Writing a back of the book blurb definition

A short summary of a book published on its back cover. The list of sources used in researching a book or article. Fox emm shares how to write an effective book blurb for your memoir, or any piece of writing. How to write a blurb, back cover copy or sales description for your book that converts im working through the material for my next course, guerrilla publishing, but this part is too important not to share. Jan 10, 2012 blurb, meaning words of praise on the back of a book, is a pathetic word that quickly devolves into an almost existential meaninglessness, not a shout into the void but a soft round brick shoring up nothingness. If its your first time writing a book blurb and youre still wondering how to do it, the best way to learn is to read examples. For example, if youve written a nonfiction selfhelp book and the back blurb. But, if you have caught a potential readers attention, the blurb is what will sell your bookand convert readers. The blurb that appears on the back cover of your book, and on your amazon page, will either.

Improve your vocabulary with english vocabulary in use from cambridge. Jan 14, 2019 the blurb is a promotional description, found on the back of the book. Blurbs are a brief description of a book typically found on the back of a book or within the book sleeve of a. It should introduce your main characters, give an insight on conflict, depict genre and arouse interest. Examples of blurbs to share in your primary classroom.

How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more blurb. How to title your book and its description are two we have covered, but possibly the very best way to do this other than a good book cover is through the use of blurbs. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells kindlepreneur. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more blurb blog.

Sep 12, 2018 creating a book blurb, while still technically writing, is closer to a science than an art. The parts of a book and the elements of content the balance. The five s of blurb writing check these 5 awesome tips editage. A blurb is the description of the story found on the back cover of a book. The short story genre is well suited to experimentation in prose writing style and form, but most short story authors still work to create a distinct mood using classic literary devices point of view, imagery, foreshadowing, metaphor, dictionword choice, tone, and sentence structure. Blurb definition, a brief advertisement or announcement, especially a laudatory one. Synonyms for blurb at with free online thesaurus, antonyms, and definitions. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. Keep in mind at all times the blurb is what sells the book, so. When you look at the back cover of almost every book, there is often a write up that attempts to give hints or brief insights into the book s contents.

A blurb is a brief piece of writing used in the advertising of a creative work, such as when theres a quote from a famous author on the cover of a bestselling novel. If you think you have not read any dystopian novels, check the above definition to make sure. A blurb is the back cover teaser that lures a reader or an agenteditor into wanting to buyread your book. How to write an irresistible book blurb in 5 easy steps. The blurb is a promotional description, found on the back of the book. 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. Blurb definition in the cambridge english dictionary. A blurb is just a short written peice about something. Here are six rules to be mindful of before you put pen to paper on your back book cover blurb. 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. Get a professionally written book blurb that will sell more books. Its difficult to avoid the angst, i think the easiest way to do it, if youre writing a book, is to write the blurb early on, and then you have time to see it with fresh eyes later.

Information and translations of blurb in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Youll write lots of your own blurbs as youre getting started, but youll know you have arrived when you start getting asked to blurb. How to write a back cover blurb with examples book editing. Sep 18, 2017 the blurb equation how to write a kickbutt blurb. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and quills. Jun 08, 2018 yes, the blurb is the real hook, its useful that you have that experience of using blurb in libraries though, it will help if you do have to write one. Basically, the name of the game with a blurb is to entice readers to buy your book. Work by convincing readers to take a chance on it, or. This should be broader in scope than the reasons you put in your bulleted list. Nov 17, 2019 nowadays, a book may be published traditionally or selfpublished or not even published in print at all. How to write the perfect blurb examples, formula, opening. Worse than the cover, worse than the writing in the book itself, there are a lot of blurbs. With that in mind, i wrote a logline for my current wip as soon as i began writing.

Doesnt it deserve a carefully crafted description of what your book is about. It is a brief description of a book and book plot that should immediately attract the attention of your readers. Even the patron saint of teenage girls, judy blume, is featured on the back cover with a blurb for the book. Im more than happy with the quality of her work and her professional attitude.

How to create a back of the book cover blurb that sells. Get a professionally written book blurb that will sell. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dust. Blurbs are the second most important selling tool you have for your book, so. Steps to writing your own back book blurb and back cover. 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. The elements of this content share a common structure, and each element appears in a similar location in every book. Writing a book blurb for your back cover, and other promotional uses, is one of the hardest steps for many authors. As already noted, writing a back book blurb is a marketing exercise. A template of text that can be used to create multiple documents. Put the bulleted list in the middle of the copy you write for your back cover. Aug 08, 2009 examples of blurbs to share in your primary classroom.

Dec 04, 2019 a book blurb also called a back cover blurb or a book description is a short description of the books main character and conflict, usually between 100 and 200 words, that traditionally is included on the inside cover or on the back of a book. Then, and only then, write the manuscript that fulfills the promise. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a book s contents. The word was coined in 1907 by american humorist gelett burgess. Learn the words you need to communicate with confidence. Author stephen hise has worked in emergency medical services administration for many years. How to write a blurb, back cover copy or sales description. How to write a fiction book cover blurb that can make your. The short summary of a book, usually on the inside cover or back, that most people read so they can say they read the book we had to read a book for school, but i just read the blurb by oh just someone january 24, 2016. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. We all have our favorite authors, our lifechanging reads, and our massive collections of everything from wellworn novels and biographies to beautiful coffeetablestyle art books. To write a good blurb, you have to make it short and exciting, yet relevant. Generally, 150200 words are more than enough for a full blurb. To set yourself apart is good, to be too different from the rest is not.

