Well, a blurb is also a tagline that is meant to sell a productyour book. Book blurb worksheet worksheet teacher made twinkl. 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. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples. Writing a blurb the blurb is the writing on the back of a book. Its briefno more than 100150 wordsand creates interest in the story without giving away major spoilers or the ending. Many authors write the book blurb as an afterthought. Because good writers automatically develop their own internal writing templates that impose clarity and structure on their material, this text provides template examples to help less experienced writers produce the reliable, replicable syntax that is essential to good writing. Most run several paragraphs, but some publishers want them shorter or in a special format so be sure to check with your publishers guidelines before you begin work. We also have an oldfashioned, vintage newspaper template too.
This isnt the plot, but rather the ideas behind the story. 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. Your blurb will be an important part of your marketing. You pick up a book because the cover or title looks interesting. It seems a simple enough task to write a paragraph about oneself, and simpler still for a real writer. In all honesty, writing a blurb for the back cover should be the fun part of creating a novel. First advent candle hope free 7 stacey1975 blurb planning template. Jun 11, 2012 in all honesty, writing a blurb for the back cover should be the fun part of creating a novel. May 25, 2004 once drafted, the blurbs could be written on card to stand beside each book and be decorated in the style of each novel. An easytofollow, practical guide to writing the best blurb to sell your selfpublished book, provided by ya author sarah juckes of completelynovel. The white box with thin border is for the headline, the thick border for a drawing or image, and the light grey section for writing the article.
Great ideas to write a blurb that works for your book. A complete unit of work in which students look at biography, read more. On back covers of books there is usually a summary which attempts to get the reader interested. If youd like for me to read the entire book instead of just. In simple terms, a blurb is the short yet descriptive account of the book that goes on the back. Writing a book blurb is a little like online dating, i suppose. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and quills.
How to sell your manuscript to publishers and your indie book to readers writers craft 19 kindle edition by hall, rayne. Like the sound of the book based on the blurb on the back what is a blurb. Feb 10, 2016 how to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples. The blurb should be in the same style as the rest of the book, for example. The writing template book is a practical howto guide for academic writers. Blurb book border template classroom resource twinkl.
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. Once drafted, the blurbs could be written on card to stand beside each book and be decorated in the style of each novel. The blurb that appears on the back cover of your book, and on your amazon page, will either. Also available as lined, narrow lined, fully lined half lined and editable a wide variety of options to cover all activities. Use concrete examples to back up your points, such as describing a scene that really. We get to be splashy, to the point, mysterious and brief.
Ask the class if they know why blurbs are written for book covers. Ideal for targeted support and intervention sessions at ks3. The five s of blurb writing check these 5 awesome tips editage. This template is a good way to teach students to begin putting their thoughts on a text into written form. Purchase a swatch kit that contains samples of all the different blurb papers with photos and text printed on them. Here are some of the reasons you might need to write a book blurb. Designed to support english teachers, nonspecialist teachers and teaching assistants in identifying and fixing problems in students writing. Sep 12, 2018 creating a book blurb, while still technically writing, is closer to a science than an art. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and. Youll also find some useful links to websites with further information. This short video is brought to you by publishnation. I was about halfway through the writing of my book when i was asked to write a blurb for the back cover. Examples of blurbs to share in your primary classroom.
Its safe to say that a wellwritten blurb is absolutely essential to your poetry books overall success and reputation. Blurb bookwrights easytouse features allow anyone to make any kind of print book, magazine, or ebook. Movies do this incredibly well in their trailers and descriptions, so it may be an idea to. The back cover of your book is prime real estate for promoting your book. Introduce the situation and characters in the case of a memoir, you are likely to be the main character. The occult art of the poetry book blurb rachael mead. Independent reading journal a fun, attractive reading journal that students can use before, during and after reading their chosen book. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a book s contents. Nov 19, 2010 you pick up a book because the cover or title looks interesting. Writing a book blurb for your back cover, and other promotional uses, is one of the hardest steps for many authors. Indie authors often say that writing the blurb for the back cover of their selfpublished book is the most difficult part of the whole process, so were glad to bring you this simple and straightforward set of guidelines from fred johnson of alli partner member standout books to help you triumph over this troublesome task the art of blurbwriting. Its a strange little quirk of human nature that it seems so much easier to go from writing 1,000 to 50,000 words in your book than it is to go from 0 to 1,000 words. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a books contents. Your book blurb must be wellwritten to get a readers attention.
They are not primarily interested in the beauty of language for its own sake. It entices the reader to read a book by promising twists and turns but without giving away the ending. Writing it out fortunately for the fiction writers out there, writing a book blurb for a memoir is incredibly similar to writing a description for a fictional story. Your backofthebook blurb is the second thing a potential buyer looks at after your front cover. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells kindlepreneur. 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. How to write an effective blurb for a selfpublished book. But often, writing a blurba summary for a bookbecomes an anxious time for a writer. 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.
