Hi everyone —
I’m getting ready to leave for the Romantic Times (RT) Convention in New Orleans. One of the things i’m doing there is a talk called Reality Check! It’s the ten things new authors need to know to survive in the wild world of publishing. One of the ten things is How to Write a Query Letter including a Blurb. A Blurb is the short (about 200 word) “teaser” for the book that you see on Amazon and all the other bookseller sites as well as on the back of print books. How much weight do you give the blurb when you buy a book? How much does it influence you?
As you can imagine, writing good blurbs is HARD. It has to capture the essence of the book in language that grabs readers and makes them want to go on — without giving too much away. I could easily do a whole workshop on how to write a blurb — and at RT, i’ll be encapsulating it into about three or four minutes! So, i decided i’d do a post here on How to Write a Blurb and the people who come to RT can check it out if they want to. So forgive me for getting all teachery and technical, but here are some steps in how to write a good blurb —
The Blurb will be less than 200 words generally for a full-length novel and is always written in present tense. I suggest trying to write a blurb about your book early in the writing process because it will help you crystallize your thoughts about the characters and their goals and conflict. Often, you may have to write a blurb for a story that you’ve barely thought of in order to submit a series, for example, on proposal. It’s worth practicing and getting good at it. Here are the steps:
- Who is your main character? In most traditional romances it’s the heroine, so it’s not hard to decide. For authors who write MM like me, you have to determine who will be the MC — it can’t be both heroes although both are important. You have to know whose arc, whose problems and goals will drive the story. Your MC gets mentioned first in the blurb.
- What is his/her problem and/or goal? This is the hard part because in a novel, your MC has a lot of problems. You have to dig down and discover what does he/she really want that he’s not getting. The heart of the matter. The one thing that drives all the other problems. State that at the beginning of the blurb.
- Who is the love interest? Bring him in next. How does the meeting of the two or the relationship of the two rock the problem/goal of the MC?
- Now turn the point of view, so to speak, to the love interest for a moment. What is his problem/goal that is probably in conflict with the MC in some way? Tell us.
- Now turn to the big question of the book — the cataclysm, or emotional upheaval that occurs when the two lovers’ goals and problems come into conflict. End the blurb with this issue. You generally don’t want to tell how the book resolves, although since it’s a romance, we know they end up together so you can suggest that if you need to.
- Many writing teachers will say never end a blurb with a question. Personally, i disagree. I don’t think every blurb should end in a question, but some just naturally do. Decide if you like that approach for yourself.
Okay, here are a couple of blurbs for you to dissect. Can you pick out the sections?
This one doesn’t end in a question and does come close to resolving the story, but doesn’t tell us how any of it happens —
When Killian Barth, history professor, meets Blaine Genneau, quantum physicist, they ignite their own big bang. But sadly, Killian walks away. He doesn’t do physics professors. In fact, he doesn’t do humans, because Killian is the most powerful male witch in 10 generations and, though gay, he’s expected to save his declining race by reproducing.
He can’t even have sex with Blaine, because he’s been taught that sex with humans depletes his power. But if that’s true, why can young human, Jimmy Janx, dissolve spoons with a thought? Somebody’s a lying witch.
With his powerful cat familiar, Aloysius, on his shoulder, Killian brings the lightning against deceit and greed to save Blaine from danger and prove love is the greatest power of them all.
This blurb starts with the line the publisher said was the best she had ever read in a blurb —
Adam James is so far in the closet he could find Narnia. But coming out would threaten all he’s built as the attorney for the homophobic WMA Development, and the million-dollar paycheck waiting for him once they push their big land development deal through the city council. Then, on an early morning scuba dive, Adam meets a tall, lean rebreather diver named Sky who makes him want to live a different life.
Sky Sea Mickeljohn doesn’t compromise. He knows what he stands for and stands for it openly: the environment, world peace, and being gay. So how could he find himself lusting after a damned developer? Especially the one working on the WMA land development deal, which would put thousands of people at risk by creating a toxic waste site they have neither the capital nor the know-how to clean up? And worse, what’s going to happen when someone opens Adam’s closet door?
The best way to write a great blurb is to practice, practice, practice. Also, read blurbs you like, the ones that make you want to buy the book. I think i love writing blurbs because i’ve written so many ads in my life, and blurbs are a lot like that. Find the heart of the matter and sell it!
Thank you so much for coming by. What do you like most in blurbs. what makes you want to read a book? : )