The blurb is, arguably, the most important part to selling your book. And, arguably, it can be the hardest part to write. However, I have discovered a formula that reads well, and other authors seem to agree: the fishing pole. Like your blurb, a fishing pole needs a hook, a fishing line, and a reel; I explain each section of a blurb for you. Now catch some readers! The blurb not only needs to sell your story, but it also needs to tell your story. Many writers can find writing a blurb frustrating: "how am I supposed to describe my 200 paged novel in 300 words?" Well, this thinking is part of the problem. You don't have to describe everything, not even most things, just the VERY MAIN things. "If my blurb is a fishing pole, how do I make it catch readers' interest?" Flashy, yummy bait! Your blurb should explain your main character and his/her conflict (the main part of the plot), maybe something about your world. These details will leave your reader wanting more. Now, let's analyze the parts of a good blurb: hook, line, and reel! THE HOOK. Your blurb should start with a question (or two, but no more) that makes your reader think. Think about your book, put their mind into your world. It can be about the struggles of the main character the story focuses on, or the great peril of the world your MC gets drawn into. Something like: What will Abby do to stop the Great Awakening? Can a young girl really slay a dragon?
THE FISHING LINE. The reader has bitten, but what good is a hook without something to keep the fish attached to your pole? Here, you'll give more detail about your novel, but not too much. You want to keep some questions in the back of the reader's head, but you also want enticing details to ensure a book sale. You should follow your hook with two body paragraphs, around 3 sentences each. The first paragraph should be about your protagonist and/or your world. The second should be about the central conflict.
THE REEL. You've got your fish; now, bring them out of the water. End your blurb with one last sentence. This sentence should trail off or be another big question. It should leave your reader craving answers. Answers only found by opening your book :) Take a look at how this format looks for A Vow to Fury. (As you can see, you don't have to follow this format to a T.) Can Repana, a tribal woman just seventeen-years-old, care for a dragon's egg? Repana has always been an outcast in her tribe: she is the only tribal to continue the worship of dragons. Her fellow tribe members ridicule her for her religion, claiming that the dragons abandoned them long ago when not one dragon had appeared to rescue the tribals from the oppression of the aggressive Casprallos ... A dying mother dragon, shot from the sky and discovered by Repana, bestows upon the young tribal the task of raising one of her eggs. Repana, strong in her faith, unhesitantly promises to protect the egg -- but she doesn't know that this is the exact egg the Casprallo's king is scouring the land to find, an egg that will hatch a dragon far more powerful than any dragon alive ... Will Repana be able to raise it on her own? Will she be able to protect the egg from the dragon's enemies? A VOW TO FURY BLURB BREAKDOWN:
Before you get started: REMEMBER THE LIMIT. You are writing on the back of a book. A book is almost never bigger than half a standard page, and there will need to be space for the bar code and whatever else you would like on the back of your book. You also don't want to frustrate your reader with too small of text. The word count should not be more than 250. I hope this helps! Happy writing!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Use the categories below to find a post about exactly what you need!
Categories
All
More InfoErin blogs because she wants to help other young adult writers and new writers. It's aimed to educate others on the writing and self-publishing process. If there is anything you'd like to know that she hasn't covered yet, please contact her! |