Jan 09, 2017 sophie, ive been writing back cover copy and catalog copy for a publisher for thirteen years, nearly 2,000 books, both nonfiction and fiction. Steps to writing your own back book blurb and back cover. When a reader first comes across your book online, two factors will determine if they pay any attention to it the cover and the book description. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work.
Nov 09, 2016 great book blurbs are a critical piece for your book cover, your amazon listing, and all your marketing materials. Those snippets of praise on book covers have been around for over. Writing a short book blurb is not only fun, but great practice for writing promotional copy of any kind. How to write a fiction book cover blurb that can make your. Take a look at the blurb examples belowbella andre s, kiss me like this, donna tartts the goldfinch, and e l james fifty shades of grey. The blurb that appears on the back cover of your book, and on your amazon page, will either. Even if you cant judge a book by its cover, the cover can definitely make a great first impression. How to get book blurbs, endorsements, and testimonials. The best blurbs come from someone with a reputation in the same space. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. However, this task typically comes just when youre at your least able. While many selfpublished authors feel confident with writing book blurbs, many others find it challenging to distil the thoughts and language of their book into marketing copy. You should regularly maintain your bio on places like your bookbub author profile so fans and potential readers seeking you out can learn more about you and why they should pick up your latest book. Kdp print and ingramspark require you to upload a front cover, spine, and back cover.
And its something that in my experience takes some timeas you have to distill quite a few elements to make a sparkling blurb cocktail. Dec 04, 2019 we have gathered a list of some of the catchiest book slogans and taglines that shine brightly within the industry. Keep your blurb concise and compelling around 150200 words. Here are some blurbs from mona patels book, reframe. The key with fiction is to excite and engage your reader. Sep 12, 2018 creating a book blurb, while still technically writing, is closer to a science than an art. The book cover, book title, and book description are three we have covered. Because now, amazon allows people to see the back of books on the book sales page.
There is a big difference between writing a cover blurb for a novel and writing one for. When you select your paper weight in bookwright, youre setting up a spine width specific to how thick your book will be, which means your cover design will be accurate in your printed book. The front cover can feature your book title, a subtitle, author name, and images you select. An unknown reader sees the cover, thinks lee child says this author is great. Back cover blurbs for books tips for wrting blurbs that sell books. Feb 10, 2016 how to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples.
Writing a book blurb for your back cover, and other promotional uses, is one of the hardest steps for many authors. Covers, blurbs, excerpts are keys to selling books. A book blurb is a quote from someone that says something positive about you or your book. In the modern publishing landscape, where more books are being. There are a host of places to feature your top blurbs. But its even better to get blurbs from famous authors, or authors of other books. Wouldnt the right blurb, placed just right on the books dust jacket, be a recipe for great.
Authors have three main tools at their disposal that can help catch the readers attention. The curious history of book blurbs and why theyre still around. Work by convincing readers to take a chance on it, or. Good memoirists dont write books because they want to monologue about. For novelists, testimonials from people with recognized names in your genre are golden. It uses social proof to validate the worthiness of a book. If youve written a book, you need to market and promote it so people will actually buy it. When we spend the time to write a novel, selling copies is one of the most important aspects. How to write good blurbs and back pages for your book by lynn serafinn on july 17th, 20 lynn serafinn shares a template for writing good marketing copy for your wholesalers, and discusses what to put on the back cover and back pages of your book. Explanations and back book cover examples for both fiction and nonfiction. A good blurb should also give readers a feel for the main character or main. The back of a book cover is called different things, but the back matter on the cover is really important no matter what you call it. As a last remark, a good blurb sparks an interest, but a great blurb will create intrigue and captivate your potential reader. Mar 02, 2016 great ideas to write a blurb that works for your book.
While the book is still in process, he would print the most relevant chapter to the person he was asking for the blurb, personally highlight relevant sections and passages with a highlighter and pen and mail that to the person. Access the cover by clicking the icon at the top left of the main toolbar. How to write good blurbs and back pages for your book. I was about halfway through the writing of my book when i was asked to write a. A great tagline can help sell books and give readers an idea of what kind of story theyre picking up. How to get book blurbs, endorsements, and testimonials from.
