Back of the book blurb meaning

How to write a book blurb by far, the weakest part of many selfpublished books is the synopsis found on amazon and elsewhere. Fail to engage your target readers in that sense, a good blurb is anything but subjective. Give them a few minutes to figure out tricky words and to synthesize the information. The blurb on the back of the book says that it will touch your heart. How can we write that back cover copy that hooks a passing browser, and turns him or. Summary and synopsis are also used but, in my experience, are used only in formal.

The book blurbs main purpose is to lure readers in and captivate them enough to buy the. Design a surefire plan for paying off all debtmeaning cars, houses. The front cover can feature your book title, a subtitle, author name, and images you select. Shteyngart sat down with the daily beast to discuss the book, the art of the blurb, and, yes, teaching james franco. Miss belinda blurb was shown in the act of blurbing. Blurbs are a brief description of a book typically found on the back of a book or within the book sleeve of a hardcover book. As already noted, writing a back book blurb is a marketing exercise. Before i buy a book, i always read the blurb on the back cover. Keep it short enough to fit on the back of a physical book. These cant be designed on or upgraded to another color. Blurbs are a brief description of a book typically found on the back of a book. Even if you only plan to release your work electronically, such a limitation will help keep you from giving too much of your story away. 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. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites.

There is one big difference though between a book blurb and a synopsis. A good blurb provides a short summary or praise of a. Blurb definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Softcover books and magazines do not have end sheets. We had to read a book for school, but i just read the blurb by oh. As an author, how can we turn this to our advantage. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells kindlepreneur.

Sometimes coming up with the right words for a book blurb can be more. The section of a magazine that comes after most of the content. A short description of a book, movie, or other product written for promotional purposes and appearing on the cover of a book or in an advertisement. How to write the perfect blurb examples, formula, opening. Generally, only poets shell out good money for slim volumes of poetry. Nevertheless, back of the book ads usually cost the same as. If youve ever bought a book on impulse, it was probably due at least in part to the blurb on the back or the sales copy on the website. Worse than the cover, worse than the writing in the book itself, there are a lot of blurbs on amazon that are pretty near atrocious. Writers use the term blurb to describe the text on the back of the book. Even if you cant judge a book by its cover, the cover can definitely make a great first impression. Definition of blurb from the collins english dictionary. 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. 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. Usually its in reference to a newspaper article that briefly mentions a barely newsworthy item.

The market for poetry is overwhelmingly other poets. 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. The blurb that appears on the back cover of your book, and on your. Indeed, if i see a selfpublished book with a blurb like that, i generally wont touch it. The blurb on the back of the book says that it will. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the cambridge dictionary editors or of cambridge university press or its licensors. Information about blurb in the dictionary, synonyms and antonyms. This description, which is always full of praise for both author and the book, is called a blurb.

What is the summary written on the cover at the back of a. So now that we have our basic definition out of the way, lets roll up our. 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. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more blurb blog. 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. Blurbrollypolly already in its sound and to be taken as seriously as a beach ball or a random. Blurb definition is a short publicity notice as on a book jacket. I was about halfway through the writing of my book when i was asked to write a. What is the summary written on the cover at the back of a book called.

Generally, 150200 words are more than enough for a full blurb. Information and translations of blurb in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. But, if you have caught a potential readers attention, the blurb is what will sell your bookand convert readers. Thismeans all the focus needs to be on the reader their needs and expectations. Your book blurb aka online description, like your dating profile, has to be engaging and alluring to attract passersby. It uses twilight as an example, but dont hold that against me. Yes, i heard its very good and in fact they sent it to me to blurb but i was. A blurb is just a short written peice about something. Back cover copy is the blurb on the back of a book. Like the book cover is one of the biggest selling points for any book, a book blurb helps sell the idea of the book to those who are in search of reading something either new or out of their usually picked genres. The blurb about a new book, film, or exhibition is information about it that is written.

These examples are from the cambridge english corpus and from sources on the web. Traditionally, it would be found on the inside back cover of a hardback. I have been asked to blurb it, and i am recommending it now to all of you. And again the archdeacon had protested, objecting that the. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. Dictionary term of the day articles subjects businessdictionary business dictionary. 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. Her first book, poems, was published in 1944, with a blurb from eliot. The five s of blurb writing check these 5 awesome tips editage. For ebooks, the description is posted on a books purchasing page, along with the book cover and price.

Forget the book, have you read this irresistible story on blurbs. The practice of covering a books jacket with expressions of praise and enticing descriptions of whats inside is an old one. You glance at the blurb on a dvd before deciding if that film is the one to enjoy that evening. When we pick up any book, the first thing we normally look at is the back cover.

If you go to the n website and search for raymond johns you can see he hasnt published a book since nov, 2016. More frequently though, a blurb is used to describe the pitch you make in the query letter. They were both kind enough to blurb the first book. The blurb that appears on the back cover of your book, and on your amazon page, will either. Publishers summary and recommendation of a book, printed usually on the front flap of the books dust jacket, or in an advertisement or catalog. A blurb is a short description of a book that is written for promotional purposes. Whats the difference between book blurb and synopsis. Say, students, read the blurb on the back of your book and be ready to talk about what is happening or what you expect is going to happen in your book based on what the blurb says. The blurb should include any information that represents the. The blurb of your book is the second thing a potential reader will look at after the cover so take the time to get it right. Fifth grade lesson the blurb on the back betterlesson. 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. Proper usage and audio pronunciation plus ipa phonetic transcription of the word blurb. They have a single sheet of white paper glued to the inside front cover and inside back cover.

In simple terms, a blurb is the short yet descriptive account of the book that goes on the back 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. The key with fiction is to excite and engage your reader. Paratextual traces the blurb, back cover, inside cover, notes and title are part of the marketing process. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a books contents. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples. Black book definition of black book by the free dictionary. 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. A blurb can be the quote a published author gives another author for the book, often appearing on the front or back cover. Find 1,575 synonyms for blurb and other similar words that you can use instead based on 9 separate contexts from our thesaurus. That first connection over a love of words convinced goldstein to have her editor ask pinker to blurb her next book. The curious history of book blurbs and why theyre still around. Synonyms for blurb at with free online thesaurus, antonyms, and definitions. You read the blurb on the back of a book to figure out if you want to shell out the extra bucks for the hardcover.

Back of the book financial definition of back of the book. Work by convincing readers to take a chance on it, or. The occult art of the poetry book blurb rachael mead. Blurb definition, a brief advertisement or announcement, especially a laudatory one. Creating a book blurb, while still technically writing, is closer to a science than an art. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. Orwell way back in 1936 credited the decline of the novel even then. A book containing names of people or organizations to blacklist.

The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should. When writing a novel, there are few selling tools as important as a solidly written book blurb. Im a published novelist, and i participate in several writing groups and online communities. 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.

A blurb is the one to three paragraphs you use to describe the book, similar to cover copy. Summary and synopsis are also used but, in my experience, are used only in. A short description of a book, film, or other work, written and used for promotional purposes. Here are six rules to be mindful of before you put pen to paper on your back book cover blurb. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and. As paperback publishing developed, readers began seeing the blurb appearing on the back cover. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work.