Blurb, Blurb, Blurb... Blurb is a Verb

[Magic_Seeker]

Oh, nice blurb!    That should get a bit of attention.

[Sadi Alie Chesearean]

My original query started out as what is probably considered a blurb. It was only two paragraphs. I write them before I even write the books. For some reason... once I've got a good enough idea (summary, outline wise) and I know what key elements are going to drive it.. I just go to town.

To me it seems the easiest thing to write. I've even written the blurb for the entire series if it ever makes into a compendium format..

Good luck.

[MaryL]

Hi, Sadi!  This was a blurb written by someone else for the back cover of my book.    The difficulty here is getting a bestselling author to read and then blurb your book. I wish I could have just written one myself. 

[longknife]

You bang your head against the wall creating characters and an interesting plot.
Then, you outline or synopsize [a word?] it and it's like drawing every drop of blood out of your veins.
 :up:and then you try to boil it all down to three of four sentences!!!!! 

  And then you re-write it.

 :write:And then you re-write it again.

Finally, when you submit it and nothing happens ...

Been there - done that!

[ElanaJ]

Awesome blurb, Mary! And I've met Andrea and she is freaking fantastic.

My blurb is from James Dashner:
"Possession held me completely captivated from beginning to end. And what an end! I fell in love with the characters and had countless moments of 'Wow.'"
--James Dashner, bestselling author of The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials

[MaryL]

Woooo!  Awesome, Elana!  Can't wait to read it. 

[tradergirl]

Right? 

Every girl dreams of having her book described as "countless moments of Wow!"

[longknife]

After ruminating over this subject, I wrote about it in my latest blog.
You're all welcome to stop by and check it out - you might be surprised!
 

[TereLiz]

Wow, Mary and Elana, those are some sweet blurbs! Congrats! TG, I hope your blurb quest goes smoothly.

It's really interesting to see how different pub houses deal with blurbs, making it the author's responsibility, or having their own people (publicity dept?) tackle it.

Thanks for the info, y'all!

[dzolidis]

Could be worse!

Screenwriters have to boil their movies down to a single sentence, and that's it.

And one of my favorite writing exercises is to write a rave review of your book before you write it.

[AshK]

Reviewers are SUBJECTIVE, not objective. You can't read a review and pull usable data from it, data to hold up against yourself and determine if you measure up. They are only opinions.

And opinions are like belly buttons. Everyone has one. And some are full of more gunky lint than others.

You are perfectly rational, of course, down to the belly lint.  But that only helps if I am able to apply the most evolved portions of my brain to the issue.  That's the struggle.

We need to hang out more, then. You can read through my RWA contest returns and my inbox while I watch Buffy re-runs on Netflix. I'll fix martinis and put the dog outside. It'll be good times and you'll go home wearing my armor. =)

[JRo]

So I have been lurking on this topic board for awhile out of curiosity more than anything. Since Half-Blood is being published by a small house, I really didn't think a blurb would be something I even needed to worry about in a million years.

A few authors (from major houses) had received early copies of Half-Blood just because I struck up a friendship with them, and we traded ARCs. Twitter is wonderful that way. Anyway, one of the authors really loved Half-Blood and I sent what she said to my publisher just to spread the warm and fuzzies. They suggested that I ask for a blurb.

My stomach dropped out of butt. Like Mary said, it's like asking someone to go to the prom but worse. I didn't ask right away, because seriously, I felt like I was asking to use their name. (You know what I mean?) But finally I grew some you-know-what and just asked, expecting a no or a huge process.

I didn't get a no.

I got this:

"Sexy, sizzling, touching, and fun." - Leigh Fallon, author of CARRIER OF THE MARK

After picking myself up off the floor, checking my pulse, and screaming, I couldn't believe I got blurbed.

I just had to share.

[tradergirl]

Go JRo!!!  You have survived the Trial of Blurbation, and come away a winner!

T.G.

[tradergirl]

Can you tell this topic is often on my mind?  I asked the wonderful Daphne Uviller to write about blurb acquisition, and she came up with this excellent bit: http://blurbisaverb.blogspot.com/2011/06/daphne-uviller-to-ask-for-blurb-is-to.html. 

She makes the awkward amusing...