In essence, a blurb at the back of a book is an advertisement designed to entice potential buyers. So what ultimately gets the reader to part with their cash for your book?
However, in this day of technological advancement, customers may see the back of books on the Amazon sales page; therefore, a book’s back blurb is no longer optional.
This gives potential customers a chance to get a sense of the book’s tone and style from the author’s perspective before making a purchase.
What should a book blurb contain?
A book’s blurb is more than simply a synopsis—there it’s to sell the book. So read on if you want to know what to include in a book’s summary.
A good blurb usually includes the following six elements:
1: the Reputation of the Writer
The blurb should boast, “From the pen of…,” if the author is well-known.
Often we have made a book purchase based only on the author’s status as a New York Times or Sunday Times bestseller.
If your book has won any awards, mention them in the blurb (or on the cover).
Fortunately (or unfortunately), these designations weigh because of their reputation. It was with Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Goldfinch that I was first introduced to her work.
I purchased her book solely based on the prize, though I was otherwise unfamiliar with her. Then I read The Secret History, which made me a Tartt devotee for life.
You don’t have to offer your entire life story in the blurb (though some American publishers have a habit of doing so), but it is good to give readers a taste of what you’ve accomplished in the past since it frequently helps them decide whether to invest in your book or not.
2. Detailed Synopsis of the Story
this should introduce the book’s contents as soon as the author’s significant accomplishments have been highlighted.
Publishers often use terms like “The Crime Novel Everyone is Talking About” or “A Story You Won’t Forget in a Hurry” to offer readers a flavor of the book’s overall substance.
These should entice the reader to pick up the book and learn more about the plot.
Of course, with such attention-grabbing headlines, the reader will want to keep reading.
3. A Superb Opening Sentence
The most excellent method to convince people to want to purchase your book is to hook them in the first sentence.
The first sentence in summary for Daughter of Smoke and Bone, the first novel in Laini Taylor’s young adult fantasy trilogy, intrigues, while the second line sends chills down your spine.
4. The Focused Plot
Keep in mind that your story’s protagonist is likely to be the thing that draws in readers.
A good blurb will introduce the main character effectively while leaving some mystery. The blurb’s purpose is to persuade the reader to purchase the book; hence, the secret never reveal the ending.
A reader will have no interest in reading the book if you give away every detail about the protagonist and narrative.
5. The Conflict
Books are popular because of the emotional experience they provide (even gentler books need something to happen in them).
People like rooting for heroes who must overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
Books provide welcome diversion, particularly in our increasingly fantastical world, and to keep us engaged, there must be opposition.
The summary should also convey that tension.
The blurb should immediately place the protagonist in a difficult situation.
According to the preceding summary, the main struggle of the novel is Nick trying to cope with the loss of his wife.
To what end did Amy vanish? We don’t even know what to think about this. That’s dramatic material right there.
6: Justification for the Book’s Purchase Why should the Readers purchase the book?
When reading your blurb, people will be wondering just that. So they’ll look for resemblances to other books they’ve read and appreciated.
According to the back cover copy, readers who like the works of Shari Lapena and Peter Swanson will enjoy The Kindness of Psychopaths.
That’s the kind of link that would interest readers, who would then be more likely to purchase the book.
When pitching your books to agents and editors, you may leverage those similar names in your blurb, such as by providing titles that have been successful in the past as examples.
Indicate in the summary whether you think your work would appeal to fans of another author or has a similar premise to a well-known film or TV show.
It’s only one sentence, yet it could not be more crucial.
What does Briefly describe the nature of the blurb for a book?
Blurbs, or back cover copy, are brief, informative book descriptions. The blurb should include whatever best describes the book and makes the reader want to pick it up.
For example, Researchers may consist of a summary of a study’s conclusions in a scholarly book to pique the interest of prospective.
In contrast, a thriller might benefit most from a teaser that exposes a little about the plot while still leaving readers wanting more.
What makes it so appealing?
The five “S’s” that should include in every book summary are as follows:
1. Easy
A novel with global reach. That implies you have no idea which reader in which region of the globe will end up with your book.
