Preparing just the right blurb for just the right audience is like trying to knit a sweater out of ramen noodles with your toes wearing ninja slippers and casts on both legs. In early june, i had the pleasure of sitting down with blurbs dan milnor to discuss my. This book sparks with such electric satire that you should read it wearing insulated gloves washington post the power is at once as streamlined as a 90minute action film and as weirdly resonant as one of atwoods own early fictions boston globe a stone cold genius sarah perry. Ppt what is a book blurb powerpoint presentation free to. Tes global ltd is registered in england company no 02017289 with its registered office at 26 red lion square london wc1r 4hq. The power of one is a novel by australian author bryce courtenay, first published in 1989. Im more than happy with the quality of her work and her professional attitude. How to sell your manuscript to publishers and your indie book to readers writers craft 19 kindle edition by hall, rayne. Jul 14, 2016 a simple guide to writing the blurb of a book.
Writing a blurb the blurb is the writing on the back of a book. Not only will it be the second thing a potential reader looks at cover is the first, it is also a way for you to pull them in with both your writing style and your ability to. As i start this, a bunch of writers are coming into town to attend a pitches and blurb writing workshop here. A great book and an astonishing debut sounds terrific but that quote can only be used on one book. Courtenay has even written a book set in russia, the family frying pan. From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the sparknotes the. It should be exaggerated, and enticing, and earthshattering. It matters not only what a blurb actually says but who said it and when. I strongly recommend her to anyone who wants great service and delivered on time.
In the power of one the protagonist, peekay, is moved through various societal structures and learns about their limits and nomanslandsusually the hard way. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and. In selling a book, the cover initially catches the eye, but i believe the blurb reels the reader in. The back cover of your book is prime real estate for promoting your book. 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.
Astonishingly this was bryce courtenay debut novel. Over time peekay, doc, and geel piet build up a black market where they bring in tobacco, salt, and sugar to the prison, and also have a letterwriting service. But for this second post, its time to talk about blurb and promotional writing. Power words are persuasive, descriptive words that trigger a positive or negative emotional response. Courtenays writing skills are made evident in the way he portrays.
In addition to the example provided in lesson one of a wellwritten book blurb. It is not the writing, but the story that drives the plot. The market for poetry is overwhelmingly other poets. How to write an irresistible book blurb in 5 easy steps. This website and its content is subject to our terms and conditions. Many writers find writing book blurbs really difficult. Oct 04, 20 an easytofollow, practical guide to writing the best blurb to sell your selfpublished book, provided by ya author sarah juckes of completelynovel. Ppt what is a book blurb powerpoint presentation free. Jun 01, 2015 the occult art of the poetry book blurb on taking up writing it had not once occurred to me that one of the tasks of being a writer might be to come up with those concise, quippy phrases on the covers of books. I was about halfway through the writing of my book when i was asked to write a blurb for the back cover. It usually gets started is when one of us reads a book, loves it, and then passes it on to a friend in the department. You may have seen the movie with morgan freeman, but i urge you to read the book because it was much better than the movie. Set in south africa during the 1930s and 1940s, it tells the story of an english boy who, through the course of the story, acquires the nickname of peekay.
It entices the reader to read a book by promising twists and turns but without giving away the ending. All you have to do is provide me with some information and i will write one undeniably catchy blurb. The novel traces the adventures of peekay, an englishspeaking south african boy, from age five to age seventeen, from the year 1939 to 1951. The power of one by bryce courtenay penguin books australia. In this selfpaced workbook, youll discover the power behind one word and how to choose and activate the right word for you. Write a catchy poetry book blurb by authoreva fiverr.
Make sure you supply me with a general synopsis as well. Knowing which is which is more akin to spearing one salmon in a tumultuous sea of trout. Each blurb includes keywords pertinent to your book to hook both the reader and search engines. It has been translated into 18 languages, has sold more than 8 million copies and has been made into a hollywood film. You cant expect to write a fabulous blurb in an hour, it may take many rewrites before you feel the blurb hooks your reader in. Powerone has 2 books on goodreads with 2767 ratings. Born in a south africa divided by racism and hatred, this one. Writing a book blurb is harder than you think, and is an excellent way of getting yourself noticed. The power of one in selfpublishing and now, a special guest post from elana schlenker of gratuitous type. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and quills.
