Book summary and author bio on the back of the book. The occult art of the poetry book blurb rachael mead. And its something that in my experience takes some timeas you have to distill quite a few elements to make a sparkling blurb cocktail. 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.
I will explain that i will read a blurb what you usually find on the back cover of a book. A blurb is a short description of a book that is written for promotional purposes. Your confidential guide to the perfect book blurb click to tweet. How to write an effective blurb for a selfpublished book. It is a digital marketing guide of around 100 pages and covers social media, search marketing, email marketing, and other t.
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, short stories, short story, short story collection, short story compilation, writing back cover blurb, writing tips. Back cover copy is sales copy, which means it has to be written with different considerations in mind. How to create a back of the book cover blurb that sells 1. In that sense, a good blurb is anything but subjective. Writing a book blurb is harder than you think, and is an excellent way of getting yourself noticed. How to write a back cover blurb for a nonfiction book. Im often asked to write blurbs for books that i edit or proofread. Think of the first sentence of your book blurb as your pickup line.
Fox emm shares how to write an effective book blurb for your memoir, or any piece of writing. Traditionally, it would be found on the inside back cover of a hardback. In this post, we tell you how to write a book blurb in five easy steps. I will not reveal the title or author but students familiar with the novel should pick up on it. Its hard to condense hundreds of pages into two or three paragraphs. There was a time when those talented, skilled and lucky enough it takes all three to get a book deal with a traditional publisher back when they were just called publishers didnt. How to write a catchy backcover blurb that sells 2020. Not only will it be the second thing a potential reader looks at cover is the first, it is also a way for you to pull them in. 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. How to write a nonfiction book cover blurb that sells. The lesson will start with me reading a blurb from the hunger games by suzanne collins. The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should. They might flip to the back of your book or to the dust jacket and read the blurb. How to deconstruct back cover copy to write your own blurb.
But, if you have caught a potential readers attention, the blurb is what will sell your bookand convert readers. If you are a novelist, your back cover should provide a short summary of what your book is about. We get to be splashy, to the point, mysterious and brief. Posted in resources essential guides, links for writers, selling your book. You factor in how much you are paying to produce one copy of your book, add in what your profit would be per unit, and there you have your retail price. There is a big difference between writing a cover blurb for a novel and writing one for nonfiction. The blurb is not meant to be a summary of the book.
Write a book blurb ghostwriting content writing book. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. If youre looking for great nonfiction book blurb examples, youve come to the right place. You have one shot at introducing your story to your reader make it count. Blurb create, print, and sell professionalquality photo. In james scott bells book marketing for writers who hate marketing, i found the best method for me to create a book cover blurb or copy bell says to write three sentences. Ideally, you should put the 150 word blurb on the back cover and the 250 300 word description in the amazon book description field. How to write a back cover blurb with examples book editing. Great ideas to write a blurb that works for your book. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples. The blurbs also known as back cover blurb, back cover copy, and sales copy are highly condensed, specialized content that tells the reader about the story without spoiling the story. Your aim is to make a potential reader want to know more. It uses twilight as an example, but dont hold that against me. 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.
On back covers of books there is usually a summary which attempts to get the reader interested. Hi, i need a native content writer to write a short back blurb for an ebook. Many authors write the book blurb as an afterthought. It must be new, clever and engagingnot that line weve all heard a million times before. 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. Link and close the minilesson by saying, readers, the blurb on the back is such a great place to get information and a overview of the characters and issues in your book. Writing your back cover blurb dorrance publishing company. The book blurb is one of the most difficult aspects to write, as many authors struggle to find the words to succinctly tease the story without it reading like a summary. Find a blurb book creator for hire, outsource your book blurb writing project and get it quickly delivered remotely.
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. In the first sentence were to give a characters name, his vocation, and the storys opening situation. If youd like for me to read the entire book instead of just. The blurb that appears on the back cover of your book, and on your amazon page, will either. All you have to do is provide me with some information and i will write one undeniably catchy blurb. Analysis of back cover books blurbs in english lecturer. Your blurb will be an important part of your marketing. The blurb on the back of the book says that it will touch your heart. Sell one copy at a time and let blurb fulfill the orders or place a large order and sell inperson. New authors sometimes rush this decision, writing the first. As a poetry reader, i know both the power of a good blurb and the equally potent effect of a good name on the back of a book. Ten things you need to know about writing your book blurb whitefox. The key with fiction is to excite and engage your reader. 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.
Blurbs are a brief description of a book typically found on the back of a book or within the. Start with the average book price in your genre and subtract the cost to produce one copy of your book. First things first, the blurb is not a synopsis of the book, but the blurb has. Knowing the bestselling blurb writing formulas is a seductive super power that can super charge your sales, bring you more fans and popularity and grow your platform as an expert. How to write book descriptions for fiction sheridan, kat on. Lets look at how to make your nonfiction cover blurb sell your book.