Since a broad audience will see your blurb, it is in everyone’s best interest to make it brief and easy to understand.
A book’s language should always compose the blurb unless the author specifically targets a small subset of readers.
Therefore, stay away from convoluted phrases, jargon, and industry terminology. Because of them, your book description may appear too technical and alienate potential readers.
2. Short
Not many individuals have the time or interest to read a detailed synopsis of a book.
To pique a reader’s attention, you only need a quick snippet that packs a lot of information into a few words.
Remember that many online book retailers have a word restriction, so the complete blurb may not appear until the consumer clicks “read more.”
3. Samples
Check out as many blurb examples as possible to determine what will work best for your book.
You may discover a book description that works for your project by visiting bookshops and reading reports of books in various categories.
In addition, there are reviews and blurbs available on the web. This can help you understand the needs of both writers and readers while writing a book summary.
4. Story
A blurb is the starting point for each excellent story. Do you get a sense of a tale from it?
Can it create curiosity in the minds of the readers?
When writing a blurb, hinting at the book’s “twist” is sometimes adequate to pique the reader’s interest.
5: What You’re Selling
To promote your book, you need to emphasize its best features, and the blurb is the perfect place to do that.
As a bonus, it might be instructive to compile a list of why your work will captivate readers:
What information do you think the audience needs?
To what can I hope to contribute with my book?
So, how is my book special?
To whom should I market my book?
If you answer these questions, you’ll gain insight into your work and clarity on what to highlight in your promotional copy.
Advice on Obtaining Reviews and Blurbs
In the first place, you should muster all of your self-assurance and make contact with some well-known writers in your chosen field. I know how terrifying it will be, but please proceed.
How did I, a nobody, convince not one but two New York Times bestsellers to read my work and provide glowing blurbs? That’s right, I was polite and asked. They did it with enthusiasm and no complaints.
Just remember that every writer has been where you are. They have experience in the publishing industry and know that blurbs are used as favored trading between writers.
Since you are also your publisher, you are responsible for acquiring blurbs. Isn’t that a lot of fun?
Popular methods of contacting writers include Twitter, email, and a web form on the author’s website.
How long should a book blurb be?
The blurb is the only section of the book besides the title and author’s name that a prospective reader sees, and it is mainly responsible for the reader’s decision about whether or not to read the book.
Therefore, doing it properly is essential since it might be the difference between making and losing a deal.
Do Not Wait Too Long
A blurb shouldn’t be so lengthy that it won’t fit on the back cover of the actual book you are publishing; this should go without saying, but, like so many things in writing, it has to be spelled out (pun intended).
Because prospective readers want to grasp the fundamental concept of the novel immediately, even if you’re releasing it as an ebook, the blurb shouldn’t be too lengthy.
If you had a maximum word count, I would suggest no more than 200. (and even that is probably a little too long).
Tolerable Length
Conversely, the blurb shouldn’t be too long. While conciseness is the essence of wit, a blurb needs more than just humor.
It should teach me something while still being exciting and fun to read.
If you have to set a minimum word count, 40 is a good round number.
Do you find the number 40 intimidating?
Do your best to express the meaning of what you want to say in as few words as is humanly feasible. That’s an improbable occurrence.
Avoid Giving Too Much Away
Not giving too much information is the most challenging part of crafting a blurb.
The temptation to give the whole plot away in the hope of attracting more readers is vital when you’re really into the novel you’re working on.
But, on the other hand, if you give out too much information, the reader won’t be able to enjoy any pleasant surprises as they read the book. And a disappointing conclusion is the worst possible outcome.
Don’t Be Miserable With Your Gifts
On the other hand, you risk losing those readers if you provide too little information in the blurb.
Yet again, this is because it’s crucial to strike a balance between providing too much and too little information, between making the reader feel like they need to know what occurs and feel like they already know what happens.
Paraphrases Only
Using a verbatim quote from the book is a simple but effective way to generate a compelling blurb.
However, it’s unusual for a novel to have a single scene that does an excellent job of summing up and selling the whole plot.
If there was something like that, it might be a massive time-saver compared to starting from zero to compose a blurb.