Blurbs are a brief description of a book typically found on the back of a book. At this point, the reader may decide to buy the book or put it down. 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. Blurb definition, a brief advertisement or announcement, especially a laudatory one. We had to read a book for school, but i just read the blurb by oh. Mar, 2019 why this blurb works heartwarming in the end, heartwrenching in the middle, and mindboggling in the beginning, the blurb takes us on an emotional and intellectual journey like no other. The cover is intended to draw the reader in, piquing interest.
Information and translations of blurb in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Whats the difference between book blurb and synopsis. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells kindlepreneur. From cambridge english corpus the contributions encapsulate the enormous diversity in this field, and thus the book does indeed provide essential knowledge about the study of language variation and change cover blurb. Talk of aviva selling its back book business life assurers were once again a talking point as the bulls came out of their hiding places to help the. Advertisers argue that ads in the back of the book have the lowest response rate because so few people read magazines all the way to the end. In a perfect world, that would be true of all books. Think about suspense, drama, and questions when you are writing a blurb for your book.
What is the summary written on the cover at the back of a book called. These examples are from the cambridge english corpus and from sources on the web. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more blurb. The blurb can make the difference in that decision. Fail to engage your target readers in that sense, a good blurb is anything but subjective. The five s of blurb writing check these 5 awesome tips editage. Nevertheless, back of the book ads usually cost the same as. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. Proper usage and audio pronunciation plus ipa phonetic transcription of the word blurb. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the cambridge dictionary editors or of cambridge university press or its licensors. A blurb is a short description of a book that is written for promotional purposes. Publishers summary and recommendation of a book, printed usually on the front flap of the books dust jacket, or in an advertisement or catalog. Yes, i heard its very good and in fact they sent it to me to blurb but i was.
Blurb, meaning words of praise on the back of a book, is a pathetic word that quickly devolves into an almost existential meaninglessness, not a shout into the void but a soft round brick shoring up nothingness. Because a girl called miss blurb first read a short intro to books in the early 1900s the name was dropped and blurb remained. Ive made several books with blurb, most recently with bookwright. Blurbrollypolly already in its sound and to be taken as seriously as a beach ball or a random. Total the number of words from all the blurbs and divide by 10. A book blurb should be a fair representation of the style of the book. If all of this sounds daunting, consider hiring an editor or marketing writer to help you craft your books backcover copy in the most compelling way possible. The blurb about a new book, film, or exhibition is information about it that is written. Running and growing your business is a timeconsuming effort that saps you mentally and physically. Sep 12, 2018 a blurb is a short description of a book that is written for promotional purposes.
Printing is done on the front cover, back cover, and spine. Please note that this cover type is not available for largeformat photo books or layflat books. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. On the jacket of our 1961 unabridged dictionary, websters third new international, youll find printed since 1847 the ultimate word authority for schools, libraries, courts, homes, offices and the great library of the english language. The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should. Usually its in reference to a newspaper article that briefly mentions a barely newsworthy item.
Forget the book, have you read this irresistible story on blurbs. Summary and synopsis are also used but, in my experience, are used only in. Blurb create, print, and sell professionalquality photo. Jan 10, 2012 blurb, meaning words of praise on the back of a book, is a pathetic word that quickly devolves into an almost existential meaninglessness, not a shout into the void but a soft round brick shoring up nothingness. Think about what goes on the back of most books and how important it is in attracting attention to the title inside. The section of a magazine that comes after most of the content. Traditionally, it would be found on the inside back cover of a hardback.
Blurb distinct from the back book cover blurb is this 12 line endorsement of a book by a celebrity or another author that sits on the books front cover. The short summary of a book, usually on the inside cover or back, that most people read so they can say they read the book. So you blurb the writer rather than the book, so you just know that thats going to be the one they stick on the cover. And if no less a luminary than george orwell way back in 1936. The short summary of a book, usually on the inside cover or back, that most people read so they can say they read the book we had to read a book for school, but i just read the blurb by oh just someone january 24, 2016. Im a published novelist, and i participate in several writing groups and online communities. As paperback publishing developed, readers began seeing the blurb appearing on the back cover. 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. Fifth grade lesson the blurb on the back betterlesson.
