by Carole Brown
A book blurb is one of the most important items of a marketing plan. Without it, you will find it harder to “sell” your book to agents, editors and readers. Here are a few thoughts of how to create an excellent one:
Introduce your main character(s). Use the names they’ll go by in your book. Keep it simple. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, you don’t need to go into detail about their personality.
Reveal the genre. Again keep it brief. Set the tone or mood of the book. Mystery? Romance? Sci-fi? Thriller?
Reveal the main conflict. Most books have subplots but they won’t need (usually) to be mentioned here. In one sentence show the problem. Will the detective be able to find the thief? Can the hero save the heroine’s life (or vise versa 🙂 ) etc. Many times this will begin with one of these words: Until. But. However.
Hook the reader’s curiosity. Is all lost when another man shows up and does what the hero should have done? Is the detective a failure because his main suspect turns out to be innocent?
Give the reader a hopeful possible. This “longshot” will give your reader hope that all is not lost and keep them reading.
Book blurbs should not be too long nor too short. Fifty words at most; Twenty-five to thirty words is a perfect sized blurb. Keep to these main facts, edit and you should have a winner.
Happy Writing!
Word Sharpeners 