How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. You must make your selfdescription blurb as interesting as possible. The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should know. 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. Many authors find that one of the hardest parts of writing a book, is cramming their 80,000word novel into a descriptive 250word blurb. 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. She is a soulan alien creature that attaches to a host body, and lives out.
The last step is to upload your book to blurb so that we can print it or create a digital version for you. To help prevent you from falling into this unfortunate group, weve put together a few tips that should help you write a winning book blurb, whether its for the latest fantasy novel or for a nonfiction selfhelp guide. A blurb is a brief summary of your life and work experience. Its about insert 12 sentence synopsis of your book here. Each blurb includes keywords pertinent to your book to hook both the reader and search engines. Bookwright features videos, instructions, and tips built right into the application so youll have everything you need right at your fingertips. Movies do this incredibly well in their trailers and descriptions, so it may be an idea to look at some popular movies and see how they do it. Your blurb will be an important part of your marketing. We supply you with a catchy 150200 word count blurb and an accompanying tagline optional. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a book s contents. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. Please type your blurb in ms or open office word, print it, and bring it to class on thursday.
A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a books contents. The special dust jacket was only used for five hundred copies of the book at a trade association dinner. If she ever writes it, it will be just to get more money from the movie deals she will get. 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. Here are some of the reasons you might need to write a book blurb. Work by convincing readers to take a chance on it, or. 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. You want to try to attract the attention of your future employer. Pop over to one of the webs many airbnb hostcentric message boards and youll find that many, if not most, experienced hosts not only. Writing a book blurb is harder than you think, and is an excellent way of getting yourself noticed. How to write a blurb to sell your book writing tips pen. Blurb create, print, and sell professionalquality photo. Oct 04, 20 an easytofollow, practical guide to writing the best blurb to sell your selfpublished book, provided by ya author sarah juckes of completelynovel.
Being able to write a good blurb for your book is an important skill to have, whether its for your website, a query to an editor or agent, or for your selfpublishing book. Blurb writing is not my forte, but this book offered a clear insight and some useful steps that i was able to work with to produce a good pass at my first blurb. As the book continued, it almost felt as if it were written by two people. I refuse to read this because its written by youknowwho. You should have the following goals and ideas in mind. Reviewing our example will help you write your own book cover quote requestbut dont copy this sample letter word for word.
The blurb that appears on the back cover of your book, and on your amazon page, will either. Choose your marketing package promoting your book starts with choosing your package. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. As with other books i have enjoyed in the past i felt bereaved when it ended and needed a few days to mourn before i could even think about reading a new book. When an unseen enemy threatens mankind by taking over their bodies and erasing their memories, melanie stryder will risk everything to protect the people she cares most about jared, ian, her brother jamie and her uncle jeb, proving that love can conquer all in a.
The poem, by may swenson, is titled question, and ties into the idea of the minds reliance on the existence of the body, just as melanie experiences when inhabited by wanderer. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and quills. See more ideas about writing, writing a book, nonfiction books. The word blurb first appeared on a dust jacket in 1907 for gelett burgess book, are you a bromide. How to write an effective blurb for a selfpublished book. Earth has been invaded by a peaceful species that take over the. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and. It has since been honed to within an inch of its life and i am really pleased with the result.
A book blurb should be a fair representation of the style of the book. Mar 18, 2012 these may be used for an interview, a book jacket, or even an event program in which you are a presenter. It can be a daunting task, so heres pins giving you a step by step approach for creating your fiction or nonfiction book blurb. Reference your bookwriting or professional status, if it relates to your book. How to get book blurbs, endorsements, and testimonials. Your book blurb must be wellwritten to get a readers attention.
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. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. Youve written your book, but now you have to publish it and kdp has a box that you dread. Apart form hosting book tours, we can also do various other services to help you with the promotion of your book such as writing press releases, setting up a newsletter for your blog, managing your social media, arrange publicity services for your book and more. It is fair to say that with the host, her latest novel, she has once again managed to break the usual genre conventions this time writing a science fiction novel for. Pure textuality pr now offers blurb writing services for authors. Ive used them as an author and as a tour host and you wont find a better organised site. Dan poynter, known as the godfather of selfpublishing and author of the selfpublishing manual, the selfpublishing encyclopedia, is there a book inside you.
A sample letter for writers requesting a book endorsement. Before writing your back book blurb, choose 35 of the bestselling books in your genre and make a note of stylistic similarities. It seems a simple enough task to write a paragraph about oneself, and simpler still for a real writer. The blurb should be in the same style as the rest of the book, for example. Gladwell came under fire in 2012 for writing a blurb for his friend jonah lehrer, another new yorker writer, who was accused of fabricating quotes attributed to the singer bob dylan in his. At the time of writing this isnt the final version of the blurb as the book is currently going through its final polishing stages with the publisher, so we will probably end up with something that looks considerably slicker than this. Then, write 12 additional sentences that explain the plot of the story in a general way. Blurbs are the second most important selling tool you have for your book, so. Its safe to say that a wellwritten blurb is absolutely essential to your poetry books overall success and reputation.