Talk of aviva selling its back book business telegraph. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a books contents. Jul 29, 2009 talk of aviva selling its back book business life assurers were once again a talking point as the bulls came out of their hiding places to help the ftse 100 finish higher by almost 0. Apr 21, 2017 so, the simple difference is that a book blurb should not contain the conclusion because it is your books sales pitch, while a synopsis is a 200word version of the book itself. Blurb ships to over 70 countries and has delivered more than 14 million books. Back of the book financial definition of back of the book. The blurb or synopsis is meant to take those additional. Ive also used other bookmaking software and much prefer blurb for ease of use. When writing a novel, there are few selling tools as important as a solidly written book blurb. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. Create, print, and sell professionalquality photo books, magazines, trade books, and ebooks with blurb. The word blurb, meaning a short description of a book, film, or other product written for promotional purposes, was coined by burgess in 1907, in attributing the cover copy of his book, are you a bromide.
Even the patron saint of teenage girls, judy blume, is featured on the back cover with a blurb for the book. What is the summary written on the cover at the back of a. Summary and synopsis are also used but, in my experience, are used only in formal. A blurb is a short summary or some words of praise accompanying a creative work, usually referring to the words on the back of the book but also commonly seen on dvd and video cases, web portals and news websites. Chose from several free tools or use adobe indesign or adobe lightroom. Creating a book blurb, while still technically writing, is closer to a science than an art. This is an extraordinary example of a book blurb that appeals to readers emotions. Blurb definition in the cambridge english dictionary. Lots and lots and lots of requests coming in for me to read and blurb peoples books, or write introductions to things, to all of which at present the answer has to be no. Blurb definition is a short publicity notice as on a book jacket. The website blurb allows you to create custom made books on any topic. In the back cover copy spreadsheet, youll see that ive done an analysis by word count, sentence count, hook, backstory, hero, characters, new normal, twist, wrapup, question left unanswered, and language patterns.
The curious history of book blurbs and why theyre still around. The blurb on the back of the book says that it will touch your heart. So now that we have our basic definition out of the way, lets roll up our. Design a surefire plan for paying off all debtmeaning cars, houses. Writers use the term blurb to describe the text on the back of the book. 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. The blurb should include any information that represents the. When we pick up any book, the first thing we normally look at is the back cover.
The occult art of the poetry book blurb rachael mead. You may like to visit my blog for more articles on how to create the components of your book, and writing secrets for both novelists and nonfiction authors. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. Hardcover imagewrap our imagewrap cover allows you to print an image directly on the front and back cover. His definition of blurb is a flamboyant advertisement. 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. Print quality is good and support is readily available.
Most photographers will be interested in blurbs fantastic photo book abilities. The back label has a little blurb about the winery and its philosophy. The blurb that appears on the back cover of your book, and on your amazon page, will either. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more blurb blog. Youve snagged a prospective date by your alluring cover, so now youve got to show theres more than just surface appeal.
Give them a few minutes to figure out tricky words and to synthesize the information. This description, which is always full of praise for both author and the book, is called a blurb. The practice of covering a books jacket with expressions of praise and enticing descriptions of whats inside is an old one. They were both kind enough to blurb the first book. A blurb is just a short written peice about something. Nov 18, 2016 im a published novelist, and i participate in several writing groups and online communities. I have been asked to blurb it, and i am recommending it now to all of you. Blurb, founded in 2005 in san francisco, ca, has stood out among other photo book companies, largely because it is a selfpublishing company offering a very different selection of services. Go over to your bookshelf or go to your favorite bookshop and look at the back cover blurb of one of your favorite books.
Visit a bookstore or go online and find 10 books that are within the same subgenre as your story. Writing a book blurb is a little like online dating, i suppose. Information about blurb in the dictionary, synonyms and antonyms. So, the simple difference is that a book blurb should not contain the conclusion because it is your books sales pitch, while a synopsis is a 200word version of the book itself. 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. Most readers then flip the book over to read whats written on the back cover, or the inside flaps. Generally, 150200 words are more than enough for a full blurb.
Why this blurb works heartwarming in the end, heartwrenching in the middle, and mindboggling in the beginning, the blurb takes us on an emotional and intellectual journey like no other. Oh, and when you reach the website, read the promotional blurb. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and. Paratextual traces the blurb, back cover, inside cover, notes and title are part of the marketing process. My only disappointment and its longstanding is the lack of a size between 20x25 cm and 30x30 cm. 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. Work by convincing readers to take a chance on it, or. The blurb that appears on the back cover of your book, and on your.