I hate writing blurbs, you hate writing blurbs, we all hate writing blurbs. It’s a magical experience that connects us writers.
Your blurb is your sales pitch—maybe why we all struggle with them. It’s important to get them right. Your cover draws a reader in, but your blurb is what sales the book.
Synopsis and blurb often get confused. A synopsis is a summary of the book that covers all major plot points. It can be a page to several pages long. The synopsis is more used to sell a book to an agent or publisher and not the reader. A blurb is the two hundred or so words on the back cover that describes the book and is not a synopsis.
The trick to writing a good blurb is not to reveal too much while also revealing enough to hook the reader. The blurb is a glance into the world, so you have little time to go into deeper details. It’s a fine line a lot of authors struggle to balance. Here are some general tips for writing a stronger, more engaging blurb.
Know your story.
This one is simple in theory. To craft great blurbs, you need to understand your story and characters, front and back. You need to understand their motivations, desires, what they’re working toward, why they hate the color yellow, how the flood in your character’s hometown affected its inhabitants, everything. If you don’t have a deeper understanding of the key elements of your book, it will be harder crafting an effective blurb.
Follow a general formula.
In your blurb, you should be able to answer three questions: who are the characters? What is the problem/conflict? And what are the stakes of said problem/conflict if the characters fail? This gives us a general idea of the plot without revealing too much. If you’ve ever paid attention, most novels follow this formula because it works.
Introduce characters.
Characters drive stories. Introduce your main characters by name. You want to convince your readers they want to spend time getting to know these characters. Make them three dimensional and show them in their best or most interesting light.
Look at other blurbs for books similar to yours.
If you’re struggling (and even if you’re not), familiarize yourself with the conventions in your genre. Go to Amazon or Goodreads and look at the bestsellers in your genre. What are they doing that sets them apart from others?
Don’t mislead your readers.
Blurbs are a good indication of what to expect in a novel. Don’t purposefully mislead your readers to subvert their expectations or to stand out from the crowd. Don’t make the blurb seem like a romance novel when it’s really a horror novel. You want your readers to buy your book for the right reasons, or your readers might put it down out of apathy or because they’re confused. If you hint at romance or gore in your blurb, readers will expect romance or gore.
Use words specific to your genre.
Keywords help identify the genre, set the mood or atmosphere, and increase the odds of your book showing up in specific searches. Romance, for example, uses words like sizzling, love, or heartbreak to build tension between two characters. Fantasy novels frequently use magic, power, or destiny/fate to create a sense of adventure.
Set an appropriate tone.
If your novel is heavily laden with humor, let that humor shine through the blurb. If your novel is darker and more serious, the blurb should reflect that, too. As with keywords, it helps readers get an idea of what the book will be like.
Leave off on a question or something that needs answered.
The purpose of blurbs is to get readers interested in reading more. End on a cliffhanger that makes the reader desperate to know what happens so they’ll buy the book to find out. This question or cliffhanger should be addressed in the novel, whether implicitly or explicitly.
Keep it short.
Blurbs are typically anywhere from 100 – 250 words max, so you need to make the most out of the space—why it’s important to understand your story and characters. Use shorter, snappier sentences to make it easy to read and follow. Think of the key elements of your book. What does a reader need to know? What about the book will pique their interest?
Here are some examples to see these tips in practice.
1. Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father—the one responsible for ruining her mother’s life. Then she’s captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.
In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She’s amazed she doesn’t end up as his dinner—are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn’t have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.
Title: Halfway to the Grave
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Main character(s): Cat and Bones
Conflict: Cat is a half-vampire who is prejudice against vampires and is forced into a partnership with the vampire Bones, who is sexy and tempting. They’re being hunted by a group of killers.
Stakes: Possible death
Keywords: Sexy, tempting, half-vampire, undead, vampire bounty hunter, demon hunter
2. One boy…
One dragon…
A world of adventure.
When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.
Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds.
Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands.
Title: Eragon
Author: Christopher Paolini
Genre: Fantasy
Main character(s): Eragon
Conflict: Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds.
Stakes: The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands.
Keywords: dragon, adventure, legacy, perilous new world of destiny, magic, power, dangerous terrain, dark enemies, evil, king, ancient sword
3. Marriage can be a real killer.
On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it
is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped
and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife
disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River.
Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy
daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s
diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on
edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s
fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies,
deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely
bitter—but is he really a killer?
As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know
the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands
by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful
wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom
closet?
Title: Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Genre: Thriller
Main character(s): Nick, Amy, Margo
Conflict: Amy disappears, Nick becomes a suspect, and no one knows who is really responsible.
Stakes: Amy’s possible death, Nick being arrested for murder, perhaps falsely.
Keywords: disappears, killer, police, media, lies, deceit
As you can see in all three, the characters are clearly defined, the conflict is set, and the stakes are given.
Typically, I write the blurb when I’m outlining my synopsis and then I tweak it along the way as my story and characters develop. Having it early helps me see the main idea of the story. Some wait until they finish the novel and then work on their blurb. There is no one right way.
If you’re struggling with writing your blurb, consider getting a blurb critique with or without an edit (more information here). As always, check back next week for the next blog post.
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