How to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples. 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. This article gives you simple steps to follow to write a book blurb, and gives examples of both fiction and nonfiction back cover blurbs. Automate data classification to support data privacy regulations. Share your backcover blurb creative writing forums.
Change book title, subtitle, author name, or description on blurb. Get help with writing questions by emailing the gorman writing program. For novels, like the biography blurb, dont include one on or in your book if you dont honestly feel that it is going to help build your brand. Plainville public schools 68 messenger street plainville ma 02762. How to ask for a book blurb bittersweet book launch.
The story is about african americans working in white households in jackson, mississippi, during the early 1960s a usa today article called it one of the summer sleeper hits. Your blurb will be an important part of your marketing. A new company recently emerged on the publishing scene, offering writers the chance to buy and sell book endorsements. Many dust jacket blurbs are written by the author, but there are some that are not. This handy book is a tool that will help you draw in readers and one you will want to keep nearby when you are ready to promote your latest work. Write down what, specifically, you loved about the book, what spoke to you, and, if you know your own project well, how your book and theirs intersect. Post your blurb, help other authors improve theirs, andor give feedback about whether or not others blurbs would. Forget the book, have you read this irresistible story on. 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.
Youve snagged a prospective date by your alluring cover, so now youve got to show theres more than just surface appeal. Sep 06, 20 read the books you know or want your book to be compared to. 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. How to write an effective blurb for a selfpublished book. 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. Writing a book blurb is harder than you think, and is an excellent way of getting yourself noticed. The help is set in the early 1960s in jackson, mississippi, and told primarily from the firstperson perspectives of three women. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. Your confidential guide to the perfect book blurb click to tweet.
Blurbs are the second most important selling tool you have for your book, so. Six writers tell all about covers and blurbs the awl. Three aspects of a book make the greatest first impression on potential readers. If the cover art does its job well, it will portray the tone and genre of the book accurately and help it stand out from its competition on the bookshelf. Blurb definition in the cambridge english dictionary. Whats the difference between bookwright and booksmart. As youre reading, take notes on key information, such as the names of the main characters, personality quirks of these characters, the setting, key plot twists.
Aibileen clark, minny jackson, and eugenia skeeter phelan. Apr 04, 2011 three aspects of a book make the greatest first impression on potential readers. Writing awesome book blurbs a modern indie authors guide. Oct 16, 2014 most nonfiction books should consider having one to make you a real person to the reader. Your book blurb aka online description, like your dating profile. Some are put together by the marketing team, publishing company, and editor. It uses twilight as an example, but dont hold that against me. Writing awesome book blurbs a modern indie authors guide kindle edition by terra, evo, moriarty, jeff, conlin, karen.
Popular great blurbs books meet your next favorite book. Book summary the help, kathryn stocketts debut novel, tells the story of black maids working in white southern homes in the early 1960s in jackson, mississippi, and of miss eugenia skeeter phelan, a 22yearold graduate from ole miss, who returns to her familys cotton plantation, longleaf, to find that her beloved maid and nanny. This is because writers dont really understand what a blurb is meant to do. This specificity is important, because you wont just be writing a fan letter when you ask for a blurb. Print as you go sell one copy at a time and let blurb fulfill the orders or place a large order and sell inperson. When you hear about authors being asked to blurb a book, its this endorsement theyve been asked to provide. 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.
Sell your book in the blurb bookstore, through amazon, or in the global retail network of over 38,000 retailers, libraries, and schools. Chuck arand from concordia seminary for making time to talk about my book. By day, clumsy panda po works faithfully in his familys noodle shop, but by night he dreams of becoming a true master of the martial arts. The key with fiction is to excite and engage your reader. 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. Forget the book, have you read this irresistible story on blurbs. The help is a 2009 novel by american author kathryn stockett. Students will decide which type of book report they would like to do. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading writing awesome book blurbs a modern indie authors guide. Copywriting is a completely different skillset to creating fiction, and im here to help you get that blurb in tiptop shape, whether youve already published and want to straighten out your catalogue, or youd like to get it pitchperfect before you publish for the first time. Thanks also to rod horton for reading robert frosts. It is a great way to promote the love of reading in your classroom.
