Heres how to get blurbs for your poetry collection. Generally, 150200 words are more than enough for a full blurb. How to write a killer blurb that convinces readers to buy your book the book blurb. Once you are happy with your blurb, let it rest for a day or so before you look at it again. A feast for the mind gets boiled down to a phrase garnished with exclamation. Hyperbole is a figure of speech which is the opposite of understatement and is derived from a greek word which means excess. Nonfiction readers might be a little more willing to work for it than fiction readers, but only a little. Name your main characters in your back cover blurb.
Book cover blurb examples from good nonfiction books. In addition to the example provided in lesson one of a wellwritten book blurb, im including a few examples from bestselling memoirs which have their blurbs perfected. The crying of pinocchio all night until his tears became dry is an example of hyperbole. How to get blurbs for your poetry collection writers digest. A blurb is a short description of a book that is written for promotional purposes. Here of some examples of hyperboles in advertising. Writing a short book blurb is not only fun, but great practice for writing promotional copy of any kind. Whereas novels focus on creating intrigue and use blurbs that attempt to lure in the reader, blurbs for nonfiction books need to take a different approach. The exaggeration in parkers back by flannery oconnor. A strong, descriptive blurb is easily one of the most important and powerful selling tools for your book. How to write a nonfiction book cover blurb that sells. This person has no intention of literally eating a horse but is trying to figuratively communicate his hunger using a hyperbole for effect see literally vs. How to build the back of a book cover with template. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and.
The passage on the back cover of a book is called a blurb. Blurbs are recommendations that go on the cover and sometimes the inside pages of your book. Dont worry, in this article, well walk you through the important points to keep in mind while writing your book s blurb, as well as give you a simple blurb template that sells and some bestseller examples for different genres. She one made a rabblerousing speech in the house of commons from notes on the back of a grubby envelope, which she keeps as a souvenir.
Its briefno more than 100150 wordsand creates interest in the story without giving away major spoilers or the ending. These 10 examples of hyperbole in literature show this literary tool being used to great, expressive effect. Write it in your voice, the same voice in which the book is written. How to write a blurb for your nonfiction book blurb blog. From cambridge english corpus such techniques as punning, oxymoron, and hyperbole are employed by admen to lure customers for their clients. Your back ofthe book blurb is the second thing a potential buyer looks at after your front cover. Why you should ignore the superlatives on book jackets books. The heart of darkness by joseph conrad i had to wait in the station for ten days an eternity. They may or may not help sell some readers on your book, but theyre a publishing convention. Most run several paragraphs, but some publishers want them shorter or in a special format so be sure to check with your publishers guidelines before you begin work. Here are a few tips for crafting killer blurbs that will capture attention and sell more books. A blurb is the description of the story found on the back cover of a book. This article gives you simple steps to follow to write a book blurb, and gives examples of both fiction and nonfiction back cover blurbs.
Bruno mars song, just the way you are has some examples of hyperbole. Dont neglect the ohsosubtle art of hyperbole in describing your story. Indie authors often say that writing the blurb for the back cover of. Kids see advertisements all the time and many contain hyperboles. How to write the perfect blurb examples, formula, opening. While theres no perfect formula for writing the best blurb for your novel, there are some patterns worth noting. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples. These may be used for an interview, a book jacket, or even an event program in which you are a presenter. Shouldnt the back of a book just have a short summary. Not only will it appear on the book itself, but youll probably use it. Look at samples go to amazon and click on the bestsellers in your genre.
Examples of good fiction book blurbs when it comes to writing book blurbs, looking at genres is one of the best ways that you can figure out how a good blurb should go. The blurb is a promotional description, found on the back of the book. What are some examples of hyperbole in the hunger games. Hyperboles are commonly used in writing, but they are also frequently used in everyday language. Blurbs are those few paragraphs that tell you what the book s about and give you a compelling reason to buy. Thats why we will be looking at some more good book blurbs in a few more genres a continuation of the examples of good fiction book blurbs part 1. Kdp print and ingramspark require you to upload a front cover, spine, and back cover.
