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Tip 3 Is it scannable?

Tip 3 Is it scannable?

 

Is your back cover blurb scannable?

 

Sophie Masson gives some good advice:

•Short and succinct–around 150 words is ideal, to give enough information without overloading the reader

•Snappily and enticingly written with no confusing bits

•Written in third person, even if book is in first-person voice

•Attractive to look at—well-designed in terms of text on the page, what’s around it, color background, etc.—

 And finally, starting with a tag line, in italics, works well: maybe setting time and place—e.g., Moscow, June 1937—or introducing a main character, e.g., Meet Septimus Drake, master magician—or an intriguing line of text from the book, usually from very early on, e.g., It was supposed to be a foolproof plan…

January 9, 2017 by Sophie Masson

 As I looked back on the back covers of my books, I realized that I need to rewrite all of them. The above description describes a well written, easily scannable blurb.  

 

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.

 

I may have left out the highlighted red. The word count is good. Seems very clear. Written in the third person, and as I cannot find a back cover image I can’t comment on the background. I think it needs a tag line!

 

The Silent Patient

If you don’t already know the premise of this book, a well-known artist accused of killing 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?

 

I would have deleted the part highlighted in red and added the blue. May have given the main character’s name instead of just “she.”

 

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.I enjoy a good

 

Long, but I think it has me hooked, I enjoy a good science fiction now and then.

 

Tip 4 A new back cover. Next Week

#Writing #BookTips #Hubert'sBlog #WritingTips

Tip 2 #Did they tell all?

Tip 2 #Did they tell all?

Is your 200+ blurb so long that it bores you and your readers to the point that they but the book back on the shelf? Look again at the three best sellers and you be the judge.

Amazon’s three best sellers.

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

 

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.

 

My curiosity is up a little I might read on.

 

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?

 

My curiosity is low, I wonder what made it a best seller?

 

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.

 

My curiosity is high, though long for a back of the book blurb, I can see why it made the list.

 

Tip 3 Did they Make it scannable? Next Week

#Writing #BookTips #Hubert'sBlog #WritingTips

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
#Writing #BookTips #Hubert'sBlog #WritingTips

Changing Times

Changing Times

It’s never the same, day after day,

only in a movie like Ground Hog Day.

The world around us, the people we know,

changing constantly as we reap what we sow.

Empires rise and continue to grow,

then fall into ruin, reaping what they sow.

There is One who is steady as a rock through time,

He knows our every thoughts and listens when we cry.

Each day we will make that change,

will it be in His will, or something strange.

 Be it a country or a person, it is still the same,

the choice will lead to happiness or end in pain.

Copyright © 2016 Hubert Clark Crowell

#‎books‬ ‪#‎authors‬ ‪#‎Writers‬
http://wannabewriter.hucosystems.com

The Trout Pond is now on Audible.com: http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/The-Trout-Pond-Audiobook/B06WLMRTH3/

By: Hubert C. Crowell

Jim makes a find in a pond that tears a small Kentucky coal mining town apart. Ron, a stranger in town carrying a secret of the largest crime of the century becomes snared in the Union wars of the 1950’s.

 
 

Desk Cleaning

Short Story

If you are like me cleaning and getting organized is very difficult. I have to really put everything else aside and tackle the project. I may have to even use it as a subject for a short story!

10:00 AM

Time to clean my desk off after years of clutter. I will try and concentrate on one area at a time. When I tackle a major project, like this one, I try to break the project down into small little chunks. The smaller the better. Picking the oldest pile, I first put the books back on the shelf, then file the important stuff and discard the rest.

 10:30 AM

Moving to the next pile, all the files and notes I currently, over the past year, have been taking care of, I discard the stuff already taken care of. I am getting side tracked, reading all my notes scattered through the pile.

11:30 AM
     Things are looking so good I will take a break and write start this short story about cleaning off my desk, who knows what interesting items I may find.

Side tracked again, better get back to cleaning.

 12:00 PM

Another pile reduced to blank desk top. Actually the desk drawers are so full I can’t get any more into them. My file cabinet is also full and I need to get out the label maker and redo the file folders. Take another break and run out to the mail box and make another cup of coffee before I complete this project.

12:40 PM

One last corner and the front half of the desk will be clear at last. Where will I put it all? Maybe I will work on a new web page now that my desk is cleaned off, thinking about calling it “WannabeWriter”.  My next cleaning project will be one of the desk drawers and I will have to pick the worst one, the one that will not hold anything more!