Book cover blurb examples from good nonfiction books. As you gather endorsements sometimes referred to as blurbs for you book, youll want to keep a few things in mind. Pick up or look up a few of your favorite books and see what those authors. The blurb should include any information that represents the book best and. When you hear about authors being asked to blurb a book, its this endorsement theyve been asked to provide. If youve written a nonfiction business book and your back blurb reads like a thriller novel, the reader is going to be very confused. That being said, a good book cover is not just an expression of the idea behind a book, its the way the audience first engages that idea. Once a reader sees a book cover design and thinks the book title is. These remarkable slogans are followed by the greatest bookstore names of alltime and a special post on how to write a catchy slogan that brings in more customers. One of the important things youll need to do is get some great book blurbs, endorsements, or testimonials from leaders in your market or genre. Back cover blurbs for books tips for wrting blurbs that. These 50 awesome book covers will inspire you learn. Chose from several free tools or use adobe indesign or adobe lightroom. Its the first thing you see, and a great cover can draw you in and persuade you to start that journey of discovery, page by page.
Professional techniques for fiction authors writers craft volume 19. How to write good blurbs and back pages for your book by lynn serafinn on july 17th, 20. When defining a blurb its important to distinguish between a description blurb that you write. Punctuation or grammar goofs in this highly visible spot broadcast the message that your book was not professionally written. Learn how to write a back book cover blurb that not only intrigues readers but gets them to buy. Great ideas to write a blurb that works for your book. How to design a great book cover wd ghostwriting services says. Many authors are intimidated by the idea of soliciting testimonials. How to write a great nonfiction book blurb from polly letofsky of my word publishing. To help prevent you from falling into this unfortunate group, weve put together a few tips that should help you write a winning book blurb, whether its for the latest fantasy novel or for a nonfiction selfhelp guide. Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Often people think back cover copy will be easy to write because its short.
We can write your back cover blurb for you when we write your fiction book. With ebooks, in particular, they are absolutely essential to selling your ebooks. As much as book covers catch readers attention, blurbs grip shoppers and convince them to buy books. In german bibliographic usage, it is usually located on the second page of the book underneath the half title, or on the dust cover. Our plugin lets you upload your project to blurb without ever leaving indesign. Lets look and learn from 50 fascinating book cover designs. How to get awesome book cover blurbs build book buzz. How to get blurbs for your book the startup medium. This could turn her not only into a paying customer, but also the latest member of your ever growing fan base. 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 create a back book cover blurb that sells kindlepreneur. Oct 22, 2015 writing your author bio can be a daunting task, but a wellcrafted bio can help readers learn more about what makes you and your books so interesting. In that sense, a good blurb is anything but subjective. The space on the back cover of a book for blurbs, which are brief promotional paragraphs, is one of the more valuable spots for book promotion. The five s of blurb writing check these 5 awesome tips editage. However, titles, covers and blurbs play a much larger role in book marketing, so taglines aka straplines or endlines in the uk are rarely discussed. Your potential reader needs to know with a quick skim what kind of book this is, what its about and what the story is, or. While readers benefit from the multitude of choices, authors have the tough task of drawing readers to their books among the thousands of other books on the shelves or in the ebookstore. Our softcover option is available for most every type of project, whether a photo book. How to write a great ya fantasy or scifi book blurb. Sometimes coming up with the right words for a book blurb can be more stressful than writing the ebook.
Examples of book blurbs outlander by diana gabaldon. Download our free ebook for some examples of blurbs written for bestselling books. With nonfiction books, you want blurbs from people respected for their subject matter expertise or their accomplishments in your field. Get a professionally written book blurb that will sell. Writing your author bio can be a daunting task, but a wellcrafted bio can help readers learn more about what makes you and your books so interesting. These remarkable slogans are followed by the greatest bookstore names of alltime and a special post on how to write a catchy slogan that brings in more customers a great eye for good books. Youll also find some useful links to websites with further information. Use the button to work in layout mode just like when youre working on pages. Oct 26, 2018 nobody ever sees the back cover of a book online.
Unfortunately, while most authors will hire a professional to create their cover, very few hire a professional to write their. Im going to teach you a free and easy secret to getting blurbs for your selfpublished 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. Another way to think about it is framed by chip kidd, a famous book cover designer, who said that a book cover is a distillation of the content, almost like what your book would look like as a haiku. The space on the back cover of a book for blurbs, which are brief. Heck, at least three books have reportedly inspired celebrated.