Summarizing your story in a way that piques the readers interest without spoiling the plot is mad difficult. Whatever the old adage might warn, there is a bit of merit to judging a book by its cover if only in one respect. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a books contents. Here are some of the reasons you might need to write a book 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.
Blog to book eventually settles into the standard blurb bookmaking software routine, where you can move content, swap around images, play with facing pages, choose numerous layout and text combinations, etc. Use it for a mission vision statement or add a tagline. Youll also find some useful links to websites with further information. Thanks to dale ward and the rest of the tech guys at the seminary for making the video. 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. May 31, 20 since i wrote my tried it tuesday post early, i would like to begin this post by mentioning the tragic events in oklahoma. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should. A useful worksheet to help your children understand book blurbs and help them write their own. Make this space your own by placing text in this area. This is more than acceptable, and a very easy give for most people. In closing, he stresses how important the blurb is if you want to successfully market your book.
Writing a short book blurb is not only fun, but great practice for writing promotional copy of any kind. But fear not, because theres a secret science to writing the perfect book blurb. An easytofollow, practical guide to writing the best blurb to sell your selfpublished book, provided by ya author sarah juckes of completelynovel. If the cover art does its job well, it will portray the tone and genre of the book accurately and.
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. The help, kathryn stockett the help is a 2009 novel by american author kathryn stockett. Writing a book blurb is a little like online dating, i suppose. Read the books you know or want your book to be compared to. 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. Aimed at selfpublished authors, blurbings llc traffics in blurbs, the. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others.
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. To write a good blurb, you have to make it short and exciting, yet relevant. Most nonfiction books should consider having one to make you a real person to the reader. Your book blurb must be wellwritten to get a readers attention. Inspired by this thread and this thread, i thought it might be nice to make a space for workshopping backcoveramazon blurbs. Consider the blurb, one of the most pervasive, longestrunning and, at. Jul 05, 2011 blog to book eventually settles into the standard blurb bookmaking software routine, where you can move content, swap around images, play with facing pages, choose numerous layout and text combinations, etc. Blurb blurb is a creative platform and community that enables and encourages people to make books of the things they love. This is designed for middle school students to share a book they have read with the class.
A book blurb should be a fair representation of the style of the book. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Successfully launching my third book, our earth, our species, our selves. For more on writing a great book blurb, check out the 5 core elements of a book blurb, or for more help with your books exterior try get your book cover right or lose sales. How to referencecite the blurb of a book, not having a. Put simply, being concise is hard, and being concise about something you know insideandout can seem downright impossible. Writing a book blurb for your back cover, and other promotional uses, is one of the hardest steps for many authors. Students will decide which type of book report they. Thanks also to rod horton for reading robert frosts poem birches at our bible study that morning. 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 self help guide. Most people dont have the time to read your book and carefully consider a blurb, but they dont feel comfortable blurbing something they havent read.
How to get incredible blurbs for your book the writing. 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. When you buy a swatch kit, your confirmation email will include a discount code equal in value to the price of. In this post, we tell you how to write a book blurb in five easy steps. Blurb is a bookmaking platform and creative community that enables individuals to create, publish, share, and sell highquality photo books, trade books. Brooks posted on march 19, 20 december 6, 2014 categories staff articles tags bios for authors, example of a bad biography, good bio, how to write a bio blurb, how to write a biography, how to write a good bio blurb, tips for authors, tools for authors, writing a biography 30 comments on lets talk about me. I wanted to print a photo book with blurb for a long time, and finally ordered my first blurb photo book in june 2014. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a book s contents. Many writers find writing book blurbs really difficult. Stephen king, novelist the idea that a writer can bring his core audience into the tent with a blurb. Interesting, ive never heard of someone citing the blurb.