Something, ironically, every author i know hates writing. So youve written your book, youve chosen your title and cover design, and youre breathing a sigh of relief. Chances are, you will write a better book if you let the blurb guide you. Writing the book blurb an analysis posted on june 11, 2014 by cara bristol. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells kindlepreneur.
In this article, youll find out why blurbs are critical to the success of your book sales and youll learn how to craft the perfect blurb. To write a good blurb, you have to make it short and exciting, yet relevant. As paperback publishing developed, readers began seeing the blurb appearing on the back cover. Grade 5 lesson on blurbsadapt by using whatever book. It is time for you to go to your just right reading spot and independently read. How to sell your manuscript to publishers and your. Sell your book in the blurb bookstore, through amazon, or in the global retail network of over 38,000 retailers, libraries, and schools. It can be a daunting task, so heres pins giving you a step by step approach for creating your fiction or nonfiction book blurb. At the end well deconstruct blurb examples for books in seven bestselling nonfiction categories on amazon. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. Its briefno more than 100150 wordsand creates interest in the story without giving away major spoilers or the ending. Im taking the blurb of my novel reprobate as an example on how write a pitch. Writing a book blurb for your back cover, and other promotional uses, is one of the hardest steps for many authors. Even though you dont have to write a lot, each word is vital.
That too is the power of the bestselling book blurb formulas. Book blurbs are an oftoverlooked part of a writers marketing planafter. Creating a book blurb, while still technically writing, is closer to a science than an art. How to write an irresistible book blurb in 5 easy steps. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The summary goes over all the plot points and the main character arcthats not what you want for the back of your book. 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.
If you enjoy writing your own blurbs but think there is room for improvement, our blurb analysis is what can take you to the next level. How to sell your manuscript to publishers and your indie book to readers writers craft 19 kindle edition by hall, rayne. Blurbs are the second most important selling tool you have for your book, so. You pick up a book because the cover or title looks interesting. How to price your book pricing books to sell blurb blog. Back cover copy is the blurb on the back of a book. Now you have to decide what goes on the back cover. But often, writing a blurba summary for a bookbecomes an anxious time for a writer. In todays guest post, editor jessi rita hoffman explains how to craft professional and compelling backcover copy. Generally, 150200 words are more than enough for a full blurb. Work by convincing readers to take a chance on it, or. Paratextual traces the blurb, back cover, inside cover, notes and title are part of the marketing process.
Basically, the name of the game with a blurb is to entice readers to buy your book. Its safe to say that a wellwritten blurb is absolutely essential to your poetry books overall success and reputation. Fifth grade lesson the blurb on the back betterlesson. Ive been writing back cover copy since i was an advertising copywriter at little, brown in the 60s. The publishers blurb refers to this book as an existential crime novel. What most of us mean when we refer to blurb is the text on the back of a book that summarises your story. You provide one of your existing blurbs, and julie will analyze it and provide a very detailed often line by line breakdown of what youre doing right or wrong, and how you can improve. Blurb writing authorprep professionally written blurbs. Many writers find writing book blurbs really difficult.
A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and. 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. Explanations and back book cover examples for both fiction and nonfiction. In all honesty, writing a blurb for the back cover should be the fun part of creating a novel. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. In publishing parlance this has its own special term backcover copy, and. This short video is brought to you by publishnation. When writing a novel, there are few selling tools as important as a solidly written book blurb. Make sure you supply me with a general synopsis as well.
Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and. Learn the words you need to communicate with confidence. Improve your vocabulary with english vocabulary in use from cambridge. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading writing book blurbs and synopses. Its worth noting that the abna award asks for a 300 word pitch, which makes it a more elaborate book blurb. The difficulty with writing a pitch is that most novelist have trouble figuring out how to sell their book. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more blurb blog. Steps to writing your own back book blurb and back cover.
This article is about a short summary of a piece of work. How to write a book blurb by far, the weakest part of many selfpublished books is the synopsis found on amazon and elsewhere. Your opening sentence is entirely up to you, of course. Learn how to write a back book cover blurb that not only intrigues readers but gets them to buy. Once your title and cover have drawn the reader in, the blurb is what is going to make the difference between a missed opportunity and a sale. An easytofollow, practical guide to writing the best blurb to sell your selfpublished book, provided by ya author sarah juckes of completelynovel. From cambridge english corpus the contributions encapsulate the enormous diversity in this field, and thus the book does indeed provide essential knowledge about the study of language variation and change cover blurb. Your book blurb must be wellwritten to get a readers attention. Blurb definition in the cambridge english dictionary. Write a catchy poetry book blurb by authoreva fiverr. Ive also got an example spreadsheet for you to use.
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