Blurbs...Think Pithy
Blurbs have always been great for captivating the attention of a potential reader and intriguing them enough to take a peek inside the cover. Today, though, it seems that blurb-writing has become an artful display of what not to do.
Below are some pithy thoughts on blurbing and how not to write one:
A good blurb should:
- Be short, but detailed enough so that we get an idea of what the book is about.
- Have a hook - tell us what is so special about this book that we simply have to read it.
- Be written by a credible source - someone who knows the author and can vouch for the quality of his work. (I'm sure you've seen those books with a famous person's name as the only blurb, but no clue as to what book they are actually blurb-ing.)
- Be honest. If you don't like the book, don't blurb it!
- Let us know why you liked/disliked it, in general and specifically.
- Tell us if the author has written other books.
- If you have read it, please also talk about what you liked/disliked about it.
- Try not to blurb every book by the same author. (Some authors are better known for a specific genre; lead with that genre, mention that and then link to such an author's other books.)
Article 3: Before you start raving about a book, read the blurb(s) of the book. It'll give you a good idea of whether to take it home. And here's a must-read article on blurb-writing: http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/how-to-write-a-blurb#sthash.AUfmmX9e.dpbs
A good blurb should:
• Be short, but detailed enough so that we get an idea of what the book is about.
• Have a hook - tell us what is so special about this book that we simply have to read it.
• Be written by a credible source - someone who knows the author and can vouch for the quality of his work. (I'm sure you've seen those books with a famous person's name as the only blurb, but no clue as to what book they are actually blurb-ing.)
• Be honest. If you don't like the book, don't blurb it!
• Let us know why you liked/disliked it, in general and specifically.
• Tell us if the author has written other books.
• If you have read it, please also talk about what you liked/disliked about it.
• Try not to blurb every book by the same author. (Some authors are better known for a specific genre; lead with that genre, mention that and then link to such an author's other books.)
• Consider whether the book will appeal to someone whose tastes differ from yours. If it will, find someone who can write a good review (not a blurb), or find out if you can get the book reviewed.
The following blurbs should be avoided:
• 'This is one of the best books I've ever read!' It's not. No blurb says that - how does it know? If a blurb says that the book is one of the 10 best books you've ever read, it means nothing.
• 'It's a page-turner!' It's a what? This is one of the most meaningless blurbs - it tells you nothing about the book or why you should read it. An editor I know once told me that they will only look at books with this blurb if they are desperately in need of a book that 'turns the page' and have very few options left.
• 'It's sweeping...' A sweeping tale about the sweeping plains of Kansas? Or is it about someone who swept up the office floors? If you have to use this cliché, please clarify. Alternatively, give us a sense of the scale of what we're talking about.
• 'This book has everything. It has sex, drugs and violence...' It doesn't have that. Unless you are being ironic, stop using this colloquialism - we're supposed to take you seriously.
• 'It was based on a true story...' That's not always a good thing. If the author hasn't written it as fiction, then we have no idea how accurate the book is.
• 'What everyone is talking about!' Or not! That's really up to the reader to judge whether they're talking about it or not - we don't need a blurb telling us that.
• 'The writer was on Oprah!' Well... yes she was, but that has nothing to do with writing a good blurb. (Unless the book is a memoir of the author's time on Oprah.)
• 'I can't believe this has been overlooked. It's brilliant!' It's not brilliant, and it hasn't been overlooked, that's just being egotistical.
• 'I can't wait to read this! I've heard it will be a bestseller!' If you have heard that someone else has read the book and passed it on to you, then yes.
Conclusion
There are other things you can do, too, when writing a blurb:
- Consider whether the book will appeal to someone whose tastes differ from yours. If it will, find someone who can write a good review (not a blurb), or find out if you can get the book reviewed.
Article 4: The whole purpose of the cover designing is to attract potential readers by telling them about your book. For this reason you shouldn't put your name on it unless you're prepared to have this book referred to as 'X by Y' (in which case, however, make sure that Y's name is added later via an author's note).
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Blurbs...Think Pithy