with Marilyn Forsyth
I’ve read it takes 10-20 seconds for a potential book buyer to decide whether or not to purchase. Initially, it’s the cover that grabs attention, but it’s the back-cover blurb that can seal (or lose) the sale in those few seconds. Bit scary, huh?
To ensure your romance blurb is a winner, I’d like to share 10 suggestions I've gathered from reading up on the art of blurb-writing.
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| Image courtesy of foodforthoughtbooks.blogspot.com |
1. Research. Go to your local library, book store or your own bookshelf and read the blurbs of books in your sub-genre. Examine each blurb and decide: What about this blurb makes me want to read this book over the thousands of alternatives? (Probably a good idea to note what you hate as well as what you like.)
2. Have a clear picture of your audience and speak to them directly. Use words that strike a chord with romance readers - ‘power’ words with emotional punch, like love, grief, betrayal. (But do be wary of clichés.)
3. Restrict to 100-150 words. Ainslie Paton advises ‘no more than 2-3 paragraphs of no more than 40 words each.’ The longer it is, the less likely to be read to the end. Make it short enough to: a) be read quickly in a crowded book section of a store and b) be seen in its entirety on Amazon (so the potential buyer doesn’t need to click ‘See more’).
4. Keep sentences short, with lots of white space, and use present tense to give a sense of the story unfolding before the reader’s eyes.
5. The introductory sentence should sum up the dramatic core of your book; a tagline that will immediately hook the reader. The blurb for Diana Gabaldon’s ‘Outlander’: “Claire Randall is leading a double life; she has a husband in one century one century — and a lover in another…” is what got me in all those years ago.
6. Next, name and characterise MCs, and outline what’s at stake for them both (internal/external conflict) in as few words as possible. 2-3 characters only and a brief mention of setting. Leave out anything the reader doesn’t need to know just yet.
7. Reel the reader in with the last line – ask a question (e.g. Can he give up… for her?), hint at future danger (e.g. But… …Until…) or remind the reader of the conflict keeping your H/H apart. Get your potential buyer excited! Give them something to make them pick up that book because they just HAVE to read it.
8. Stay true to your voice and the tone of your story. It’s what the reader — the one who just bought your book based on your blurb — will be expecting.
9. It should go without saying that it be error-free.
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| Image courtesy of upstartpromotions.com |
10. Take notice of any feedback you can get and rewrite as many times as necessary. You only have one chance to turn that bookshelf browser into a buyer. Make it count!
What's your take on blurbs? Have some examples (good or bad) that you'd like to share? Love to hear from you.
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Thanks for a most informative post Marilyn. When I did my blurb for A Scandalous Wager I had a question as the final sentence of the blurb. I think it is really important to pose something that only the reader can find out by reading the book as the quote you supplied said. Blurbs are an art that is for sure.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you found it informative, Cassandra. :) I loved your blurb for 'A Scandalous Wager' and ending with a question is such a great hook.
DeleteI thought this was a really good one, too. 'How do you hide from a killer when he's in your mind?'
I'll post a couple blurbs I love later. For now, I'll just ask...has anyone else read a back blurb, bought the book based on that blurb, only to find that the book was nothing like the blurb? This has happened to me a couple of times--with big named authors. While the books were ok, I still felt 'betrayed' by the duplicity.
ReplyDeleteYes I have Dee and it is very disappointing...
DeleteHi Dee, thanks for dropping by, and I look forward to you sharing some blurbs.
DeleteYes, it's happened to me too and, like you, I dislike being misled. A back-cover blurb makes promises it MUST keep if you want return buyers.
Great post, Marilyn. I do buy books because of the blurb. And because I'm trusting it's true to book content when it's not I feel cheated.
DeleteLike Dee, I will post some blurbs I loved later.
Look forward to having a look at some blurbs you love later, Enisa.
DeleteThanks for such a great and informative post Marilyn. Blurbs are very hard; trying to capture a readers interest and sum up a book in so many short words is a challenge and a half so every bit of advice helps.
ReplyDeleteHi Karen, nice to see you here. :) As a traditionally published author do you write your own blurb? If your publishing company does it, do you have any say over its content?
