If you polled authors asking what one thing they hated most about the publishing business, I bet a majority would say…writing the blurb for my book. Blurb writing is one of those things that many authors dread. The thought of trying to take their 80,000-word novel and tell the story in a paragraph or two is terrifying.
That would not be me. I may be the one author on the face of the planet who LOVES writing them.
To understand the joy of blurbs, you have to know that I am an advertising copywriter. The majority of my job is literally taking large, complicated subjects and breaking them down into a headline and a paragraph of copy to “sell” a product or service. Well, a book is another “product” authors are trying to sell. Once I figured that out, I understood writing blurbs.
So how do I write them? I came up with a workshop called, “Blurb Writing Doesn’t Have to Suck”. I presented it at RWA Nationals a couple years ago and I’m doing it again at my local writer’s chapter (Florida Romance Writers) in October.
Here’s a breakdown of what I teach. And hey…if you can get to Fort Lauderdale on October 12 you can come to the workshop!!!
Why blurbs matters
A blurb is one of your most important selling tools for your book, whether you’re going the traditional or indie route. If you're targeting agents/editors you'll need a blurb for your query letters. Indie authors need a great blurb for their sales pages. Once you have a long version of your blurb, you can adapt it for ads (Facebook, Amazon, BookBub), social media posts, your author newsletter, and printed marketing materials like bookmarks or postcards.
The flavor of a blurb
First, ensure the blurb reflects the tone of your book as well as your author brand. (If you don’t know your author brand or haven’t created one yet that’s a whole other workshop, which I’ve also presented.)
If you write dark, your blurb must show that. If your books have humor, reflect that. It also needs to showcase the genre of your book, whether it's contemporary, historical, paranormal or YA. Erotic romance will have a completely different tone versus an inspirational romance.
Elements of a Blurb
1. The Introduction
· First, introduce your heroine & hero. You want to let the reader know *who* they are.
· What is their occupation? This can reveal a lot about them. How would you describe a Navy Seal vs. a college professor? A chef vs. an athlete?
· Your language should reflect their personalities. If your heroine is snarky and bold, your description should show that.
2. Plugging in your GMC
The key to writing your blurb is to remember your GMC. Of course, GMC is vital to develop when you're plotting your book, but those same elements can be applied to your blurb.
Hopefully, you are already familiar with GMC (Goal, Motivation & Conflict).
· Goal - WHAT does your heroine/hero want?
o If your blurb has a paragraph for both characters than you will need to do this twice.
· Motivation - WHYdo they want it?
· Conflict - WHATis standing in their way?
So now plugin the goal, motivation, and conflict for both your Heroine & Hero.
REMEMBER: Be mindful of your genre and tone of your book. Enhance GMC with words that reflect this. If your heroine is a chef, pepper in words or phrases that reflect this world (cooking, things come to a boil, heating up in the kitchen, a recipe for disaster, etc.)
3. Romantic Tension
After you have introduced your main characters and GMC for both, it’s time to focus on the romance.
Introduce the main romantic conflict
o What is going to keep your characters apart for the entire book? Are they from rival businesses? He’s a wealthy Duke and she’s a penniless commoner?
o Do they succumb to the attraction? (If this is a spicy or erotic, chances are the answer is yes.)
o What is the result of their romantic interlude? Does it set up even more conflict or change the direction of the story?
o Again, be mindful of your genre and tone. If you write “sweet” the words used to describe the romance will be different than ones you’d use for spicy or erotic. Same for a historical vs. contemporary vs. paranormal
4. A Big Reveal and the Dark Moment
Expose (or at least tease) at a secret or important information that will be revealed. Your story NEEDS this in order to drive the action and lead up to your Dark Moment and Climax.
· Give a hint about what the secret and dark moment will be.
· You don’t have to reveal every detail of the secret, but give enough of a clue that the reader wants to find out.
· How will this drive your heroine/hero apart (maybe forever)? Can they make it in the end?
5. Hook ‘em at the end
Now, you need to craft a closing line that entices the reader to want more.
· Write a cliffhanger or question… “Can she let go of her bitterness in order to claim a lasting love?” “Can they save the world in time?”
· Restate the ultimate GOAL in a more dramatic way. Give them a “dun, dun, dun” moment. “Together, they must steal the ancient artifact…and if they fail the world will never be the same.”
Okay…sounds easy, right? Actually, it’s not, but you can develop the skill with practice. These 5 tips will help.
If you’re an author struggling with blurb writing I can help.
Kristin Wallaceis the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. Her latest book, SECOND CHANCE HERO, is available now.
7 comments:
Kristin, Do you think writing blurbs are easier for plotters than for organic or pantser authors? Or is writing in one sub-genre of romance easier than another? I ask because I am one of those authors who would rather write another 80K word book than a 200 word blurb. I've even taken a couple of blurb writing classes but there is something that does not seem to compute in my brain. And last but not least, do you read the entire book if someone hires you to write their blurbs?
Thanks for the post, Kristin. I'm struggling with writing a blurb now, so this is helpful!
Judith, I don't necessarily think it's easier for pantsers or plotters. Sometimes it's honestly easier to write the blurb BEFORE you write the book. You don't need to know all the details. In fact, wanting to cram in all the details is part of the problem for most people. If you can figure out the basic "story" with your GMC and who your characters are, that's really all you need. I have never read an entire book to write a blurb. Sometimes I'll take what they already have and enhance it. They might have an outline or a short "synopsis" type document written in paragraph form.
Kristin,
I enjoyed your blog and found it helpful. I paid to have my last burb written. Like you said, I kept trying to cram in too much.
I have a hard time writing blurbs for my books. You've broken down the elements in a way that makes sense of the process. Thanks for your insights into writing an effective blurb. Dora
Great information, Kristin! Thank you for sharing.
Fabulous tips, Kristin, thank you!! Like some others have mentioned, I try to cram in too much information. Next time I'll try writing the blurb before too much of the book is written and see if that helps.
Post a Comment