But fear not, because theres a secret science to writing the perfect book blurb. It is about a caterpillar that is really hungry and all the things. This short description is one of your key book selling tools along with your book cover the sole purpose of which is to capture your readers interest. Its a fourday push to learn the skills involved in writing basic ad copy for books. Mar, 2019 sometimes coming up with the right words for a book blurb can be more stressful than writing the ebook itself. This short video is brought to you by publishnation. Books by powerone author of teaching the au pair to submit. All you have to to do is condense everything you know about your book into 250 words or less that convince readers they cant live without your book without actually giving away any spoilers. Here is an example of a shout line, taken from one of my own books. Sep 12, 2018 creating a book blurb, while still technically writing, is closer to a science than an art. I often write the blurb at an early stage of a book.
Generally, only poets shell out good money for slim volumes of poetry. A book blurb should be a fair representation of the style of the book. Creating a book blurb, while still technically writing, is closer to a science than an art. Its the part of writing a lot of us hate how do we squeeze all that book into 200odd words and why the hell should we. In early june, i had the pleasure of sitting down with blurbs dan milnor to discuss my experiences as a practicing graphic designer and parttime publisher. Writing a book blurb for your back cover, and other promotional uses, is one of the hardest steps for many authors. In the ballantine publicity department, we have an informal book club. Power of one word workbook by susan brown blurb books. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. Once your title and cover have drawn the reader in, the blurb is what is going to make the difference between a missed opportunity and a sale. Your backofthebook blurb is the second thing a potential buyer looks at after your front cover.
A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a books contents. This is because writers dont really understand what a blurb is meant to do. The power of one is also available in an edition for younger readers. Your blurb is your chance to draw your readers in with.
Work by convincing readers to take a chance on it, or. What might be a kick ass blurb for one audience might not be right for another. How is it that a writer can write a story spanning tens of thousands of words but stumble at a 250300 word book blurb describing it. Writing a book blurb for your back cover and other promotional uses is one of the hardest steps for many authors. The opportunity struck me as a highly significant one here was my chance to sum up the value of the book, in a permanent format. Your book blurb must be wellwritten to get a readers attention. Mar 20, 2018 however, lets put that to the side for one minute and look at the book blurb for what it truly is a fantastic piece of copy. The power of one is a book by australian author bryce courtenay that has. The power of one by bryce courtenay was one of those books. The occult art of the poetry book blurb rachael mead. Here are four steps for writing a blurb to boost your books success. It is written from the first person perspective, with peekay narrating as an adult. This seller helpt me by reading my poetry book and writing a great and accurate book blurb and praise.
I have seen nonfiction blurbs that are more about the author than the content of the book and i have seen fiction blurbs that are a synopsis of the story and even tell the reader the ending. The trick with writing a great blurb is to give away enough of whats inside the book, without giving any plot spoilers for fiction or going so indepth the reader doesnt want to read on for nonfiction. For the ones of you who are new to my blog, im esther, writer, content creator for authors and massive nerd. Powercharge your blurb with hooks rocky mountain fiction. The blurb is the short description on the back of the book. So it needs to contain lots of good keywords and it should be true to the type of novel it is only more so. Focus on the core dilemma the main character faces. His latest novel, smoky joes cafe is soon to be in bookstores.
Once one person has read a book and loves it, then we all have to read it too. Writing a blurb at ks2 by jessica borges vaz on prezi. When you need to write a blurb for a movie, book, or other project, start by writing a clever and catchy hook that introduces some of the characters and setting of the topic. After the cover, the blurb is the next chance of grabbing the readers attention. Its safe to say that a wellwritten blurb is absolutely essential to your poetry books overall success and reputation. How to write a great ya fantasy or scifi book blurb. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Powerones most popular book is teaching the au pair to submit. Overall, i would say the power of one is a very solid book. The power of one is a novel by bryce courtenay that was first published in 1989. Its a comingofage story of a young boy in south africa. How to write an effective blurb for a selfpublished book. As a poetry reader, i know both the power of a good blurb and the equally potent effect of a good name on the back of a book. Like the author, a publisher craves an enthusiastic blurb. I took it as a great compliment that jodi picoult refused to read my book to write a blurb. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. Jan 14, 2019 while its true that no one knows your novel better than you, writing a catchy blurb and directing it to your target audience takes a lot of practice, a lot of research and a lot of help from your literary friends. Sep 25, 2016 a simple outline for writing a killer book blurb september 25, 2016 september 25, 2016 kaitlin hillerich in my last post, i mentioned that ive been working on a novella and shared some reasons why you should write one of your own. Her reason, she might want to write on the same subject one day, as if there could only be one book on a particular subject.