Dont compare yourself or your book to other authors or their books. Our imagewrap cover allows you to print an image directly on. How to write a catchy backcover blurb that sells 2020. How to get incredible endorsements and blurbs for your book. As much as book covers catch readers attention, blurbs grip. How to get blurbs for your book from famous authors. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others.
This feature is great for printed books when you don. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples. This short video is brought to you by publishnation. A book blurb is a quote from that you put on your book cover or in some other form of media that says something positive about you or your book, and come from someone else. How to get great blurbs rocky mountain fiction writers. A successfully designed book cover will convey the tone of your book, will whisper hints without giving it all away, and will excite readers into actually opening up the book and reading. Once you have those locked in, a way to add credibility to your book is through the use of blurbs. Creating a book blurb, while still technically writing, is closer to a science than an art. This is all great advice, not just for the back cover but also for query letters, website copy, etc.
Sample cover blurbs from this centurys most successful novels. Like a record sleeve, a book cover is a crucial element of the reading experience. If all of this sounds daunting, consider hiring an editor or marketing writer to help you craft your books backcover copy in the most compelling way possible. Now you can easily import your photos into your next book. It uses twilight as an example, but dont hold that against me.
How to build the back of a book cover with template. Cover design shares the same basic elements as page design. Blurbs are what sell your book when your front cover has attracted prospective readers enough to click on the novel from a huge list of options. We have gathered a list of some of the catchiest book slogans and taglines that shine brightly within the industry. But, if you have caught a potential readers attention, the blurb is what will sell your bookand convert readers. Nov 11, 2015 how to title your book and its description are two we have covered, but possibly the very best way to do this other than a good book cover is through the use of blurbs. This article has helpful approaches to writing back cover blurbs. Nov 28, 2017 covers, blurbs, excerpts are keys to selling books. Use our specifications calculator to finetune your pdf to any. The blurb that appears on the back cover of your book, and on your amazon.
How to write a nonfiction book cover blurb that sells. How to title your book and its description are two we have covered, but possibly the very best way to do this other than a good book cover is through the use of blurbs. Speaking of tim, he uses a great trick to get blurbs, and i helped him do this on two books. In a way it was a relief to know that even the pros struggle with describing their masterpieces succinctly. May 06, 2014 while readers benefit from the multitude of choices, authors have the tough task of drawing readers to their books among the thousands of other books on the shelves or in the ebookstore. Once you attain your blurbs, post the most powerful among them on your books front cover if you can, post some more on the back and inside, and share them on amazon and anywhere else you find. The process is exactly the same as writing a blurb for a fiction book, although the blurb will focus on selling the benefits of the book to the potential reader and how the book will help them if they buy it, rather than trying to hook them into a story. Something, ironically, every author i know hates writing. I have a book coming out this summer, and ive been working on writing. Some of the most important elements of your novel except the novel itself are the covers, blurbs, excerpts. Thats why you want to write a book blurb that sells. For all intents and purposes, your publisher has written this. Get a professionally written book blurb that will sell more books.
Writing the blurb for your selfpublished book is one of the privileges of being an indie author. Entwined by heather dixon wallwork, the near witch by victoria schwab, the iron daughter by julie kagawa, eve by anna care. How to write a book blurb that sells with examples reedsy blog. For novelists, testimonials from people with recognized names in your genre are. But i did find a number of blurbs that were incredibly compelling. Create, print, and sell professionalquality photo books, magazines, trade books, and ebooks with blurb. In this video, author julie broad explains why book blurbs are important and she. Again, blurbs are not a necessity, and many famous books have launched and. Great book blurbs are a critical piece for your book cover, your amazon listing, and all your marketing materials. Here are a few examples of great blurbs for a few of greenleafs recent titles. Nov 23, 2019 once you attain your blurbs, post the most powerful among them on your books front cover if you can, post some more on the back and inside, and share them on amazon and anywhere else you find. Were more likely to associate them with the subtitles on movie posters or trailers, and most of us would be. I was surprised at just how many blurbs for great books didnt hook me.
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