How to Write a Good Blurb

Let's imagine you've finished writing your book, the editing is done and it's almost ready to go. Now is the time to write the blurb that will entice readers to choose your book rather than any of the others on sale. That is exactly what the blurb of a book is designed to do. It describes your book in a few sentences. It's usually about one to two hundred words long and found on the back of your book.

The blurb will draw readers to your story by revealing enough details about the characters, plot, setting and subject matter. So let's think about how to write a good blurb that you can use to attract readers and that also can be used for marketing your book.

As with the beginning of your book, the start of your blurb must grab the readers' attention. If that does not engage them they may not be sufficiently interested to commit to the rest of the blurb, never mind giving time to your book. Therefore, you want to hook your readers with the general idea of the story in such a way that they want to read on. If you like, the blurb is the elevator pitch for your story which gives the reader enough of an idea about the genre, plot and characters in the book to make them want to pick it up and read it.

This is a great time to introduce your characters to the readers because they have a chance to decide whether they want to spend time with your main characters. You don't need to go into a lot of detail: 'DI Hunter Wilson a policeman determined to keep the city of Edinburgh safe' will be enough. You also want to mention the primary conflict that moves your story forward. It's Hunter's struggle against a drug traffickers in Edinburgh or his determination to find out who murdered the victim that's been found. Tell the readers this to pique their interest in your novel and make them want to learn more.

When you write your blurb, think about the tone of it. Sometimes it's tempting to keep the blurb neutral, but you really want it to match the genre of your book. The language you would use to describe a thriller should be quite different from the words that would entice a reader to delve into a romance novel. If you create the right atmosphere in the blurb, the readers are more likely to be sufficiently interested in the characters and plot to commit their time to the story you have written.

It takes a few attempts to get your blurb right so make sure you edit it to make it sharp and enticing. The more interest your blurb sparks in readers the more people you can share your story with and the more books you will sell.

Val Penny