You’ve mercilessly gone through the editing process. You’ve painstakingly proofread the entire document from start to finish, line-by-line and word-by-word. You’ve had it read and received so much great feedback. Now you’re ready to publish, there’s one step remaining – condensing the story into a couple of pararaphs.
Writing a book blurb
The book blurb is the final piece of the puzzle. It must be long enough to set the pace but short enough to entice. It can often be more difficult to write than the book itself. Here’s what a good blurb does.
Entice the reader
The blurb is what sells a book. A well written blurb will make people want to buy the book and read the contents. A badly written one will, obviously, have the opposite effect.
Set the scene
A blurb sets the scene of the book. It identifies the genre, introduces the protagonist and sets out the main conflict without giving anything away.
gives details of you
As much as they want to read the book, readers want to know about you, the author. Give them details of who you are, inspirations and other work you’ve done. If they like the book, they’ll go looking for more.
Condenses the book
A blurb is not a summary, nor is it a synopsis. Instead, it condenses key parts of the book in around two to three short paragraphs. And they are short too. Anything more will switch your readers attention off.
How we can help
Lorem ipsum
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, at mei dolore tritani repudiandae. In his nemore temporibus
Straight from the fiction writers
We’re both fiction writers at Hypnocat and we know what needs to go on the back of your book to entice your readers and make them want to buy.
Straight from the fiction writers
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, at mei dolore tritani repudiandae. In his nemore temporibus
A blurb for all books
It doesn’t matter what the genre , we adapt and write the perfect blurb for your book. From romance to horror, sci-fi to thriller, we have the words to help.
Tips when writing a book blurb
When writing an eye-catching book blurb is a challenge. You’ve got a very limited space to create a tantilising bit of text that makes people want to buy your book. Here are a couple of do’s and don’ts when writing a book blurb.
Introduce your protagonist.
Don’t leave readers guessing who the main person in the book is. Tell them who it is and buid up the main conflict to entice the reader in.
Keep it short
You don’t need to go into detail, save that for the book itself and keep the blurb short but also reference the genre and central theme.
don’t Give away spoilers
No matter how tempting it is, don;t give any spoilers on the back page. You want them to buy the book, not have it ruined for them. You want to set a scene, not give away the entire plot!
don’t Compare yourself to other writers
Comparing yourself to other writers could set you up for a fall. Allow readers and critics to decide whether you’re just as good or better than famous or more established writers.