You should have the following goals and ideas in mind. Basically, the name of the game with a blurb is to entice readers to buy your book. How to sell your manuscript to publishers and your. These may be used for an interview, a book jacket, or even an event program in which you are a presenter. Aim for a word count in the vicinity of 150 words 14 paragraphs. Blurb writing is not my forte, but this book offered a clear insight and some useful steps that i was able to work with to produce a good pass at my first blurb. Yet, simple though it seems, many writers have difficulty writing a bio blurb that does not have the side effect of producing heavy.
In that sense, a good blurb is anything but subjective. Then, write 12 additional sentences that explain the plot of the story in a general way. The blurb is the short description on the back of the book. The blurb of your book is the second thing a potential reader will look at after the coverso take the time to get it right. To write a good blurb, you have to make it short and exciting, yet relevant. A set of literacy themed a4 page borders for children to use as a stimulus in their independent writing.
They are arranged by spine thickness, based on the number of pages in your book. Do everything you can to maintain control of your thoughts and emotions, and writing your book will be a lot easier. Nov 15, 2019 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. 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. 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. The key with fiction is to excite and engage your reader. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. Jun 11, 20 the blurb is the short description on the back of the book.
Self publishing, book printing free book templates. But fear not, because theres a secret science to writing the perfect book blurb. Blurbs are the second most important selling tool you have for your book, so. The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should know. The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should. The next thing you do is read the back blurb, or if you are online, you read the first excerpt which is usually the same thing. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. Movies do this incredibly well in their trailers and descriptions, so it may be an idea to look at some popular movies and see how they do it. Your book blurb aka online description, like your dating profile. The worksheet enables them to reflect on the book by.
Learn how to write a back book cover blurb that not only intrigues readers but gets them to buy. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading writing book blurbs and synopses. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. In this guide, ill walk you through how to write a book description, provide you a template, and include. Youve snagged a prospective date by your alluring cover, so now youve got to show theres more than just surface appeal. It has to be almost an exaggeration of your story that entices the reader to buy, or at least download a. A useful worksheet to help your children understand book blurbs and help them write their own. A useful activity activities sheet to help your children understand book blurbs and help them write their own. Writing a short book blurb is not only fun, but great practice for writing promotional copy of any kind. Epic narrative drive now with an awesome story to tell, we need to tell it just as well and for that we need narrative drive, because thats what readers of spy books want. Introduce the situation and characters in the case of.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. It has since been honed to within an inch of its life and i am really pleased with the result. Blurb definition in the cambridge english dictionary. Beth bacon, an awardwinning author and marketer, suggests this formula for writing a fiction. Writing a blurb photo credit nasa goddard space flight center reto stockli the blurb is the writing on the back of a book.
All you have to do is provide me with some information and i will write one undeniably catchy blurb. Find further examples from the class reading books to act as inspiration. Work by convincing readers to take a chance on it, or. Jul 19, 20 writing a book blurb is a little like online dating, i suppose.
There are 14 different page styles including 6 front, 4 inside and 4 back. As students begin reading books at a young age, it is important to teach them to communicate their thoughts and ideas about the books they read. Its crucial it be compelling, because readers make buying decisions from the book description. Fail to engage your target readers in that sense, a good blurb is anything but subjective. Put simply, being concise is hard, and being concise about something you know insideandout can seem downright impossible. Indeed, stephen king was once the perennial bestselling author in the world, and children in the 90s devoured goosebumps books like the blob devoured. This article gives you simple steps to follow to write a book blurb, and gives examples of both fiction and nonfiction back cover blurbs. Mar 02, 2016 great ideas to write a blurb that works for your book. How to write a killer blurb that convinces readers to buy your book the book blurb is your sales pitch. Writing a blurb at ks2 by jessica borges vaz on prezi. Make sure your book blurb reads like those that are selling well. In this post, we tell you how to write a book blurb in five easy steps. Once youve taken in all of the above and gotten a feel for the promise you want to make to the reader, use the outlines below to write your book cover blurb.
It uses twilight as an example, but dont hold that against me. Make sure you supply me with a general synopsis as well. Detailed guidelines for this extended writing task. You have one shot at introducing your story to your reader make it count. Its safe to say that a wellwritten blurb is absolutely essential to your poetry book s overall success and reputation. Jul 14, 2016 a simple guide to writing the blurb of a book.
A blurb is the description of the story found on the back cover of a book. Students can use this template as a means of communicating about a book that they have read. If you have indesign cs5, choose one of the following free book cover templates. Includes tasks looking at the front cover, the blurb.
A frame for children to write the blurb for their own autobiographies, including invented quotations and endorsements. Creating a book blurb, while still technically writing, is closer to a science than an art. Mar 18, 2012 these may be used for an interview, a book jacket, or even an event program in which you are a presenter. Amazon might allow 4,00o characters in the book description box, but nobody wants to wade through a long blurb. An example would be the vague endorsement by nelson demille for the. However, many self published authors treat it like the hellstrip in front of their house between the sidewalk and a busy street. Here is an example of a shout line, taken from one of my own books.
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