Writing a short book blurb writing4success help for writers. I had to learn how to do it, because writing one type of copy isnt the same as writing another. The book in question couldnt eat their lunch in a million years and the blurbers must have noticed the inferior writing but. David edwards, author at the blurb the blurb magazine. Fiction or nonfiction basic blurb cover copyproduct description for fiction or nonfiction extended product description. How to write an irresistible book blurb in 5 easy steps.
In this article, we will talk about some features of a good blurb and share tips on how to write a compelling book blurb. Which means that writing blurbs for my books was a piece of cake, right. In a nutshell, its the 200 odd words on the back cover of your book that describes the book to the reader. Darkside isnt a nice place, and people get hurt there but most of the truly gruesome action takes place off stage, keeping the novel well acceptable for readers ten and up. Here are some blurbs from mona patels book, reframe. Print as you go sell one copy at a time and let blurb fulfill the orders or place a large order and sell inperson. Darkside by tom becker 9780439944366paperback lovereading.
Before jumping into the blurb, a lot of authors count on the sentence trio to create impact and generate interest for their target readers. Our blurbwriting service will give your book that extra edge with professionally written cover copy are you ready to selfpublish your book but cant write the back cover or jacket copy. Considering theres no rulebook to follow, writers are often. We are very happy with the resulting book from our recent experience with blurb. Journey 2 da darkside and explore a place of sorcery and magic where things arent always what they seem throug. Fluorescent marianne and her goons follow jonathan to darkside, where he finds a friend. So, ok, here are my tips for writing your kickass romance blurb. Darkside bookss instagram profile has 2,421 photos and videos. But before the release of new features and services in april, i could only. How to write a book blurb is rather straightforward, but the process can be infuriating due to the emotional connection to your own work that often makes it hard to boil the story down to essentials. It needs to hook the reader and make them want to go on the journey with your characters. Darkside is a childrens novel by tom becker, about a boy called jonathan who discovers a world hidden in london. Tom becker won the waterstones childrens book prize 2007 at the age of twentyfive with his first novel, darkside.
Its safe to say that a wellwritten blurb is absolutely essential to your poetry books overall success and reputation. How are you supposed to condense an entire novel into a few lines or paragraphs. How to write a book blurb for a query letter to a literary. Im not the biggest fan of reverse harems, but some authors do a damn good job at. Jan 11, 2018 people do and will continue to judge a book by its cover. The book darkside is one of those books where when you first look at you think it doesnt look like you want to read it. Sometimes it can feel like writing the book is the easy part. Lisa tener is an awardwinning book writing coach who assists writers in all aspects of the writing processfrom writing a book proposal and getting published to finding ones creative voice.
In that sense, a good blurb is anything but subjective. I just want to have it made available to others on the web site. Writing a book blurb is harder than you think, and is an excellent way of getting yourself noticed. But maybe it was a little easier and less scary to learn. This article gives you simple steps to follow to write a book blurb, and gives examples of both fiction and nonfiction back cover blurbs. Authors know how the blurb dance goestheyve been thereand most want to help, but throw them a bone. When i published my second novel, i felt like it took as long to write the fiction book blurb as it did to write the book. Your book blurb must be wellwritten to get a readers attention. Let your fears come to life with darkside, the first book of the series written by tom becker. The blurb is not just the text printed on a book s back cover. Submissions before submitting your work to writer s side, we recommend going through this article by founder kanishka gupta on how to do it best. The howto of writing the perfect blurb for your book or novel is a cocktail of creating suspense while revealing the main characters or conflict. Work by convincing readers to take a chance on it, or. How to write a great ya fantasy or scifi book blurb.
Blurb needs to provide a means for editing and revising an existing book as it is really not a good practice to require an author to have to repurchase another hard copy book upon revisions. Theres a secret science to writing the perfect book blurb. An examination of the wily book blurb chuck wendig. May 03, 2019 t he story of the titanic has been retold so often, most frequently during 2012 when the centenary of its capsizing rolled around, that it is hard to see why it would need to be done again. The five s of blurb writing check these 5 awesome tips. Many of the best authors in the world dont write their own blurbs, because effective blurb writing is a special skill that is more marketing than creativity. She delivers the right look for each project from book covers, banners, business cards, to setting up and customising blogs and websites.
