Writing awesome book blurbs a modern indie authors guide kindle edition by terra, evo, moriarty, jeff, conlin, karen. Vintage romantic tales of fright, i struggle with writing back cover copy, also known as, the blurb. Blurb provide multiple options for creating books, allowing you to use either their booksmart software, webbased bookify, a plugin for adobe indesign, or you can do your own thing. How to create a back of the book cover blurb that sells. Your book blurb aka online description, like your dating profile. Its the perennial question of whether the blurbs on book covers are still meaningful or have become just background noise.
Youve written your book, but now you have to publish it and kdp has a box that you dread. New authors sometimes rush this decision, writing the first. While many authors refer to their books description as their blurb, the established publishing industry uses book blurb when referring to a book testimonial or endorsement from someone who influences target. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. 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. A good blurb should also give readers a feel for the main character or main characters. At its core, novels are a storytelling medium, and that means your blurb has to be. Writing a book blurb is harder than you think, and is an excellent way of getting yourself noticed. Try not to mention more than two characters names, and promise your audience a read they. If you are a novelist, your back cover should provide a short summary of what your book is about.
Either the name or the title must be recognizable to the. Jul 14, 2016 a simple guide to writing the blurb of a book. If youve ever bought a book on impulse, it was probably due at least in part to the blurb on the back or the sales copy on the website. And by def mentor or red foment, i mean, of course, fred. The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should know. Thanks to dale ward and the rest of the tech guys at the seminary for making the video. The selfpublishing manual is the first book i recommend to new publishers. The hook is the first sentence or two of a book blurb, and it should immediately stand out and grab the readers attention. I wanted to print a photo book with blurb for a long time, and finally ordered my first blurb photo book in june 2014.
Back up, move, transfer, or share your booksmart books. Writing a short book blurb is not only fun, but great practice for writing promotional copy of any kind. Poor customer service and a complete waste of money. How to get awesome book cover blurbs posted on february 26, 2020 by sandra beckwith 21 comments affiliate disclosure. 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. Back up, move, transfer, or share your booksmart books help.
A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a books contents. This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, i will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Youve snagged a prospective date by your alluring cover, so now youve got to show theres more than just surface appeal. Whats the difference between book blurb and synopsis. Blurb are a wellrenowned printondemand company, and they offer numerous book printing options, with a variety of paper types, book bindings and other options. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a book s contents. Forget the book, have you read this irresistible story on. What is the summary written on the cover at the back of a book called. Blurb test book paper comparison film photography blog. You can also use this backup if you want to work on your book on a different computer, or share your book with a coauthor. When i was looking to get blurbs for my first book, i had asked, lets say, twenty people, ten agreed, and out of those ten, only about five of them were able to actually deliver the blurbs in a timely mannerthat could be though because we were on a time crunch and i didnt start soon enough. I didnt have enough confidence to place a bulk order so wanted an option that would allow me to print in batches to meet demand as it came in.
I have been a long time user but they are unable to print photo books true to the original images. What should be included in the back of the book blurb. Therefore, your first instinct is probably to make it dazzling. 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. Consider the blurb, one of the most pervasive, longestrunning and, at. Your blurb will be an important part of your marketing. Jan nathan, executive director, publishers marketing association.
But the real secret to a great blurb is to know your audience. The girl in the jitterbug dress volume 1 the girl in the jitterbug dress hops the atlantic volume 2 ghostoria. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading writing awesome book blurbs a modern indie authors guide. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. Your book blurb must be wellwritten to get a readers attention. Blurbs are the second most important selling tool you have for your book, so.
How to write an irresistible book blurb in 5 easy steps. Blurb blurb is a creative platform and community that enables and encourages people to make books of the things they love. If you only had 10 seconds to tell potential readers why they should buy. The occult art of the poetry book blurb rachael mead. Back up, move, transfer, or share your booksmart books its always a good idea to create a backup file of the book project youve been working hard on. Youll also find some useful links to websites with further information. They are not stored on blurb s site until you upload them for ordering.
