On Monday, I posted a list of things you can do to help get your book noticed in the flood of new releases. One thing I pointed out was that the blurb can make a huge difference when it comes to sales. I’ve seen some self-published books with great covers, but the blurb is dull and vague. Sorry, I’m not going to buy your book if your blurb doesn’t excite me. I’m going to buy someone else’s book.
Because I’m planning to self-publish my New Adult novel later next year, I recently took a workshop on writing blurbs. One thing we learned is that blurbs need to be tight and contain power words and words that hook the reader. You also want your blurb to be as specific as possible. The following blurb is from the YA contemporary novel Pushing the Limit (Katie McGarry). I’ve highlighted the hooks and power words (they are the same color because some words are both).
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitudeand surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.
Yet the crazy attractionbetween them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limitsand what she'll riskfor the one guy who might teach her how to love again.
The highlighted words are the ones that grabbed me and made me want to read the book. I was hooked. As it turns out, it’s my favorite book for 2012.
The above blurb is found on the inside jacket cover. But what about the blurb on the back of the book—the one most people read when deciding if they’re interested in reading more?
“I WON’T TELL ANYONE, Echo. I promise.”
Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone TOUCHED ME like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins?
His DARK BROWN EYES shifted to my covered arms. “You didn’t do that—did you? It was done to you?”
No one ever asked that question.
They stared.
They Whispered.
They laughed.
BUT THEY NEVER ASKED.
(This is followed by an author blurb from a bestselling author)
The colored, capitalized words were designed to grab the reader’s attention. Worked for me. The excerpt is not exactly the same as the paragraphs in the novel. It has been tightened for the greatest impact.
There are many different styles of blurbs, and some work better for certain genres than others. The best thing to do if you need to write a blurb (for example if you’re self publishing your novel or your publisher wants you to write one) is study the back of books in the genre you write, and see what appeals to you and what doesn’t. If you write YA stories, you’ll notice that most blurbs are excerpts. They appeal to teens because the excerpt automatically helps them connect with the character. You’ll still want a strong blurb for the inside cover, Goodreads, Amazon, etc.
When determining if you want to read a book, how important is the blurb to you?