On taking up writing it had not once occurred to me that one of the tasks of being a writer might be to come up with those concise, quippy phrases on the covers of books. A few months ago i received an email from a reader who said she enjoyed my books but would no longer read them because i had endorsed a book with a scene that was very difficult to read because of the extent and type of violence involved. Oct 04, 20 an easytofollow, practical guide to writing the best blurb to sell your selfpublished book, provided by ya author sarah juckes of completelynovel. The fee for the blurb writing service is calculated in relation to the length of the manuscript.
Darkside and millions of other books are available for instant access. Then, write 12 additional sentences that explain the plot of the story in a general way. She has also given talks to authors on the subject of blogging and navigating in the online world. So, im going to do it first of all with this and all this is going to do is make a template that is at the appropriate size. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. Blurb writer creates book descriptions, author bios, and other short promo for indie authors, selfpublished authors, small press publishers, or anyone else who needs. Get a professionally written book blurb that will sell.
Her clients have appeared on the oprah winfrey show, cbs early show, the montel williams show, cnn, fox news, new morning and much more. The story follows the adventures of jonathan starling, a resourceful boy from contemporary london who discovers darkside, encountering many sinister characters along the way. How to write a killer book synopsis aka back blurb or. I feel like the blurb of the book didnt do it justice, like it would be a out a lame girl haunting some boys. How to write a romance blurb blog author rosalind james. The occult art of the poetry book blurb rachael mead.
Blurb blurb is a creative platform and community that enables and encourages people to make books of the things they love. David edwards is the editor of the blurb and a contributor on film and television. Vegas with his attorney, the samoan, to find the dark side of the american dream. These two features have long attracted authors despite the prohibitively high cost of color pod. Sometimes coming up with the right words for a book blurb can be more stressful than writing the ebook itself. Like most authors, i wrote a simple synopsis for my novel and then used that information to write a fiction book blurb. In case you dont have this plugin, which is a free download from. Sometimes scary, always creepy, darkside would be a good choice for readers who enjoy adventurous thrills. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. He is the author of the first two books in the darkside series. Our copywriter is an awardwinning magazine writer, copywriter, author, and copy editor.
I thought id resolved the issue and my book was reprinted however soon receiving it they had sent our yet another version that wasnt correct. Darkside is the perfect book to get you in the spirit of halloween. When jonathans father is in the hospital, he decides to investigate his fathers study, a place his father had been holed up for years. T download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Writing a short book blurb is not only fun, but great practice for writing promotional copy of any kind. Only the worst of the worst live here, and all too quickly jonathan gets mixed up in a world full of murders, thieves, a werewolf and a vampire. The plot is engaging, but the descriptive prose is beckers real strength. The partnership enables self publishing on the platform with a 15% cut on blurb books a discount from previous fees of up to 45%. Dont worry, in this article, well walk you through the important points to keep in mind while writing your book s blurb, as well as give you a simple blurb template that sells and some bestseller examples for different genres. It all starts out with a troubled kid just not a regular family this kid doesnt like to attend school. Darkside is a childrens novel by tom becker, about a boy called jonathan who discovers a. Creating a book blurb, while still technically writing, is closer to a science than an art. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. An easytofollow, practical guide to writing the best blurb to sell your selfpublished book, provided by ya author sarah juckes of completelynovel.
Ive been approached for an endorsement by writers who didnt appear to know my work at all and hadnt even shelved one of my books on goodreads. How do you write an amazing summary of your story aka a book blurb or synopsis this is specifically for fiction writers who have a great book and need help showcasing it for an agent or for. May 08, 2014 blurb has long been known for its focus on highquality, fullcolor, printondemand books, and it also has arguably the easiesttouse diy tools for building color books. Aug 09, 2018 helzkat designs helen katsinis specialises in designing for writers at affordable prices. But as jane mayer, a staff writer for the new yorker, makes clear in the dark side, a powerful, brilliantly researched and deeply unsettling book, what almost immediately came to be called. How to write a great ya fantasy or scifi book blurb posted on january 14, 2014 by conjurors its ironic, after writing thousands of words to create your novel, that a 100200 word blurb pitching your baby to potential readers could completely stump you.
London, england, is known around the world for its historical sites and tourist attractions, as well as. Make sure you supply me with a general synopsis as well. One using the blurb book creator plugin and then one just doing it from scratch within indesign. The deal allows blurb designed books to be sold and distributed on the amazon platform. Sell your book in the blurb bookstore, through amazon, or in the global retail network of over 38,000 retailers, libraries, and schools. Whether its your first or twentieth book, enticing a reader to buy your book relies on an eyecatching cover image as well as an intriguing blurb. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. The benefits of a professionally written book blurb. It took a long time to write and wasnt very compelling to readers. Your blurb will be an important part of your marketing. A book blurb should be a fair representation of the style of the book. When you need to write a blurb for a movie, book, or other project, start by writing a clever and catchy hook that introduces some of the characters and setting of the topic. Creating the cover using the blurb book creator plugin. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work.
