Writing a blurb for your manuscript takes practice. Here are some tips to help you write a good one.
A blurb is that short (150-200 words) description you find on the back cover of your book (or in the book description for an e-book). But what should you put into it?
- Introduce your main characters – but remember – just enough information to see how they fit into the main conflict. Keep it very short. A young boy, a princess, a cowboy.
- Set the stage for your conflict – this has to be an external conflict, too, for the reader to be hooked. Internal conflict is all well and good, but it’s not going to sell your book. A young boy must learn to use his magic powers; a princess runs away from responsibility; a cowboy fights against an unjust rancher.
- Establish the stakes – without conflict, you don’t have a good story. Let the reader know exactly what’s at stake in your book. A young boy must learn to use his magic powers before an evil wizard takes over the entire country; a princess runs away from responsibility, but learns of a plot against her father and her country; a cowboy fights an unjust rancher to keep his own ranch and herd.
A good blurb will show the reader why this book is for them – not by a hard-sell approach (“You’ll love this book”) but by showing them it’s similar to other books they’ve enjoyed. Someone who likes Harry Potter would be tempted by the first story, and a Western reader would want to find out whether the cowboy makes it or not.
Keep your blurb short (but not too short) and you’ll hook your readers.