. To each genre their own, one thing to keep in mind when it comes to writing book. If your blurb is for nonfiction or selfhelp, it should appeal to the readers selfinterest. I hope this helps you when you begin writing sales copy for your book. I end the blurb with questions the reader is probably asking themselves and wants to know more and will hopefully buy the book. Twelve top tips for writing an academic book blurb helen. Three publishing experts show you how to write a book blurb and optimize it for amazon. To each genre their own, one thing to keep in mind when it comes to writing book blurbs.

I go with my gut on blurbs because most of what i want from a blurb are the big, fat emotions the stuff that slaps the reader in the face. Its a different animal from a synopsis, but it helps me lock in the feel and voice of the characters. Top tips on writing a book blurb that really sells. How to write the perfect blurb examples, formula, opening.

But there are a few tricks to making your blurb a successful part of your books marketing. Youll notice that book blurbs tend to use emotive words. Getting a feel for different types of blurbs can give you inspiration to write yours. Download our free ebook for some examples of blurbs written for bestselling books. If youre wondering how to do that and where to start, it involves penning multiple drafts, lots of cutting, losing your sanity, and planning your blurb with the help of these steps. The blurb is often referred to as a synopsis or simply book description. 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 book s universe before the beginning of the actual story. I was about halfway through the writing of my book when i was asked to write a blurb for the back cover. The five s of blurb writing check these 5 awesome tips editage. Blurbs are short descriptions that promote things such as movies, books, or other.

But it can also be challengingits completely different than writing a book or synopsis. But, in our opinion, there are few better ways to figure out how to do something than by seeing how the professionals do it. Jan 20, 2016 how to write an irresistible book synopsis vivien reis. Add extra mystery and hints about the outcome by using a cliffhanger or. One key part of the process of writing and publishing an academic book is the blurb the text on the back of a book s cover that tells you what the book is about.

If youre funny in your story, try and bottle a little. Writing a book blurb is harder than you think, and is an excellent way of getting yourself noticed. Look at samples go to amazon and click on the bestsellers in your genre. Then, write 12 additional sentences that explain the plot of the story in a general way. You never know which reader, in which part of the world, will lay their hands on your book. How to write a catchy backcover blurb that sells 2020. Keeping in mind the vast readership that your book will target, it is always best to keep your blurb as simple as possible. Jul 11, 2017 tips on how to write a good book blurb. However, this task typically comes just when youre at your least able.

Your book blurb must be wellwritten to get a readers attention. Dec 04, 2019 book blurbs are an oftoverlooked part of a writers marketing planafter youve spent so much time writing a new book, it can feel understandably overwhelming to write even morebut these blurbs are actually a crucial part of book sales, and they can be what turns a littleknown novel into a bestseller. Learn how to write a back book cover blurb that not only intrigues readers but gets them to buy. But, if you have caught a potential readers attention, the blurb is what will sell your bookand convert readers. Every author has dreaded writing a book blurb at one time or another. They are looking for a quick summary of the book and dont want to spend too much time reading long drawn out descriptions. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and. This is because writers dont really understand what a blurb is meant to do. I usually start a blurb by asking myself what the reader has to know right away that will hook. Tips on how to write a good book blurb by author tina. Now, keywords can sound scary, but you see them all the time. Your support encourages me to continue blogging and help with the costs of hosting this site.

When you need to write a blurb for a movie, book, or other project, start by writing a clever and catchy hook that introduces some of the characters and setting of the topic. How to write an irresistible book synopsis youtube. Other than the cover, it is the other most important selling feature of a book. Youve gotten feedback from beta readers, and had your book professionally edited and proofread. In other words whether its fiction or nonfiction it should answer the question. Jan 14, 2019 how long did it take you to write the blurb of your book. So here are my five tips for writing compelling copy to grab any readers attention. I procrastinate on blurbs more than on anything else in my fiction last week we discussed blurb writing at our writers group, and came up with some great tips. Besides, you have loads to offer, and writing like yourself will only make your words more authentic and impactful. A book blurb, or the book jacket description, summarizes the best part of your book in only 150 words yep.

While many selfpublished authors feel confident with writing book blurbs, many others find it challenging to distil the thoughts and language of their book into marketing copy. Whereas novels and memoirs, usually geared toward adults, can interest a wide range of readers, childrens books have to focus on specific topics. In simple terms, a blurb is the short yet descriptive account of the book that goes on the back cover. Here are five great tips for writing book blurbs that sell. I have seen nonfiction blurbs that are more about the author than the content of the book and i have seen fiction blurbs that are a synopsis of the story and even tell the reader the ending. The hook for your book blurb though should be a bit, well more hooky. This article has helpful approaches to writing back cover blurbs. How to write a blurb for your nonfiction book blurb blog. I have shared some nice tips on i have shared some nice tips on. Here are a few tips for crafting killer blurbs that will capture attention and sell more books. They assure readers that someone is vouching for the quality of the book, even if only in the form of a snappy oneliner on its cover. While this may seem difficult to craft, in this feature originally published on her website dr helen kara shares twelve top tips for writing an irresistible blurb.

If a book looks attractive and interesting, a customer will pick it. Before writing your back book blurb, choose 35 of the bestselling books in your genre and make a note of stylistic similarities. I often write the blurb at an early stage of a book. How to write a blurb to sell your book writing tips pen. So if you are going to write a book blurb, you should know what you are doing.

Twelve top tips for writing an academic book blurb lse. Now go try your hand at writing book blurbs using these tips. Hopefully both my blurbs and shout lines tell the potential reader something about the book and make them want to find out more. Keep your target audience in mind when writing your blurb. Here are a few writing tips to help you craft a great blurb. Shoutlines are that bit of bolded text at the start of a blurb or between. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more blurb blog.