The editorcopywriter producing the blurb will be an experienced professional with many years of experience in editing and the writing skill to put together good copy for your work or an experienced copy writer. Its like stranger things with the upside down without all the creatures in the movie. Are you worried that it might let you down because copy writing is a particular skill and it can be especially hard when its your own book. The darksome bounds of a failing world by gareth russell. Stephen king, novelist the idea that a writer can bring his core audience into the tent with a blurb.
Thats the intriguing premise behind darkside, the first book by tom becker, which won the waterstones childrens book prize for new authors. In darkside, jonathan starling is a 14 year old boy whom is invisible to the world and barely. In art, what one person is attracted to is not what another will be, but in the world of book covers, its not just about the art, its about the promise and message a reader gets from the overall cover. Amazon has agreed to the fee to access to blurb s nearly twomillion authors, who have produced 8 million books since 2006. Said, writing for the guardian, said its a marvellously convincing dystopia. His first book in the series, darkside, was awarded the 2007 waterstones childrens book prize, which celebrates new talent. Feb 22, 2016 hopefully, the potential reader takes that allimportant next step and reads the back blurb or online description. All you have to do is provide me with some information and i will write one undeniably catchy blurb. To write a good blurb, you have to make it short and exciting, yet relevant. Tom becker has been dreaming about being an author since the age of five. This video from new york times bestseller alessandra torre details why your books blurb is crucially important and shares her easy equation for creating one. A lot of thought and research goes into writing a good blurb.
These are the blurbs that were left on the conference room floor. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading darkside. On back covers of books there is usually a summary which attempts to get the reader interested. Write a catchy poetry book blurb by authoreva fiverr. Blurb, back cover copy, jacket copy, or promotional copy whatever you call it, a great book description is your second best marketing tool your cover is number one. You know, the ones that readers use to choose the book they want to read next or throw on the pile beside the bed where, among the. Absolutely disgusted in blurb, problem after problem, no phone number to call and waiting days on end for a reply from customer service. Four psychos the dark side book 1 kindle edition by.
It has since been honed to within an inch of its life and i am really pleased with the result. You need to capture your readers attention immediately, whet their appetite and entice them to buy your book to find out what happens next. Writers are supposed to pay uncle sam taxes i thought, but not with blurb. But there are a few tricks to making your blurb a successful part of your books marketing. Please submit the synopsis, your bio and the first three chapters of your work to this email address is being protected from spambots. Jan 08, 2007 the book starts when a boy named jonathan starlings father is admitted to a hospital. Before we get into why most authors hate writing their back book cover blurb, lets clarify what it actually is. They assure readers that someone is vouching for the quality of the book, even if only in the form of a snappy oneliner on its cover. Mar 03, 2007 thats the intriguing premise behind darkside, the first book by tom becker, which won the waterstones childrens book prize for new authors. He used to spend long days studying and reading in the university library, but now he spends long days writing. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb september 25, 2016 september 25, 2016 kaitlin hillerich in my last post, i mentioned that ive been working on a novella and shared some reasons why you should write one of your own. From spooky villains to spinetingling suspense on every page, you wont have the guts to put it down. At some point in the publishing process of these legendary novels, a group of people sat around a table and decided what would appear on the back copy. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and.
Darkside series by tom becker goodreads share book. We supply you with a catchy 150200 word count blurb and an accompanying tagline optional. Each blurb includes keywords pertinent to your book to hook both the reader and search engines. Try not to mention more than two characters names, and promise your audience a read they wont forget. 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, and come from someone else. Pure textuality pr now offers blurb writing services for authors. Blurb writing is not my forte, but this book offered a clear insight and some useful steps that i was able to work with to produce a good pass at my first blurb. Here are a few of the things i learnt from my experiences in preparing my first photo book using blurb s booksmart software. Reference your bookwriting or professional status, if it relates to your book. Blurb bookwrights easytouse features allow anyone to publish custom photo books, magazines, and novels in either print or ebook. Only the worst of the worst live here, and all too quickly jonathan gets mixed up in a world full of murders, thieves, a. Poor customer service and a complete waste of money.