Words like never before, incredible, unimaginable and. When writing a novel, there are few selling tools as important as a solidly written book blurb. In ebook and selfpublishing, a book blurb is whats used on the main online sales page. Entwined by heather dixon wallwork, the near witch by victoria schwab, the iron daughter by julie kagawa, eve by anna care. Examples of idioms dont rock the boatdo not cause problemsgoing out on a limbtaking a risk hit the roadleave hit the haysackyou are going to go to sleep im all earsready to listen lend someone a handhelp someone out that is over herhis headthey dont understand penny pinchersomeone who does not spend a lot of money and likes to buy things cheap. With thousands of books published every day, you need to capture attention quickly and make sure they have enough information within a few seconds to want to buy your book. September 25, 2016 september 25, 2016 kaitlin hillerich. Here are some tips on what you can do to boost a books sales with its blurb. Youll also find some useful links to websites with further information. How back cover blurbs for novels are similar to back cover copy for compilations. Movie critics may try to write for the ages, but what theyre often writing is next weeks ad and videobox copy. Purchase a swatch kit that contains samples of all the different blurb papers with photos and text printed on them. And its something that in my experience takes some timeas you have to distill quite a few elements to make a sparkling blurb cocktail.
Almost everyone reads the blurb before they decide. I try to give my blurbs a funny, smart, sexy, tender vibe, because i think i hope that matches the books. However, many self published authors treat it like the hellstrip in front of their house between the sidewalk and a busy street. The book strives for balance in covering what has become contested territory, but at times a tendency towards hyperbole has the opposite effect.
Many authors write the book blurb as an afterthought. How to write a nonfiction book cover blurb that sells thgm writers. Hyperbole definition in the cambridge english dictionary. Blurb distinct from the back book cover blurb is this 12 line endorsement of a book by a celebrity or another author that sits on the book s front cover. How to write a killer book synopsis aka back blurb or. A book blurb also called a back cover blurb or a book description is a short description of the book s main character and conflict, usually between 100 and 200 words, that traditionally is included on the inside cover or on the back of a book. If you look at my books, you can tell from the blurbs, i hope, that some books will be funnier than others.
How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. Or even examples of blurbs that do anything but entice the reader. After the book title and front cover, the back cover is the next thing readers look at when deciding whether to make a purchase. It uses twilight as an example, but dont hold that against me. The occult art of the poetry book blurb rachael mead. Fred johnson of standout books helps you make your book blurb stand out. It should introduce your main characters, give an insight on conflict, depict genre and arouse interest. Traditionally, it would be found on the inside back cover of a hardback.
When he says her eyes make the stars look like they arent shining, this is an exaggeration. How to write a romance blurb blog author rosalind james. But thats rarely the best strategy for authors who dont already have an. If your work is funny then the back cover should be humorous.
Make it easy for them to choose your book over the one next to it. When you hear about authors being asked to blurb a book, its this endorsement theyve been asked to provide. Tes global ltd is registered in england company no 02017289 with its registered office. Your book blurb is just as important as your book cover and title. Writers sometimes use overstatement phrases with their works to add art and emotions. Youre setting the expectation for the book in the blurb, so make sure that your themes, ideas, and issues match. As paperback publishing developed, readers began seeing the blurb appearing on the back cover. An unconscious response to the quote on the back cover pictured above. Firstly, highlighting your success in the bookwriting world. If your book is scary than you must include elements of horror, if your book is romantic make the reader care about your characters. The hyperbole has always been a rather useful literary device in the arsenal of most song writers. This website and its content is subject to our terms and conditions. How do you write an amazing summary of your story aka a book blurb or synopsis this is specifically for fiction writers who have a great book and.
Alliteration onomatopoeia metaphor simile hyperbole. How to write a back cover blurb for a nonfiction book. Sometimes coming up with the right words for a book blurb can be more stressful than writing the ebook itself. An interesting aspect of back cover book blurbs is the kind of linguistic features. But it is the single most important piece of writing you will do on your book.
Read their blurbs and select some of the ones that got you really interested in the book. Examples of good fiction book blurbs writing rights. Back cover copy is the blurb on the back of a book. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a book s contents. In this melodyful post, weve rounded up a list of 10 popular songs with a hyperbole in the lyrics. Secondly, introducing the protagonist in a way that. Keep in mind at all times the blurb is what sells the book. Secondly, introducing the protagonist in a way that creates intrigue without delving into details. Adds amazing luster for infinite, mirrorlike shine brilliant brunette shampoo it doesnt get better than this. The backcover copy also functions as the primary ad for your book.
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