Malcolm gladwell hands out book blurbs like santa does. Sep 01, 2017 pure textuality pr now offers blurb writing services for authors. You have one shot at introducing your story to your reader make it count. Like the author, a publisher craves an enthusiastic blurb to attract new readers. The back blurb of a novel has to grab you, make you want to read it. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. Aug 15, 2018 a great book and an astonishing debut sounds terrific but that quote can only be used on one book. Great ideas to write a blurb that works for your book. The power of one is a wonderful autobiographical novel which has been made into a fantastic audio book.
The power of one was based on the courage to remain separate, to think through to the truth, and not to be beguiled by convention or the plausible arguments of those who expect to maintain power. The blurb for the online product description or on the back of a paperback is one of the most important pieces of text you will write, and will be redrafted and polished many times before you get it right. Many authors write the book blurb as an afterthought. For the young peekay, its a piece of advice he will carry with him throughout his life. This article gives you simple steps to follow to write a book blurb, and gives examples of both fiction and. We supply you with a catchy 100200 word count blurb and an accompanying tagline optional. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb september 25, 2016 september 25, 2016 kaitlin hillerich in my last post, i mentioned that ive been working on a novella and shared some reasons why you should write one. Knowing the bestselling blurb writing formulas is a seductive super power that can super charge your sales, bring you more fans and popularity and grow your platform as an expert. Authors, copywriters, and content marketers use power words to spice up their content and compel audiences to take action. Go over to your bookshelf or go to your favorite bookshop and look at the back cover blurb of one of your favorite books.
Review of audio book, the power of one written by bryce courtenay, narrated by humphrey bower. Jan 14, 2014 how to write a great ya fantasy or scifi book blurb posted on january 14, 2014 by conjurors its ironic, after writing thousands of words to create your novel, that a 100200 word blurb pitching your baby to potential readers could completely stump you. The generous and brilliant writers who did read catcher, caught and who wrote blurbs knew me and my writing from book. Summary read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. We cant believe this book was never a selection for oprahs book club. Make sure your book has an even number of pages, and at least 20 pages. The blurb that appears on the back cover of your book, and on your amazon page, will either. While theres no official formula for blurb writing, what youre likely to see is a similar layout on the backs of those books you just looked at. In this post, we tell you how to write a book blurb in five easy steps. Blurb definition is a short publicity notice as on a book jacket. We had it as one of our setwork books in high school sa.
A free powerpoint ppt presentation displayed as a flash slide show on id. Your blurb will be an important part of your marketing. In sextons blurb, one cant help but hear an additional echo of plaths the blood jet is poetry. They can make us feel scared, encouraged, aroused, angry, greedy, safe, or curious. Freelance writer paul witcover discusses some of the key historical events that make up the backdrop of the novel the power of one. An easytofollow, practical guide to writing the best blurb to sell your selfpublished book, provided by ya author sarah juckes of completelynovel. Writing a short book blurb is not only fun, but great practice for writing promotional copy of any kind. An accomplished writer who delights readers like no one elsethats a quote with legs. Mar 02, 2016 great ideas to write a blurb that works for your book.
Put simply, being concise is hard, and being concise about something you know insideandout can seem downright impossible. The power of one is bryce courtenays best known book. However, many self published authors treat it like the hellstrip in front of their house between the sidewalk and a busy street. To write a good blurb, you have to make it short and exciting, yet relevant. How to write the perfect blurb examples, formula, opening. How not to write a novel back blurb lynn schneider books. Dont worry, in this article, well walk you through the important points to keep in mind while writing your books blurb, as well as give you a simple blurb template that sells and some bestseller examples for different genres. Dec 17, 2015 when malcolm gladwell was asked to write a blurb for the 2005 book freakonomics, he did not explain that it explored the dynamics of the ku klux klan or the impact of naming a child. That too is the power of the bestselling book blurb formulas.