A blurb is a short summary or promotional piece accompanying a creative work. I strongly recommend her to anyone who wants great service and delivered on time. If he has got a way with words, he might want to think about firing the person writing his promotional blurbs and doing it himself. This seller helpt me by reading my poetry book and writing a great and accurate book blurb and praise. How are you supposed to condense an entire novel into a few lines or paragraphs. A blurb is a short description of a book that is written for promotional purposes. How to get incredible book blurbs for your book medium. But there are a few tricks to making your blurb a successful part of your book s marketing. Heres an example from the bestseller the girl on the train by paula hawkins. In simple terms, a blurb is the short yet descriptive account of the book that goes on the back. Blurbrollypolly already in its sound and to be taken as seriously as a beach ball or a random. Fifth grade lesson the blurb on the back betterlesson. When writing a novel, there are few selling tools as important as a solidly written book blurb. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and.

Jan 09, 2017 composing the blurb in a rush to meet my publishers deadline wasnt the best way to go about it and i knew i needed to be prepared the next time. On back covers of books there is usually a summary which attempts to get the reader interested. How to write a book blurb part 1 tara sparling writes. This means all the focus needs to be on the reader their needs and expectations. The blurb on the back of the book says that it will touch your heart. She has an educational writing course available and is releasing a lifestyles app for women in early 2017. Blurb definition and meaning collins english dictionary. There is a big difference between writing a cover blurb for a novel and writing a cover blurb. The process is exactly the same as writing a blurb for a fiction book, although the blurb will focus on selling the benefits of the book to the potential reader and how the book. Shteyngart sat down with the daily beast to discuss the book, the art of the blurb, and. In that sense, a good blurb is anything but subjective. Above the list, speak directly to the readers, and give them the primary reason why they should read your book. If you are like those of us here at blurb, then your mind never wanders too far from the comforting thought of books.

A book blurb is a quote from that you put on your book cover or in some other form of media that says something positive about you or your book. What is the summary written on the cover at the back of a. How to write a killer blurb that convinces readers to buy your book the book. Youre not asking them to write the marketing encapsulation that will go on the back of the book, of course, but you are asking them to write something that you can use for exactly the same purposes. Something, ironically, every author i know hates writing. Writing a book blurb is harder than you think, and is an excellent way of getting yourself noticed. Make it so droolworthy that everybody will want to buy a copy of your book. As paperback publishing developed, readers began seeing the blurb appearing on the back cover. Mar 02, 2016 great ideas to write a blurb that works for your book. The blurb describes it as an altogether morally confused 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.

For some reason we leave our fictionwriter tools at the doorstep when it comes to writing a bio blurb and always write something like this. Mar, 2020 a blurb is a brief piece of writing used in the advertising of a creative work, such as when theres a quote from a famous author on the cover of a bestselling novel. Writing to ask for a blurb was embarrassing, but ultimately composing a love letter to a favorite writer is kind of fun what was tough was sending several reminders. Your book blurb must be wellwritten to get a readers attention. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. Nowadays, a book may be published traditionally or selfpublished or not even published in print at all. 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. The blurb on the back of the book says that it will.

For example, if youve written a nonfiction selfhelp book and the back blurb reads more like a thriller novel, thats going to leave readers more. Learn how to write a back book cover blurb that not only intrigues readers but gets them to buy. Its briefno more than 100150 wordsand creates interest in the story without giving away major spoilers or the ending. How to write a book blurb that sells with examples reedsy blog. Book blurb the text on the back of a book that catches a readers attention, describes the. Blurb definition is a short publicity notice as on a book jacket. Not long after that i wrote the back blurb to keep me focused on the main plot line. When writing a back cover blurb, you want it to set you apart from other books in your genre. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, 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. Traditionally, it would be found on the inside back cover of a. Your back ofthe book blurb is the second thing a potential buyer looks at after your front cover. Your blurb will be an important part of your marketing.

The blurb equation how to write a kickbutt blurb youtube. Great ideas to write a blurb that works for your book. Chances are, you will write a better book if you let the blurb guide you. Say, students, read the blurb on the back of your book and be ready to talk about what is happening or what you expect is going to happen in your book based on what the blurb says. The trick with writing a great blurb is to give away enough of whats inside the book, without giving any plot spoilers for fiction or going so indepth the reader doesnt want to read on for nonfiction. The name of the author credited with a book or article. Write a catchy poetry book blurb by authoreva fiverr. The publishers blurb refers to this book as an existential crime novel. Writing your back cover blurb dorrance publishing company. The blurb described the book as a private detectives journey through personal betrayal to a form of redemption. How to write a book blurb stand back and hover above. In this post, we tell you how to write a book blurb in five easy steps.

Usually its in reference to a newspaper article that briefly mentions a barely newsworthy item. It uses twilight as an example, but dont hold that against me. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. Explanations and back book cover examples for both fiction and nonfiction. Traditionally, it would be found on the inside back cover of a hardback. This short video is brought to you by publishnation. But most book content is arranged in a traditional, prescribed manner. The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should know. How to write a catchy backcover blurb that sells 2020. The summary on the back cover of the book is called blurb. Paratextual traces the blurb, back cover, inside cover, notes and title are part of the marketing process. Publishers summary and recommendation of a book, printed usually on the front flap of the book s dust jacket, or in an advertisement or catalog.