How to Write a Blurb for a Book

If you ask a reader why they chose to buy a certain book you will get a variety of responses. Perhaps it was written by an author whose work they enjoy. Maybe the book was in the genre they normally read, had a title that caught their eye or maybe the cover intrigued them. However, even if any or all of these are true, the chances are that they also read the blurb on the back cover and found it tickled their curiosity. For that reason and that reason alone you as an author want to make sure that the blurb on the back of your book will attract as many readers as possible.

Although there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to blurb writing, a good formula to follow when you draft a book blurb for a fiction book, regardless of the genre, contains four main components: setting the stage, the moment that changes everything, identifying the conflict/upping the stakes, and the wrap-up. Of course, you must always remember to entice the reader, but without telling them too much.

To write a good book blurb you want to focus on the following points:

A book blurb is generally 150-200 words long

Tailored to your genre

Dynamic

Focus on the essential points of the story

Don't reveal more than what occurs in the first three to five chapters of the book (other than a reference of the stakes and the conflict to come)

Write in short sentences and paragraphs so it is easy to read What a Blurb is not:

It is not a summary of the story

It doesn't contain any spoilers

To put it simply, if a reader doesn't engage with the first sentence of your blurb, they might not read on. On some Amazon pages, the blurb’s first line is all readers will see before they have to click “read more.” On that basis you want to hook your readers with the base premise of your story immediately to ensure they want more. 

I suggest you consider this the elevator pitch for your story. Give the reader an idea of your story’s plot, characters, and maybe even themes. Keep it to a few sentences and get across the overarching points which ensure they choose your book before any others.