Tip 1 #Blurb for the back cover

Tip 1 #Blurb for the back cover

#Writer Tips

 

This will be the first in, what I hope to be a long list of tips that will help me to become a better writer. I have found over the years that teaching is the best way to learn. So as I research this I will share what I find with you.

Try writing your book blurb early on even before you start your book.

Start with about 200 words that describes your book for the reader. This is you sales pitch for your book. Convince the reader that they need to read your book.

A back cover should not be a synopsis which is a detailed outline use to sell an idea to a publisher. An example of an synopsis would be my previous post, ‘Could There be Gold.’

A back cover blurb should not be an endorsement blurb, this is a 1-2 line endorsement by a celebrity or someone else.

A back cover blurb should not be a review which is a longer version of the endorsement.

Amazon normally allows people to see the back of books on the book sales page, so let’s take a look at the three top sellers and see it we can find out what drew readers of fiction to these books. As we read the back cover blurb of each of the three see if they give the reader what they expect, did the writer put his/herself in the reader’s shoes, did they keep it short, did they use short paragraphs, did they tell all, and did they nail that first line?

In this first tip we will look at the first line to see if we want to continue reading.
Would you believe that there are no back cover views for these best sellers? After searching the web for summaries I did find some and the maybe the reasons they became best sellers.
Three best sellers.

26 weeks on the list           4 weeks on the list               5 weeks on the list

Where the Crawdads Sing                  The Silent Patient                     Where the Forest Meets the Stars

by Delia Owens              by Alex Michaelides           by Glendy Vanderah

 Biased on the following Book Summaries would you read the books?

Where the Crawdads Sing

For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens.
 Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.
 

The Silent Patient

If you don’t already know the premise of this book, a well-known artist kills her husband and immediately goes silent. No communication of any kind. Not even to defend herself – because did she really kill the husband that she adored and doted on? Most of the story is told by the new doctor who believes he can cure the artist and make her speak. (Messiah complex, anyone?) Pretty simple premise, really. But the execution is interesting and there were still enough little surprises that I didn’t mind knowing the ending. If you haven’t read it already and you are a thriller fan, then what are you waiting for?

Where the Forest Meets the Stars

In this gorgeously stunning debut, a mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again.
After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises.

The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles. With concerns about the child's home situation, Jo reluctantly agrees to let her stay--just until she learns more about Ursa's past.

Jo enlists the help of her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel Nash, to solve the mystery of the charming child. But the more time they spend together, the more questions they have. How does a young girl not only read but understand Shakespeare? Why do good things keep happening in her presence? And why aren't Jo and Gabe checking the missing children's website anymore?
Though the three have formed an incredible bond, they know difficult choices must be made. As the summer nears an end and Ursa gets closer to her fifth miracle, her dangerous past closes in. When it finally catches up to them, all of their painful secrets will be forced into the open, and their fates will be left to the stars.

After reading these summaries can you see how they became best sellers?

Ok, let’s look at that first line of each.

Where the Crawdads Sing

For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast.

The Silent Patient

If you don’t already know the premise of this book, a well-known artist kills her husband and immediately goes silent.

Where the Forest Meets the Stars

In this gorgeously stunning debut, a mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again.

Tip 2 Did they tell all? Next Week
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