Book Blurbs

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Introduction

We are always talking about how many things are involved in writing a book, besides writing the actual story. I have always thought that writing a book was something very difficult. Even as someone who loves writing, and does that very often, I have always known that writing a book was something completely different and way more complicated than my average writing “assignments.”

If you have read last week’s post, maybe you will see that I haven’t made the decision to go from a writer to an author yet. I may never make it, and that’s fine. I will leave that to the real authors of the world. For you: I am super excited to read your stories!

Anyway, a lot goes into making a book ready for publishing. Even the smallest details, things like a book blurb or the book format, make a difference. And that’s what we will talk about this week.

What’s a Book Blurb?

A book blurb is a short, descriptive text that goes on the back of your book. It should include basic information about the plot. The main objective is to pique reader’s curiosity, so they can buy and read the book.

In the digital era, book blurbs have had a little change in format, but the idea stays the same: Authors write a little description to captivate a reader’s attention. You can see book blurbs whenever you open an ebook on Amazon or Goodreads as well.

It is something very common and already placed in our daily lives. You have probably seen and read many book blurbs, you just hadn’t realized what they were called.

3 Tips to Write a Good Book Blurb

To write a good book blurb, keep in mind these 3 tips: simplicity, plot, and benefits.

Let’s start with simplicity. A book blurb should be a “summary” of the book and what it has to offer. It should not be very long (remember: it should fit on the back cover of the book) and/or over-detailed. After all, readers who want to know the whole story will buy the book. The blurb is just the bait for that to happen.

Next: The plot. Don’t forget to mention some things about the story. At the same time, you do not want to give too much information about the plot (no spoilers, please), you also want to give ENOUGH information so readers will feel inclined to buy it.

Summarize the idea of the book and make a simple mention of the obstacles the main character (or characters) will face. A lot of authors include phrases mentioning how the life of the character will turn upside down throughout the book, how someone is hiding a big secret, or how an external event will bring people together. What they do is give you the feel for what the story is, but they never tell you what is going to happen.

Last, the benefits. Why should people read the book? What is special about it? Why they should care? Try to answer some of those questions in the blurb.

More Tips and Final Considerations

Besides those three big tips I just told you about, keep in mind that simplicity also involves things like avoiding jargon, avoiding difficult words, and deleting overcomplicated sentences. You never know who will pick up your book, so make sure the language is appropriate to a broader mass.

As with pretty much everything in life, think outside the box. No one said you should write the book blurb in a specific format, so don’t limit yourself to plain, old, emotionless sentences. Some ideas: try writing the book blurb in the first person or from a specific character’s perspective, try a different format, use design to help you tell the story, among other things.

Next tip: Do your research. Read a lot of book blurbs before giving yours the final thumbs up. See what they have in common, what you like about them, what you can use in your favor, what you would change… Make your book blurb an “improved version” of all the blurbs you’ve read so far.

Last tip: ask someone, preferably who is not very familiar with the plot of your book, to read the blurb. See if it makes sense to them and if it tells a story. I say that because sometimes we are so involved in our work and are so familiar with it that we often forget that other people do not have the same knowledge about it as we do.

This happens to me all the time. I ask people to check the websites I create, to read the blogs I write, or to review my overall work because sometimes it can make total sense for me, who knows the ins and outs of the whole process, but not as much to someone who is looking at it from the outside or for the first time.

Summary of Tips To Write A Great Book Blurb

Tips:

• Keep it short and simple (avoid jargons, long sentences, and complicated words)

• Cover the plot (not too many details, but enough to get someone’s attention)

• Show the benefits (why should people buy your book?)

• Think outside the box (a different point of view, a different format, a different design…)

• Do your research (read and analyze other book blurbs)

• Ask someone for feedback (preferably someone who doesn’t know the book)