Opens your eyes, touches your heart, and is so engaging it almost turns. When a reader first comes across your book online, two factors will determine if they pay any. A new company recently emerged on the publishing scene, offering writers the chance to buy and sell book endorsements. Poor customer service and a complete waste of money. Sep 15, 2017 do celebrity book blurbs blackmail readers. How to write a blurb for your nonfiction book blurb blog.
Oct 16, 2014 writing the blurb for your selfpublished book is one of the privileges of being an indie author. Blurb, back cover copy, jacket copy, or promotional copy whatever you call it, a great book description is your second best marketing tool your cover is number one. An easytofollow, practical guide to writing the best blurb to sell your selfpublished book, provided by ya author sarah juckes of completelynovel. We tell you, in detail, what a synopsis is and how to write a very good one. Blurbs are short descriptions that promote things such as movies, books, or other projects. Jun 01, 2015 the occult art of the poetry book blurb on taking up writing it had not once occurred to me that one of the tasks of being a writer might be to come up with those concise, quippy phrases on the covers of books. Jul 19, 20 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. 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. Gill lewis childrens author, vet, wildlife enthusiast. A few months ago i received an email from a reader who said she enjoyed my books but would no longer read them because i had endorsed a book with a scene that was very difficult to read because of the extent and type of violence involved. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more.
Some writers love to write the blurb, and some cant stand this step in the publishing process. If you love stories about wild animals this book is something you must. Get access to exclusive email offers when you join the blurb bookmaking community. Recurring character series central group of characters premiseplot series setting series combination of these list your series ties will frequently help you figure out what needs to be included in the series blurb. Firstly, highlighting your success in the book writing world. It should outline your plot in neutral nonsalesy language and demonstrate a clear story arc.
A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a book s contents. Oh, and by the way, many publishing houses have the author write the blurb. Writing a short book blurb is not only fun, but great practice for writing promotional copy of any kind. The writing is very vivid, like poetry and you will want to read these bits. When you approach literary agents, you will need to present them with a submission package that includes a query letter, a sample of your manuscript and, of course, a synopsis. How to upgrade your existing photo book to a layflat book. Can i use a photo, poem or other material i found on the internet. How to write a great ya fantasy or scifi book blurb. I agree with erin moures stance on this, which is that it is important to welcome a new author into the book world. When writing a novel, there are few selling tools as important as a solidly written book blurb. No matter if you love it or hate it, the blurb is one of the key elements which helps sell your book to new readers. This is because writers dont really understand what a blurb is meant to do. Series and story blurb development series blurb step 1. Change book title, subtitle, author name, or description on blurb.
Remember, your story blurb should fit the genre and tone of the story, and it should be short enough to be memorable but detailed enough to capture interest. It needs to hook the reader and make them want to go on the journey with your characters. It starts with a meeting between three boys who seem, at first, to be quite irritating and childish, especially rob who is a bit of a showoff, and iona, a girl who has returned to the village to live with her grandfather who is almost an outcast in the village. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. How to write a great ya fantasy or scifi book blurb posted on january 14, 2014 by conjurors its ironic, after writing thousands of words to create your novel, that a 100200 word blurb pitching your baby to potential readers could completely stump you.
Keep tweaking your story blurb until its intriguing again, by using a question or exclamation to end the blurb, or by ending it with ellipses. The editorcopywriter producing the blurb will be an experienced professional with many years of experience in editing and the writing skill to put together good copy for your work or an experienced copy writer. How to write an effective blurb for a selfpublished book. He meets a girl called iona mcnair who shows him her biggest secret. The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should. As a writer requesting blurbs, lalami says the idea is to find an. Our copywriter is an awardwinning magazine writer, copywriter, author, and copy editor. The howto of writing the perfect blurb for your book or novel is a cocktail of creating suspense while revealing the main characters or conflict. Therefore you want to create the best blurb you can. Writing the blurb for your selfpublished book is one of the privileges of being an indie author.
Australian writers tell the truth about perinatal anxiety and depression in poetry. The blurber would not be able to blurb the book after all. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a books contents. Chose from several free tools or use adobe indesign or adobe lightroom. Blurb blurb is a creative platform and community that enables and encourages people to make books of the things they love. Are you an author who dislikes or dreads trying to write back cover blurbs for your stories, or have you started one and want. Feb 22, 2016 hopefully, the potential reader takes that allimportant next step and reads the back blurb or online description. Many writers find writing book blurbs really difficult. Aug 12, 2016 some writers love to write the blurb, and some cant stand this step in the publishing process. However, there are a few things i wish i had known before undertaking this project, as it would have saved me some time and effort. The occult art of the poetry book blurb rachael mead. I dont care much for writing them either though occasionally do. The world of ideas for exploring gill lewiss novel with pupils in years 5, 6, 7 and 8 p5, p6 and s1. Create, print, and sell professionalquality photo books, magazines, trade books, and ebooks with blurb.