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. For ebooks, the description is posted on a book s purchasing page, along with the book cover and price. Oct, 2014 they say you cant judge a book by its cover, thats true, but remember a book s cover includes the stuff on the back. Blurb definition in the cambridge english dictionary. Print as you go sell one copy at a time and let blurb fulfill the orders or place a large order and sell inperson. Blurbs are those few paragraphs that tell you what the books about and give you a compelling reason to buy. Blurbs are a brief description of a book typically found on the back of a book or within the book sleeve of a hardcover book. Fantasy book blurbs summary or tease, which do you. As it happens i could have got a much bigger discount by printing 100 and it turns out that i am selling well over 100 so lesson learned for next time. That stuff, also known as a blurb, typically goes a long way in determining a potential readers likelihood of purchasing and reading your book.
Now you have to decide what goes on the back cover. Nov 19, 2015 early blurbs can be key, but you need to remember that its a numbers game. The blurb or synopsis is meant to take those additional precious few seconds that your front cover earned you and hook the. Traditionally, it would be found on the inside back cover of a. Absolutely disgusted in blurb, problem after problem, no phone number to call and waiting days on end for a reply from customer service. Summary and synopsis are also used but, in my experience, are used only in formal. A blurb is a short description of a book that is written for promotional purposes. Jul 19, 20 writing a book blurb is a little like online dating, i suppose. But, if you have caught a potential readers attention, the blurb is what will sell your bookand convert readers. A blurb is the back cover teaser that lures a reader or an agenteditor into wanting to buyread your book. All books are stored locally on the computer you originally used to create the book. 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. Many authors write the book blurb as an afterthought. 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.
Bookwright from blurb, i made 5 identical books, differing only in their paper type, and of course their cover title to differentiate them easily. Its so tempting to think if everyone is doing x and i do y, then ill stand out from the crowd. Nov 18, 2016 im a published novelist, and i participate in several writing groups and online communities. Copywriting is a completely different skillset to creating fiction, and im here to help you get that blurb in tiptop shape. Blurb is a bookmaking platform and creative community that enables individuals to create, publish, share, and sell highquality photo books, trade books. Writers use the term blurb to describe the text on the back of the book. What is the summary written on the cover at the back of a. I chose blurb to print my self published photo book. To find your book on the computer you created it with, open booksmart on that computer and you should see your book in the list under open a book or open book project. This article gives you simple steps to follow to write a book blurb, and gives examples of both fiction and nonfiction back cover blurbs. When you hear about authors being asked to blurb a book, its this endorsement theyve been asked to provide. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more.
Aug, 2015 in todays guest post, editor jessi rita hoffman explains how to craft professional and compelling backcover copy. Forget the book, have you read this irresistible story on blurbs. A book blurb should be a fair representation of the style of the book. A 1920s time travel murder mystery paranormal romance. Chuck arand from concordia seminary for making time to talk about my book. How to write a catchy backcover blurb that sells 2020. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. Your blurb can usually be used as your pitch in your query letter or when you are doing an actual facetoface pitch session with an agenteditor. Sep 27, 2015 whatever the old adage might warn, there is a bit of merit to judging a book by its cover if only in one respect. Blurb is a basic service useable for basic book printing. How to build the back of a book cover with template. A futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control. Here are some of the reasons you might need to write a book blurb.
The book blurb s main purpose is to lure readers in and captivate them enough to buy the book. You have one shot at introducing your story to your reader make it count. Their technical staff is obtuse and they use a biased color profile. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. But fear not, because theres a secret science to writing the perfect book blurb. A book blurb also called a backcover blurb or a book description is a short description of the books main character and conflict, usually. Thanks also to rod horton for reading robert frosts poem birches at our bible study that morning. So youve written your book, youve chosen your title and cover design, and youre breathing a sigh of relief. To write a good blurb, you have to make it short and exciting, yet relevant. The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells kindlepreneur. It uses twilight as an example, but dont hold that against me. The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should know them the perfect pickup line.
How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more blurb blog. 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. Each testimonial must be signed with a name and a title. Malcolm gladwell hands out book blurbs like santa does. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and. The blurb or synopsis is meant to take those additional precious few seconds that your front cover earned you and. Sell your book in the blurb bookstore, through amazon, or in the global retail network of over 38,000 retailers, libraries, and schools. How to get awesome book cover blurbs build book buzz. Writing awesome book blurbs a modern indie authors guide. The blurb should tie the endorsers background to the book. That pictureperfect initial encounter, gentle music is playing in the background, your date. Of course if the bookauthor is an international bestseller. Put simply, being concise is hard, and being concise about something you know insideandout can seem downright impossible. 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.
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