Every book needs a blurb. But what is a blurb? It's a 150-200 word tease of your book. Blurbs can also be quotes from other authors or review agencies used to tease your book.
What do you use a blurb for?
Mostly, they're used for the back cover tease of your book, but it could be used in other places as well. You can use them on your web site and promotional material.
Some places I think blurbs would be effective:
Amazon.com Review of the item
B&N Review of the item
Good Reads
Where can you get blurbs?
Well, you can solict from review agencies like Reader Views, ForeWord Magazine, Kirkus, and of course, other authors in the genre you're writing about.
An example of a quote blurb - "A thrilling mystery," SG Cardin, author of "The Wolf's Torment."
When you tackle the 150-200 word blurb think of these elements:
Set the mood, scene, or conflict.
Try to convey what makes your book unique.
Use question marks to intrigue the reader
More action verbs, less adverbs
REMEMBER - Blurbs are not summaries - tease, tease, & tease.
The first time you put the blurb together may not be your best effort. Rewrite, edit, & rewrite. Very few get the blurb right the first time they draft it.
So here's a "blurb" proposed for my novel, "The Wolf's Torment." I'd love to hear your thoughts. Does this tease you? Intrigue you? Or make you snooze.... Be honest.
******
Moldavia – dark, mysterious, a country steeped in mythical legends of vampires, werewolves, and witches. For Crown Prince Mihai, he is indoctrinated to the brutal truth when he witnesses the brutal slaying of his mother by a witch.
Wanting to control his own destiny, Mihai goes to England for a modern education intent on modernizing the country, but when his father recalls him to Moldavia for his royal duties, his life takes a stunning turn he’s been trying to avoid when his best friend, Viktor, is bitten by a werewolf.
Driven by demons Viktor cannot control, he struggles to maintain his humanity, yet his actions threaten to dismantle Moldavia and Mihai’s life.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Sounds like the perfect blurb for the book! It's amazing how much time you can spend writing and rewriting those 200 words.
ReplyDeleteDitto, Loraine! You could spend a day on it!
ReplyDeleteI love the tease part of the blurb. Poor Mihai. I want to see him triumph!
ReplyDelete