Here are a few of the things i learnt from my experiences in preparing my first photo book using blurbs booksmart software. Aug 17, 2008 a new company recently emerged on the publishing scene, offering writers the chance to buy and sell book endorsements. One blurb, two blurb, three blurb, thirty blurbs poetry. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. Writing a short book blurb writing4success help for writers. Get a professionally written book blurb that will sell more books. Compare yourself to other writers or your book to other books. The blurb should include any information that represents the.
How to write the perfect blurb examples, formula, opening. So, for me, a blurb is for first books and its use is. A synopsis is a 500800 word summary of your book that forms part of your agent submission pack. 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.
How to write a novel synopsis with an example jericho writers. The benefits of a professionally written book blurb. Before jumping into the blurb, a lot of authors count on the sentence trio to create impact and generate interest for their target readers. If someone could take one thing from this book, i hope it. So, for me, a blurb is for first books and its use is to place the book in context.
The occult art of the poetry book blurb on taking up writing it had not once occurred to me that one of the tasks of being a writer might be to come. After contacting several other authors that no longer use blurb. 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. Whether its your first or twentieth book, enticing a reader to buy your book relies on an eyecatching cover image as well as an intriguing blurb. Writing a book blurb for your back cover, and other promotional uses, is one of the hardest steps for many authors.
No two writers would write a book the same way, and i have no idea what makes my readers like what they like. Chuck arand from concordia seminary for making time to talk about my book. Lets give you some guidance about what makes a good blurb, and a great one. In this post, three publishing editors have shared their secret behind writing the best blurb for your novel. The writer reported enjoying the book up to a point, but beyond that point, not so much. Blurb is a bookmaking platform and creative community that enables individuals to create, publish, share, and sell highquality photo books, trade books. Youll also find some useful links to websites with further information. We deliver three different lengths of blurbs for one price. Have you ever read a blurb that tells you the entire plot of the novel and you have put. Dec 21, 2014 gill lewis, sky hawk i really enjoyed reading this book.
Get a professionally written book blurb that will sell. 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. Then, write 12 additional sentences that explain the. While theres no perfect formula for writing the best blurb for your novel, there are some patterns worth noting. Aimed at selfpublished authors, blurbings llc traffics in blurbs, the. Absolutely disgusted in blurb, problem after problem, no phone number to call and waiting days on end for a reply from customer service. Put simply, being concise is hard, and being concise about something you know insideandout can seem downright impossible. Then, write 12 additional sentences that explain the plot of the story in a general way. How to write a book blurb is rather straightforward, but the process can be infuriating due to the emotional connection to your own work that often makes it hard to boil the story down to essentials. The curious history of book blurbs and why theyre still around. All i can do is read the book and see if i like it.
We are very happy with the resulting book from our recent experience with blurb. Writers often err on the side of length when trying to fit so many details in, but punctuation can indeed shake things up and keep readers on their toes and wanting more as opposed to slogging through marathonlength sentences. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. It has since been honed to within an inch of its life and i am really pleased with the result. In simple terms, a blurb is the short yet descriptive account of the book that goes on the back cover. I am not a fan of the blurb in general, other than for first books. Writing a book blurb is harder than you think, and is an excellent way of getting yourself noticed. This article gives you simple steps to follow to write a book blurb, and gives examples of both fiction and nonfiction back cover blurbs. You have one shot at introducing your story to your reader make it count. Do you write your own, or get someone else to do it.
It starts with a meeting between three boys who seem, at first, to be quite irritating and childish, especially rob who is a bit of a showoff, and iona, a girl who has returned to the village to live with her. The five s of blurb writing check these 5 awesome tips editage. But fear not, because theres a secret science to writing the perfect book blurb. The fee for the blurb writing service is calculated in relation to the length of the manuscript. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. Sometimes it can feel like writing the book is the easy part. If youve just written a selfhelp book that focuses on time management and ways to be more efficient, youll want to look at similar books. How to sell your manuscript to publishers and your indie book to readers writers craft 19 kindle edition by hall, rayne. 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 wanted to print a photo book with blurb for a long time, and finally ordered my first blurb photo book in june 2014. Every major plot twist, character, and any big turning point or climatic scene should get a mention. Fiction or nonfiction basic blurb cover copyproduct description for fiction or nonfiction extended product description. 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. Gill lewis, sky hawk i really enjoyed reading this book.
Lynn serafinn book blurb writing service overview of full package for print books see option 1 at bottom of page 1 onehour skype session write wholesaler copy write backcover copy write short author bio write 1page media kit copy editing, proofing and formatting of above. Blurb writer creates book descriptions, author bios, and other short promo for indie authors, selfpublished authors, small press publishers, or anyone else who needs. Stephen king, novelist the idea that a writer can bring his core audience into the tent with a blurb. Writers are supposed to pay uncle sam taxes i thought, but not with blurb. 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. 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. I thought id resolved the issue and my book was reprinted however soon receiving it they had sent our yet another version that wasnt correct. Creating a blurb book with photos from flickr tips for your class project. 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. However, this task typically comes just when youre at your least able. A book blurb should be a fair representation of the style of the book. Many authors write the book blurb as an afterthought.
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