DeleteI think writing a blurb gives you a really good handle on describing your book as briefly as possible when you're asked 'What's it about?'
Excellent post, Marilyn. Blurbs can certainly be a challenge to write - I always struggle with them. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole, so lovely to see you here. Your back-cover description for 'McKellan's Run' is a great example of an attention-grabbing blurb. Good luck with the new release!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I love the look of your new website and am glad to see the return of 'Bewitching Blurbs'. (That gorgeous image makes me smile every time I see it :) ). For those of you who may not be aware, Nicole gathers the best blurbs together in one place for our reading pleasure. Be sure and visit at www.nicolehurley-moore.com
Thanks Marilyn. :D
DeleteMy pleasure.
DeleteOooooo! I have to check that out Nicole Hurley-Moore!!! Thanks for the tip Marilyn Forsyth!
DeleteI look at the title, the author, check out the back blurb, then read the first couple of pages. For me the clincher is the first couple of pages. But, of the blurb isn't catchy, then I go no further. So it really is super important. But don't most publishers 'write' the blurbs?
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking the publishers do, Malvina, but if you're going the self-published route it's all up to you. I love reading the blurbs when I browse for self-pubbed e-books. Some are well-written and intriguing, others not so much. :(
DeleteTo give a couple of examples, for me there is nothing about "A poignant, sexy and heart-warming story set against the stark beauty of Alaska" that would entice me to read further, while "Vincenzo is a witch with a short fuse, a sexy smile and a dirty mouth" tells me far more about the actual story. Everyone's different of course, but I'd continue reading on from that and then, like you, sample a couple of pages before deciding whether or not to buy. At least that initial sentence got me interested enough to finish reading the blurb.
Is that second one an actual back blurb...I'd like to read it--LOL.
DeleteIt is real, Dee. It's from 'Water Witch' by Amelia Bishop.
DeleteWell, it worked for me! I'm going to go download/buy a copy now! Thanks Marilyn Forsyth!!!
DeleteActually...ha...you had me at Alaska. But I see what you mean. Thanks Marilyn!
DeleteAs promised...a few of the more recent blurbs to tempt me are as follows...
ReplyDeleteGena Showalter's Alice in Zombieland caught me with the front cover blurb..."Off with their heads" and reeled me in with "Her father was right. The monsters are real" on the back cover.
Tessa Dare seemed to speak straight to me, when I read the back blurb to Any Duchess Will Do. "Overworked and struggling, Pauline Simms doesn't dream about dukes. All she wants is to hang up her barmaid apron and open a bookshop." (She had me here, but then she goes on...) "That dream becomes a possibility when an arrogant, sinfully attractive duke offers her a small fortune for a week's employment. Her duties are simple: submit to his mother's 'duchess training'...and fail miserably." Who wouldn't love that!!!
But I think Anna Campbell is the master at the back blurb. She grabs my attention EVERY time. I'm looking forward to her upcoming release A Scoundrel by Moonlight. Her back blurb has sucked me in yet again! "Justice. That's all Nell Trim wants - for her sister and for the countless other young women the Marquess of Leath has ruined with his wildly seductive ways. Now she has a bold plan to take him down... as long as she can resist the scoundrel's temptations herself. From the moment Nell meets James Fairbrother, the air positively sizzles. Yet for all his size and power, there's something amazingly tender in his touch. Could he really be such a depraved rogue? The only way to find out is to beat the devil at his own game... one tempting kiss at a time." Squeeeee!!! Sounds amazing! Can't wait!
Thanks for sharing these, Dee. They're all great examples of attention-grabbing blurbs. They'd also work well as pitches (not that any of these authors would need to do that! LOL ). But writing a blurb can be a great help in formulating an elevator pitch for those as-yet unpublished.
DeleteSo right! I think writing my back blurb helped me drill down on the basic GMC of my current manuscript!
DeleteTwo other back blurbs grabbed my attention years ago, yet I still remember that the back blurb was what made me buy the book. And I'm so glad I did, because both of these books deliver...they are two of my all time favourite reads...Juliet Marillier's Wildwood Dancing and Teresa Medeiros's Charming the Prince.