Why is writing a book blurb harder than writing an actual. How to get book blurbs, endorsements, and testimonials from. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. From my initial list, this is what i came up with for the blurb of portergirl sinister dexter, the third book in my series. How to sell your manuscript to publishers and your indie book to readers writers craft 19 kindle edition by hall, rayne. Jun 12, 2015 the back cover book blurb can be the hardest part as an author condensing your book into a few, short paragraphs in a way that makes your book impossible to overlook. Whether you call it cover copy, jacket copy, flap copy, book description, promotional copy, or a blurb, those words are one of the most potent tools in an authors marketing arsenal. This is a good spot for you to proofread your book page by page. Creating a book blurb, while still technically writing, is closer to a science than an art. The character development and plot, as others have mentioned, do move slowly at first. Also, just to note, this book should have come out last year, and it still doesnt have a a proper blurb, b a cover, or c a reliable author. Jun 11, 20 the blurb is the short description on the back of the book. Writing a short book blurb is not only fun, but great practice for writing promotional copy of any kind. Nov 15, 2019 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.
Then ensure you incorporate them into your back book jacket blurb. Yet, simple though it seems, many writers have difficulty writing a bio blurb that does not have the side effect of producing heavy. The book is about earth, in a post apocalyptic time, being invaded by a parasitic alien race, known as souls, and follows one souls predicament when the consciousness of her human host refuses to give up her body. We get so caught up in delivering an enthralling story or a big idea. Enchanted book promotions are one of the hardest working blog tour sites out there. Like meyers other books, the host includes a poem at the beginning of the novel. Make sure you supply me with a general synopsis as well. Reading how stephanie accidentally fell in to writing this book goes so well with the story.
Niccol was hired to write the screenplay and to direct the film. I want to show you how to write an irresistible book blurb to sell your book. The host stands on its own two feet as a wonderful book with a strong story. The host is stephenie meyers first nontwilight saga publication. How to write book descriptions for fiction will teach you how to write powerful product descriptions that will. Ill probably be 30 by the time this book finally gets written. They give more than enough time to their tour hosts to prepare and they gently prod them if the post isnt forthcoming. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the. Reading how stephanie accidentally fell in to writing this book goes so well with. Im a huge fan of stephenie meyer, shes one of the authors that made me want to start writing, but i couldnt possibly be as skilled of a writer than she is.
In this post, we tell you how to write a book blurb in five easy steps. So there are 1,000 photos id have to skim through while also looking back at my blog posts to see which photos go to which post. The host is a science fiction romance novel by stephenie meyer. 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. Writing it out fortunately for the fiction writers out there, writing a book blurb for a memoir is incredibly similar to writing a description for a fictional story. Malcolm gladwell hands out book blurbs like santa does. Its safe to say that a wellwritten blurb is absolutely essential to your poetry book s overall success and reputation. Jan 18, 2016 pop over to one of the webs many airbnb hostcentric message boards and youll find that many, if not most, experienced hosts not only wont negotiate on price, but also wont book guests. Fail to engage your target readers in that sense, a good blurb is anything but subjective. The host is probably one of my favorite films, i absolutely love max irons, i think hes gorgeous, and while i was watching the film, i also couldnt help but admire the actor who played ian.
An easytofollow, practical guide to writing the best blurb to sell your selfpublished book, provided by ya author sarah juckes of completelynovel. How to write a blurb to sell your book writing tips. You must make your selfdescription blurb as interesting. All you have to do is provide me with some information and i will write one undeniably catchy blurb. To write a good blurb, you have to make it short and exciting, yet relevant. In addition to its unique themes, it is also extremely wellwritten. You can follow any responses to this entry through the rss 2. The story was cleverly told, weaving multiple plot lines together seamlessly. Oct 28, 2009 a blurb is a brief summary of your life and work experience. Introduce the situation and characters in the case of a memoir, you are likely to be the main character. Before you write a letter to an author requesting a quote, endorsement, or blurb for your book, take a look at our sample letter shown below.
The book will be published in insert timeline when you plan to publish your book so i would need your blurb before insert blurb delivery deadline date in order to put it on the back cover. The blurb is the short description on the back of the book. Here is an example of a shout line, taken from one of my own books. Im writing to ask if you would like to write a brief blurb for my new book book title. These may be used for an interview, a book jacket, or even an event program in which you are a presenter. Writing a book blurb for your back cover, and other promotional uses, is one of the hardest steps for many authors. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading writing book blurbs and synopses. Blurb nouna short description written to promote a book, film, or other product. The host by stephenie meyer takes place in the united states in the distant. Wednesday, 28th of october write your own selfintroduction blurb. The whole process with blurb has been super easy, putting the book together using the bookwright app was really simple. Jan 21, 2018 from my initial list, this is what i came up with for the blurb of portergirl sinister dexter, the third book in my series. Sell your book in the blurb bookstore, through amazon, or in the global retail network of over 38,000 retailers, libraries, and schools. I picked up and put down the book several times waiting for it to really get going.
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