Grade 5 lesson on blurbsadapt by using whatever book. How to write a book blurb in 4 steps the opening of your blurb has to be incredibly precise and dynamic, says editor rebecca heyman. The shining is a horror novel by american author stephen king. Unfortunately, while most authors will hire a professional to create their cover, very few hire a professional to write their book description. Your book blurb is an incredibly important piece of marketing that you need to perfect if you want to ensure that you are attracting the right readers and showcasing your work in its very best light. In the old days, children, the back cover of novels was usually reserved for a. I had to learn how to do it, because writing one type of copy isnt the same as writing another. A sequel, titled doctor sleep, was published in 20 summary. The editorcopywriter producing the blurb will be an experienced professional with many years of experience in editing and the writing skill to put together good copy for your work or an experienced copy writer. His alcoholism and short temper are the themes running. The shining is roughly 200,000 words long, which means that he was writing close to 5,000 words a day, every day.
I will describe the activity to be done writing a blurb and drawing a front cover for home of the brave. The shining stephen kings novel gives us more background and detail into the character of jack torrence than does the film. The shining, gothic horror novel by stephen king, first published in 1977. Danny was only five years old but in the words of old mr halloran he was a shiner, aglow with psychic voltage.
I have gotten two blurbs so far on my own, by which i mean i sort of talked to the only two people i know who are famous writers, and i mentioned that the book was written, and they volunteered to blurb. Jack torrances new job at the overlook hotel is the perfect chance. Blurb, back cover copy, jacket copy, or promotional copy whatever you call it, a great book description is your second best marketing tool your cover is number one. But the book is more entertaining overall, as books.
For me, the 1980 movie version of the shining was much scarier than the novel that spawned it. Stephen king fan publishes shinings jack torrances novel a stephen king fan has published an 80page version of the book which novelist jack torrance obsessively writes during kings the shining. Second, when i have all my endorsements in hand, i publicly thank the author on facebook. Jack nicholsons performance has a lot to do with that. Stephen king fan publishes shinings jack torrances novel. Haunted by a persistent writer s block, the aspiring author and recovering alcoholic, jack torrance, drags his wife, wendy, and his gifted son, danny, up snowcapped colorados. As part of my thanks, i tout their most recent book. To write a good blurb, you have to make it short and exciting, yet relevant. Which means that writing blurbs for my books was a piece of cake, right. Before writing your back book blurb, choose 35 of the bestselling books in your genre and make a note of stylistic similarities. Jack torrances new job at the overlook hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. On back covers of books there is usually a summary which attempts to get the reader interested. The book reached the first position on the new york times best seller list for print and ebook fiction combined, hardcover fiction, and ebook fiction. Sell your book in the blurb bookstore, through amazon, or in the global retail network of over 38,000 retailers, libraries, and schools.
Its the quality of writing that gives the most pleasure. For a lot of firsttime authors, i think theres an instinct to make sure readers understand everything that happened in the book s universe before the beginning of the actual story. I will explain that blurbs are thought to be very important by people in the book making industry and that some writers even specialize in writing. Thanks to my copywriting experience, i aim to make blurb creation as painless as possible. Worse than the cover, worse than the writing in the book. Synopsis danny is only five years old, but he is a shiner, aglow with psychic voltage. Fiction or nonfiction basic blurb cover copyproduct description for fiction or nonfiction extended product description. Print as you go sell one copy at a time and let blurb fulfill the orders or place a large order and sell inperson. We want blurbs about completely madeup, nonexistent books.
How to write a book blurb by far, the weakest part of many selfpublished books is the synopsis found on amazon and elsewhere. A book blurb should be a fair representation of the style of the book. Six writers tell all about covers and blurbs the awl. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. New writers might think blurbs come from interested, wellwishing, famous authors who have gotten their hands on a book. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. Your blurb will be an important part of your marketing. 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. Carrie, salems lot, and the shining were published before the art of blurbing had been perfected. Cut off by blizzards, the hotel seems to develop an evil force, and who are the mysterious guests in the supposedly empty. Get a professionally written book blurb that will sell. But, if you have caught a potential readers attention, the blurb is what will sell your book. How to write a romance blurb blog author rosalind james.
The howto of writing the perfect blurb for your book or novel is a cocktail of creating suspense while revealing the main characters or conflict. As the offseason caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, hell have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. So, ok, here are my tips for writing your kickass romance blurb. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. Print as you go sell one copy at a time and let blurb. Author alessandra torre selfpublished her first book in 2012, and for the first three months of the release, she sold between five and fifteen copies a day. But, if you have caught a potential readers attention, the blurb is what will sell your book and convert readers. When writing a novel, there are few selling tools as important as a solidly written book blurb. As the offseason caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, hell have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his. Its a short piece of writing that acts as a sales pitch, telling potential readers why they should buy your book. When his father becomes caretaker of an old hotel, his visions grow out of control.
How to write the perfect blurb examples, formula, opening. But maybe it was a little easier and less scary to learn. Then ensure you incorporate them into your back book jacket blurb. If necessary, the blurb writer will provide one revisionrewrite of the blurb additional revisions will be negotiated between author and blurb writer depending on the changes being requestedremember that the purpose of the blurb is to drive readers to purchase your book and that is what the blurb writer. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. In this post, we tell you how to write a book blurb in five easy steps. The shining doctor sleep is a 20 horror novel by american writer stephen king and the sequel to his 1977 novel the shining. A blurb is a short description of a book used for promotional purposes but this blobby word is often shorthand for a book endorsement from another author. Its briefno more than 100150 wordsand creates interest in the story without giving away major spoilers or the ending. A blurb is the description of the story found on the back cover of a book. Published in 1977, it is kings third published novel and first hardback bestseller. Thats a speed at which youre writing on instinct, and it.
The authors that do are usually the successful ones. Your book blurb must be wellwritten to get a readers attention. Before jumping into the blurb, a lot of authors count on the sentence trio to create impact and generate interest for their target readers. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work.