ReplyDeleteJuliet's back blurb was simple..."Five adventurous women... Four dark creatures... Three magical nights... Two forbidden loves... One enchanted frog..." That just calls to the fairy tale lover in us all.
And Wow! Teresa Medeiros is one of my all time favourite romance writers...I mean she packs an emotional punch into EVERY book, but in Charming the Prince she had me from "Dear Reader." She goes on to say, "My enemies know me as Lord Bannor the Bold, Pride of the English and Terror of the French. Never in my life have I backed down from any challenge or betrayed so much as a hint of fear--until the war ended and I found myself a reluctant papa to a dozen unruly children. Realizing that I couldn't lop their little heads off or throw them in the dungeon, I sent my steward out to find them a mother..." She goes on to describe the attributes of a perfect wife and mother for Lord Bannor as "unattractive, meek, maternal, plain, etc..." I had to laugh...what woman could be meek mothering a dozen children! Loved the blurb and LOVED the book!
I laughed when I read what you wrote about Juliet Marillier's 'Wildwood Dancing' because that blurb is exactly the reason I bought that book too! (Although I probably would have bought it anyway because I love Juliet's books so much :) ) I like the sound of Teresa's book, too. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteSome great points from a reader's point of view. I find myself more into Biographies than anything. Here I have the advantage of knowing something of the subject which is drawing me to the book however the 'blurb' needs to have that short punchy description that convinces me that this book will get down into the weeds and reveal 'the real story'. For a Romance I guess you would expect to find the key elements of Likeable characters, conflict, sexual tension and the like however, as mentioned in point 6 re 'the setting' I think the environment the story is set in can be a winner. e.g 'Farmer Wants a Life' - set on a Pearl farm in the remote Kimberly's conjures up a wonderful romantic setting of beaches, isolation and the setting sun.
ReplyDeleteHi, and thanks so much for dropping by! You make an interesting point about biographies. I wouldn't have thought the blurb would make much difference if you were already interested in reading about a particular person, but I guess it just emphasises how important the back-cover blurb is.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this informative post, Marilyn. I need to do some work on my back cover blurbs soon, so your advice will come in handy
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine, (author of the intriguing books, 'Dark Heart' and 'Dark Past'). Lovely to see you here. :) How is that next Quinn and Cooper book coming along?
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Marilyn. There's a real art to writing a good blurb. Some people seem naturals and I'm very jealous of them. My publishers have always done mine, thank goodness, with tweaks and suggestions from me. But I also think it's a great idea to have a draft one drawn up before you start writing. Certainly a tag. They can help keep you focused on what matters. Also, if you have a track record, it's possible to sell on a good blurb.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Cathryn! I'm glad you enjoyed it. There's something I'd love to know - if you happened to disagree with an aspect of the blurb written by your publisher do you think would they take note of your concerns, or is the blurb totally in their hands once your book is accepted for publication?
DeleteYour next book, 'The Falls', is out next month I believe. Is that right? No doubt it will be another lovely read.
As promised, here are the first few lines of a few blurbs that drew me to the books.
ReplyDeleteGayle Wilson's 'The StrabStranger She Knew' - Husband, lover - stranger. Secret Agent Jordan Cross had a new chance, a new face. But if he no longer recognised the man in the mirror, some relentless enemies - and one small family - did.
Amanda Stevens' 'Just Past Midnight' - The darkest part of the night is the most dadangerous. Stalked for years, Dr Darian West has become an emotional recluse, a woman at the mercy of a skilled killer.
Kylie Griffin's 'Allegiance Swirn' - There is no mercy in the demon realm. No escape. In this place of desperation and conconflict, anyone who is not purebred iss virtually powerless. Until a demon leader seeks to unify the races.
As you can see from the examples, I love stories filled with danger.
Thanks for these great examples, Enisa. :) When I was researching for this post I decided that creating a blurb for a mystery or a thriller or a paranormal has to be so much easier than creating an original one for a romance. You get to hint at danger which is always a great hook for me.
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