Becoming a novelist is a major amount of fun, but it’s also very hard work. The unexpected challenges are the ones that come after it’s been accepted for publication. One of the big challenges is to write a short persuasive summary of your book, if your publisher requires you to write it, or you’re self-publishing. Wonderful writers have been known to tear out their hair over this.
But because these blurbs or book descriptions are needed for a book’s back cover, for the Amazon page, the author’s website, and countless book marketing materials, you have to win the challenge. You haven’t come this far to break down on a couple of paragraphs! Blurbs are used everywhere in social media to sell books. They’re probably second only in sales to good cover art.
Tips on Blurb Writing
Here’s an article with good writing advice on book blurbs:
The Fussy Librarian – Beth Bacon on Book Blurb Writing. Anne R. Allen has 8 Tips for Writing That Killer Blurb. I especially like the one about staying true to your genre. There are endless examples as near as your local library or bookstore (online or other). Joanna Penn has a great How to Write Back Blurb for Your Book Some more writing tips on crafting a blurb for your book:
Look at samples – Go to Amazon and click on the bestsellers in your genre. …
Use a formula: Most fiction book blurbs start with a situation (a), introduce a problem (b) and promise a twist (c). And here’s another article from Kindlepreneur that defines the difference between a back cover blurb and a book description, as used on Amazon and other online bookstores: How to Create a Back Book Cover Blurb that SellsMy book blurb for my novel, The Renaissance ClubWould you give up everything, even the time in which you live, to be with your soul mate? May Gold, a young college adjunct, often dreams about the subject of her master’s thesis—sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini. In her fantasies she’s in his arms, the wildly adored partner of the man who invented the Baroque. In reality, May has just landed in Rome with her teaching colleagues and boyfriend who is paying her way. Feeling like a precocious failure, she yearns to unleash her passion and creative spirit. When the floor under the gilded dome of St. Peter’s basilica rocks under her feet, she gets her chance. Walking through the veil that appears, she finds herself in the year 1624, staring straight into Bernini’s eyes. Their immediate and powerful attraction grows throughout May’s tour of Italy, every time they share a brief hour. By the time she reaches Venice, all the doorways to her happiness seem blocked—all except the shimmering doorway to Bernini’s world. She must decide if her adventure in time will ruin her life or lead to a magical new one.
The Renaissance Club is forthcoming from from Fiery Seas Publishing in 2018.