 

The Trout Pond is now on Audible.com: http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/The-Trout-Pond-Audiobook/B06WLMRTH3/

By: Hubert C. Crowell

Jim makes a find in a pond that tears a small Kentucky coal mining town apart. Ron, a stranger in town carrying a secret of the largest crime of the century becomes snared in the Union wars of the 1950’s.

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by: Katrina Patterson

Henry Hawk

Short Story - Fiction

A log filled creek, running quietly behind a small subdivision, a wooded hillside, small fish and salamanders swimming in the shallow water, made a perfect home for Henry. He sat still as a squirrel played on the limb a few feet from him. As the squirrel jumped to another limb, Henry shifted his attention to the creek, spotting a salamander crawling along the bottom, tilted his head slightly taking aim, then swooping down through the trees to the creek, he snatched the unsuspecting salamander with his claws and continued up away from the water to the roof of a small shed.

  An early spring storm pushed up from the gulf, spreading tornados through Alabama and Georgia. The nest blew through the limbs as the large tree crashed down across the creek. Henry limped around with one wing dragging in the mud. The shed provided shelter from the heavy rain, open underneath on the creek side where Henry found a dry spot and rested his broken wing.

Unable to fly, Henry would hop up and down the creek bank looking for food, then return to his new home under the shed to rest. He missed soaring through the trees and chasing the other hawks, but life was different now.

The small backyard world had changed, Henry had grown up watching the squirrels and rabbits run through the yards. He normally swooped down on the field mice and chipmunks that were plentiful around the bushes and along the creek, but as he grew larger and stronger, the larger animals became a part of his daily diet. And so first the small animals disappeared, then the larger ones as Henry’s appetite increased. The deer and crows still came through as Henry was now back looking for food in the creek.  

Now it was Henrys turn to be the victim. He had to be more careful, choosing when to venture out, checking for anyone who might attack, living on the ground was certainly more of a challenge, than soaring high in the sky. Learning when to play dead and never draw attention to his hiding place under the shed.

Each day Henry would try to use his damage wing, he could move it slightly and soon he could tuck it in next to his body where it did not drag the ground. At last he felt a little more normal. An owl came each night and perched on a limb just over the roof of the shed. Hoot, hoot, and hoot went the owl all night long keeping Henry from getting any sleep. In the morning the crows would taunt him, knowing that he was helpless to chase them off. Soon he could hop up to the top of the back of a swing that over looked the creek where he could look for fish and salamanders.

Each morning around seven Bill would take Rusty, a long hair Yorkie, for a walk in the backyard, and each time Rusty would try to check out the opening behind the shed. Henry would move to a dark corner and watch Rusty sniff around the opening. Bill kept a tight grip on the leash and would not let him get under the shed. One morning Bill and Rusty were a little late, and Henry was perched on the back of the swing watching the creek. Rusty took off in a fast run for the swing, jerking the leash out of Bill’s hand. Henry heard him coming and hopped down, then took off across the creek on the tree that used to hold his nest. Once on the other side, he stopped to see if Rusty would followed him across the log.

Rusty stopped at the log and barked until Bill reached him and quieted him down. Each morning after that it became a game to see if Rusty could catch Henry before he got across the creek. After several weeks of this, Bill started just letting Rusty go to chase the hawk. As last Rusty got a little too close and Henry instantly tried to fly. Leaving the back of the swing he flounder in the air for a moment then managed to glide down to the water.

Henry practiced hopping up and flapping his wings, getting a little stronger each day and gliding further each attempt. Soon he was able to gain enough height to glide the entire width of the yard and made a landing on a low nearby limb. Feeling proud he remained there the rest of the day. That night the owl did not bother him, and the crows stayed clear the next morning. When Rusty came looking for him, he would swoop down and try to touch the top of his head. Bill got a little nervous and started holding him back.

Soon Henry was back in the sky, soaring high with the other hawks. He even found a new tree and a place to sleep. Checking on Rusty each morning.

 

The Trout Pond is now on Audible.com: http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/The-Trout-Pond-Audiobook/B06WLMRTH3/

By: Hubert C. Crowell

Jim makes a find in a pond that tears a small Kentucky coal mining town apart. Ron, a stranger in town carrying a secret of the largest crime of the century becomes snared in the Union wars of the 1950’s.